Program:
Behzad Ranjbaran, Esther
Sergei Prokofiev, Concerto for Violin No. 1 in D major, op. 19
Esther Yoo , violin
Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 2 in D major, op. 73
The biblical story of Esther, who uses bravery and cunning to save the Jews of Persia, is the inspiration for this piece by Behzad Ranjbaran exploring the connections between music and mysticism of the Persian mythology of his native Iran. Simply too romantic for Paris audiences looking for riots like The Rite of Spring, the premiere of Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 didn’t inspire. Happily, Russian audiences found it delightfully lyrical and “too romantic” is hardly an offense to modern ears. The D major Symphony by Brahms seems to reflect the composer’s relaxed state of mind during the happy summer of 1877. The lyrical character of the work—sometimes referred to as Brahms’s “Pastoral” Symphony—is remarkably intricate and unified, resulting in a composition that radiates energy and optimism from start to finish.
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This event is not presented by Strathmore.
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