Program is a
Leonard Bernstein
Centennial Celebration
Two spectacular forces converge when Jeff Tyzik, Principal Pops Conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, conducts a program celebrating the Leonard Bernstein Centennial at The College at Brockport’s Tower Fine Arts Center on Friday, November 2, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $17 general, $12 for senior citizens and Brockport alumni, faculty and staff, and $9 for students. They are available online at http://fineartstix.brockport.edu, by phone at 585-395-2787, or in person at the Tower Fine Arts Center box office, 180 Holley Street, Brockport.
Featured in the concert are some of Bernstein’s most acclaimed musical theatre compositions, including the Overture from Candide. This 1956 adaptation of Voltaire’s satire was a 76-performance flop at the time, but – mercifully – recorded. Once people heard the score, revisions and revivals abounded through the years, culminating in a 1974 Broadway run of nearly two years. This staging, by Harold Prince (a producer of Bernstein’s next Broadway work, West Side Story), was then adapted for opera houses across the globe in the years that followed.
West Side Story will be represented by a medley of songs from the landmark 1957 musical. As big a hit as this show was, it was not without fits and starts while in production. Its original producer abandoned the production because of the violence and hatred it depicted. Greeted with rave reviews, the show settled in for a nearly two year-run on Broadway. This was a substantial run back in the day, but the show did not attain legendary status until its Academy Award-winning motion picture was released.
On the Town is the show that made Bernstein (as well as his collaborators, Betty Comden and Adolph Green) Broadway mainstays. A tale of three sailors on 24-hour leave in New York City (based on the ballet Fancy Free, for which Bernstein also supplied the score), the show opened in the fall of 1944. The show featured the song “New York, New York” which touted the city’s geography and transportation.
Rounding out the program is Tyzik’s own composition, “Concerto for Jazz Violin and Orchestra,” which was composed with the RPO’s concertmaster/violinist, Juliana Athayde, in mind. Crossing over jazz with classical music is something that always interested Tyzik. “Juliana is a gifted violinist who is an extraordinary classical musician. She is also a true jazz musician who understands the unique performance styles associated with this genre.” But, he recalls, “I had to decide if this would be a classical piece that had jazz influences or a jazz piece with classical influences. Improvisation had to be part of the musical tapestry as well … In this concerto, most of what Juliana plays is composed, although it may often sound improvised to the listener.”
Parking Lot G, adjacent to the Tower Fine Arts Center, will be closed to the public. Allow a few extra minutes to find parking in Lots D-1, F or H.
More information about The College at Brockport’s Fine Arts Series can be found on Facebook.
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