In its first concert of the season and the first under the direction of new conductor Ramiro Miranda, the Southeast Kansas Symphony will take audiences on an evocative musical journey into two worlds: one Brazilian, one Finnish.
The concert, “Echoes from Two Worlds: The Music of Gomes and Sibelius,” is planned for 7 p.m. on Oct. 21 in the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts on the campus of Pittsburg State University.
The first half of the concert will feature the music of Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Gomes — the first New World composer to gain acceptance in the European concert halls in the late 1800s.
His “Il Guarany,” from which the symphony will perform the Overture, was lauded by Giuseppe Verdi as the work of a “truly musical genius.” His Sonata for Strings ends with a movement called “Burrico de Pau,” which came about after the composer had a dream of ascending to heaven on a wooden donkey.
The second half of the concert will contain a glimpse of the inner world of Sibelius.
“A symphony is not just a ‘composition’ in the ordinary sense of the word. It is more of an inner confession at a given stage of one’s life,” Miranda said.
A Finnish composer of the late Romantic and early Modern periods, Sibelius is widely regarded as his country’s greatest composer. His music is credited with having helped Finland develop a national identity during its struggle for independence from Russia.
The work contains dark passages, but also what at the end of his live he described as “the most joyful I have ever written.”
“From the Italianate lyricism of the Gomes’ overture, to the frolicsome kicks of his wooden donkey, and finally to the extremes of joy and anguish of Sibelius, we hope you will join us to experience the exquisite emotions and rich tapestry of two musical worlds,” Miranda said.
Additional concerts are planned for Dec. 3 (“Holiday Music From Around the World”), March 20 (“Rising Stars”), and April 28 (“Oratorio”).
The Symphony
The Southeast Kansas Symphony is part of the Music Department at Pittsburg State University. It was founded in 1915 by Walter McCray, the man for whom the home to the Music Department would be named. It is comprised of students, faculty and staff, and community members.
Tickets
Tickets may be purchased in advance at the PSU Ticket Office, 107 Weede, or online at pittstate.edu/tickets, or by calling 620-235-4796. They also will be available at the door starting one hour before each concert. Tickets are $12 for the public, $8 for seniors, and are free to youth under 18 and to anyone with a Pitt State ID.
