Annapolis Symphony Orchestra presents Masterworks III: Raging Fire

The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra (ASO), a 501c3, nonprofit organization and the largest and oldest performing arts institution in Anne Arundel County, presents Raging Fire, the third Masterworks concert of the orchestra’s Season 62. The concert will be held Friday, February 2nd and Saturday, February 3rd at Maryland Hall in Annapolis, Maryland, as well as Sunday, February 4th at the Music Center at Strathmore. The concert features contemporary composer Narong Prangcharoen, as well as classical music by Sibelius and Tchaikovsky. The performance begins with Raging Fire, a piece by Thai composer Narong Prangcharoen, who has a history with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. In 2008, while still a Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition (D.M.A.) student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, he won the Annapolis Charter 300 Young Composers Competition with the piece Tri-Sattawat (Three Centuries). The piece fittingly celebrated the tricentennial of Annapolis with references to the Revolutionary War while also speaking to Prangcharoen’s own Thai history with influences from sacred Na Phat music. This fusion of cultures is typical in Prangcharoen’s compositions, which seek to bridge the cultures of Thailand, East Asia, and Western classical art music.  Raging Fire, composed in 2018 and commissioned by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, takes inspiration from an element that is present in every culture. Prangcharoen notes the universal use of fire and its power, used for both good and destruction, throughout the world. ASO Artistic Director and Conductor José Luis Novo is delighted to bring Prangcharoen’s music back to Annapolis. “Raging Fire is a very vivid description of the spirit behind this entire program, particularly of the many virtuosic passages in each of the three works we will be presenting. Both the orchestra and the violin soloist will be forcing the limits of what is possible in symphonic music, and I believe this sheer effort will bring the audience to the edge of their seat,” he said. Born in Finland in 1865, Sibelius is widely regarded as his country’s greatest composer and his music is often credited with having helped Finland develop a national identity during its struggle for independence from Russia. Soloist Elissa Lee Koljonen, with some Finnish heritage of her own, will join the ASO as guest violinist. Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, also known as the Pathétique Symphony, is Tchaikovsky’s final symphony, which he completed and conducted just nine days before his death. Tchaikovsky said his Sixth Symphony is “the best thing I ever composed or shall compose.” Noted by ASO musicians as one of their favorite pieces to play, the excitement, drama, and hyper-romantic melodies make “Pathétique” a real treat for audiences.

Event Links

Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/2207516-0

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