Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra opens its 13th season with “Triumph and Desire” at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15, at the Kahilu Theatre in Waimea.
Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra opens its 13th season with “Triumph and Desire” at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15, at the Kahilu Theatre in Waimea.
The orchestra, led by maestro Brian Dollinger, will perform the orchestral masterpiece Symphony No. 5 in E minor, op. 64 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, which has come to symbolize the composer’s triumph over difficult circumstances. Rounding out the program are the “Fanfare La Peri” by Paul Dukas, “Adagio” from “Spartacus” by Aram Khachaturian and Suite No. 1 from “Carmen” by Georges Bizet — musical selections that illustrate the power of love and desire.
Dollinger brought a concert experience to Hawaii Island that not only is relaxed and family friendly but true to the very nature of symphonic performances. Each performance includes popular and well-known melodies or entire works every audience member is sure to recognize.
The performance begins with a boisterous welcome to the new concert season with the music of Dukas, a composer every listener will know as his music was used for the iconic Mickey Mouse “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” cartoon in Disney’s “Fantasia.”
The orchestra then brings to life some of the most memorable melodies from the opera “Carmen.”
Two of the most beloved and recognizable arias in all operatic literature, “Habenera” and “Toreador,” are featured in this multimovement work.
Bizet’s opera has received much acclaim for the skill with which it displays the emotions and sufferings of its characters. After his death, Bizet’s friend, Ernest Guiraud, compiled the two multimovement suites of music drawn from this opera.
Khachaturian, a Soviet-Armenian composer and conductor, was the author of the first Armenian symphony as well as concerti, ballet music and film scores. He is best known for the music he composed for the ballets “Gayane” and “Spartacus.”
The ballet score to “Spartacus,” with its lively rhythms and strong energy, aptly dramatizes the struggles of Spartacus and his wife. But it is the heartfelt “Adagio,” which the KPO will present in this performance, a love theme which has been used in several films, that has come to symbolize their undying devotion despite any obstacles.
The finale of “Triumph and Desire” will be the fateful and triumphant Symphony No. 5.
The talent of Tchaikovsky was recognized from an early age and despite his financial and artistic struggles, anxiety about homosexual tendencies (punishable by death in his time) and a disastrous marriage, with the help of wealthy admirers, he managed to become a very successful teacher, music critic and composer.
The sponsorship of Tsar Alexander I led to the widespread popularity of Tchaikovsky’s compositions, including the “1812 Overture” and the opera “Eugene Onegin,” in Russia and abroad. His ballets, including “Swan Lake,” “The Sleeping Beauty” and “The Nutcracker” became audience favorites and set new standards for the role of music in classical ballet.
When his fame as a composer grew outside Russia, Tchaikovsky conquered lifelong stage fright to become a sought-after international guest conductor. He used his fame to promote Russian music, introducing his own works and those of other Russian composers to wider audiences.
Tickets for “Triumph and Desire” cost $43, $28 and $23 and can be purchased online at www.kamuelaphil.org or www.kahilutheatre.org or by calling 885-6868. Tickets also can be purchased from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Kahilu Theatre box office, 67-1186 Lindsey Road in Waimea.
The performance is made possible by underwriting support from Joanne and David Turner.