The Garland Symphony Orchestra will conclude its season, “Symphonic Kaleidoscope,” season May 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the Brownlee Auditorium at the Granville Arts Center.
The concert will feature pianist Daniel del Pino performing Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor. Grieg’s only piano concerto is one of the most popular in the repertoire. It was premiered in 1868 when Grieg was only 25-years-old, a relatively early piece in his oeuvre. The piece reflects influence from more established composers, Robert Schumann in particular, as well as folk songs from Grieg’s native Norway.
Del Pino is one of the most important international pianists in Spain. His concert activity has taken him to five continents. He was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1972. He started his musical studies in Rabat (Morocco), continuing his training at the Royal Conservatory of Music of Madrid, Yale University and Southern Methodist University of Dallas. His teachers have been Marisa Villalba, Julián López-Gimeno, Peter Frankl and Joaquín Achúcarro. He has been a piano teacher at the Professional Conservatory of Music “Jacinto Guerrero” in Toledo and is currently a professor at Musikene (Conservatory of Music of the Basque Country).
Del Pino is the artistic director of the Cita con las Clásicos cycle since 2010, and since 2014, the Festival organized by Sierra Musical. Since 2016, he is a piano teacher in the superior and master degree, offered by the Katarina Gurska Higher Education Center, in Madrid.
Garland audiences may remember him from several previous engagements with the GSO, most recently in May 2016 performing Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto.
In addition, the GSO will be performing Daugherty’s “Red Cape Tango” and Gliere’s Suite from The Red Poppy. Grammy-winner Michael Daugherty is a composition professor at the University of Michigan. The Red Cape Tango is a movement from the larger Metropolis Symphony, inspired by Superman comics.
The composer said:
“Red Cape Tango was composed after Superman’s fight to the death with Doomsday, and is my final musical work based on the Superman mythology. The principal melody, first heard in the bassoon, is derived from the medieval Latin death chant Dies irae. This dance of death is conceived as a tango, presented at times like a concertino comprising string quintet, brass trio, bassoon, chimes, and castanets.”
Russian composer Gliere wrote the music for the ballet The Red Poppy in 1927. The ballet tells a story on the docks of a Chinese seaport, and the red poppy is a symbol of love and freedom. The suite is a compilation of the primary pieces in the ballet, including “The Russian Sailors Dance” which is Gliere’s most famous work.
GSO credits its music director, Robert Carter Austin, for its continued outstanding and diverse orchestral programming. His background encompasses over 30 years of professional music experience and includes degrees from MIT, Cambridge University and Stanford University. Austin’s musical experience includes conducting performances in many countries including: Korea, Ukraine, Canada, Italy, Spain, China, France, Germany, Mexico, Bulgaria, Ecuador, Colombia, Philippines, Guatemala, Dominican Republic and the United States.
Single tickets are $17.50, $27.50 and $37.50. Call 972-926-0611 or email info@garlandsymphony.org). Group discounts are available.
The Granville Arts Center is at 300 North Fifth Street in downtown Garland.
For information on GSO, visit www.garlandsymphony.org.