Symphony 101: Explore the Music with Arild!

How did folk music enter the concert hall? Why did it inspire many of music's greatest masters? What controversies were ignited when folk tunes and spirituals found their way into symphonies of Dvořák and others?

New RPO Music Director Arild Remmereit will answer those questions for us this weekend to kick off the long-anticipated Symphony 101 Season! This special series comprises a unique blend of music and history. In addition to live music performed by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the audience will get to hear the inside story about how these wonderful works came into being, including in-depth looks at the lives of the composers, information about what was happening in the world when the pieces were written, and more.

This weekend's concerts will take place on Saturday, October 8 at 8:00 pm and Sunday, October 9 at 2:00 pm, both in the Performance Hall at Hochstein. Arild Remmereit will present American classics — selections from Amy Beach's "Gaelic" Symphony and Dvořák's "New World" Symphony — each drawing liberally on folk tunes imported here and spirituals shaped here.

Yom Kippur will be recognized with Principal Cellist Stefan Reuss (The Clara and Edwin Strasenburgh Chair) playing Bruch's Kol Nidrei, and RPO Concertmaster Juliana Athayde (The Caroline W. Gannett & Clayla Ward Chair) will explore the folk heritage of Norwegian composer Johan Svendsen’s Romance for Violin.

Check out a preview of this work by playing the video below.



General admission is $24; student tickets for Sunday's concert are $10. Tickets can be purchased by calling 454-2100, or by clicking here.