www.montereycountynow.com NOVEMBER 14-20, 2024 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 33 MUSIC For Monterey Symphony Music Director Jayce Ogren, the wait is over. “It’s a long time between May and November,” he says, referencing the time lapse between the end of last season and the beginning of this new season. “I’m looking forward to reconnecting with our audiences again.” Ogren’s excitement is palpable. “Each concert this season is anchored by an iconic masterpiece that is sure to leave you feeling mesmerized and inspired,” he says. It could be argued that all five pieces offered on this weekend’s program are iconic, heightening the anticipation even more. “Some people would call these iconic masterpieces workhorses due to them being so familiar and so often heard.” Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man opens, a brief, three-minute all-brass ode to America’s entry into World War II, one of the most recognizable and often used musical themes of the 20th century. Yet the sweet, heralding horns of the Fanfare stand to be quickly eclipsed by what follows. “Fanfare will ease people into their seats before the onslaught of what is to come,” Ogren points out. “Both Copland’s Orchestral Variations and Gershwin’s Rhapsody have a blaring urban nature to them. You can almost feel the grit and sounds of the streets.” George Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, and it can be especially thunderous—combining elements from both classical and jazz music in a way that can be both dazzling in its originality and unsettling in its brilliance. “It’s hard to believe that this piece is 100 years old this year,” Ogren observes. “It sounds like it was written yesterday.” Following intermission, the orchestra will return with Joan Tower’s equally brief Fanfare For The Uncommon Woman No. 1, often seen as a feminist response to the Copland Fanfare, before concluding with Antonín Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World,” among the most performed pieces in the entire repertoire. “There are those who say that concert halls have become nothing more than musical museums,” Ogren says. “I disagree. There is a living aspect to all performances. Our job is to make the familiar familiar again.” Monterey Symphony’s “Rhapsody In Blue” 7:30pm Saturday, Nov. 16; 3pm Sunday, Nov. 17. Sunset Center, San Carlos and 9th, Carmel. $45-$88. 620-2040, sunsetcenter.org. RANDY TUNNELL Fan’s Fare The Monterey Symphony season opens with some of the world’s favorite pieces. By Paul Fried Jayce Ogren directs the Monterey Symphony. He says even with pieces that have become mainstays, there is an exciting “living aspect” to the performance. B a o n o d k g a e t h o a l i f d r a e e y b p o a t t r l t e y of wine for each guest! www.FOLKTALEwINERY.COM
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