The Bucks County Symphony Orchestra commences its 74th season with a Fall Concert on Sunday, November 1 at 3:00 p.m. in Delaware Valley University’s Life Sciences Building. The concert is sponsored by the Warren Family Foundation in memory of Tamara Warren, a cellist in the BCSO for 18 years.
Maestro José Luis Domínguez and the BCSO open the program with the Poet and Peasant Overture by Franz von Suppé. Composed in 1846 as incidental music for a comedy by playwright Karl Elmar, this atmospheric piece eventually inspired the creation of a full eponymous operetta. Cast in a rustic, picturesque, and pastoral setting, the overture remains one of Suppé’s most recognized works, reflecting the charming and lively spirit of the Bavarian countryside with catchy melodies and evocative storytelling through music.
Euphonium artist Michael Fahrner joins the BCSO in a performance of Edward Gregson’s Euphonium Concerto. Gregson, a prolific English composer of international standing whose music has been performed worldwide, has composed orchestral, chamber, instrumental, and choral works, as well as pieces for wind and brass ensemble. His 2018 Euphonium Concerto is a large-scale symphonic work that demonstrates the full capabilities and properties of the instrument.
A dedicated pedagogue, Mr. Fahrner currently serves as Adjunct Professor of Euphonium at Rowan University and maintains private studios in Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia. He previously served as Assistant Director of the Atlantic Youth Brass Band and on the brass faculty at Settlement Music School. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Euphonium Performance at Temple University.
The concert concludes with the momentous/consequential Symphony No. 1 in C minor by Johannes Brahms. Feeling immense pressure to measure up to Beethoven’s standards in composing a symphony, Brahms once stated that “I shall never write a symphony.” Indeed, he waited until he was 43 years old to publish his first such composition after working on it intermittently for over 20 years. His perseverance unquestionably paid off, for his First Symphony, completed in 1876, has been recognized as “the greatest “first” symphony in the history of music. From the foreboding thirty-seven-measure introduction through the spectacular conclusion of the fourth movement, Brahms demonstrated that he truly was the greatest symphonic composer since Beethoven.
Adult tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door; senior tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door; students are admitted free of charge. Patrons are encouraged to secure all tickets in advance at BucksCountySymphony.org to guarantee admission. More information on the BCSO website.
An added feature to the concert day festivities is a Pre-concert Conversation hosted by Maestro Domínguez and Mr. Fahrner, offering insights into the afternoon’s repertoire. Free tickets are available online for the 1:30 event in the Upper Atrium of the Life Sciences Building.
About the Bucks County Symphony Orchestra
For nearly 75 years, the Bucks County Symphony Orchestra has enriched the community with performances of classical music in local venues at affordable ticket prices. Board members and the majority of musicians are volunteers committed to enriching the musical arts in Bucks County and the surrounding communities. The Bucks County Symphony Orchestra continues to carry forth the mission of its founders: sharing the joy of symphonic music through live performance and educational outreach.