Sit for a spell and enjoy ‘Magical Tales’
The Newport Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Music Director Adam Flatt, will greet the new year with “Magical Tales,” at the Newport Performing Arts Center this Saturday and Sunday Jan. 20 and 21.
The fourth of five concerts in the current season, the program is inspired by vivid works of theatrical storytelling that engage the listener with lush and intense musical reflections on the power of love.
The opening work is “El Amor Brujo” (Love, Bewitched), ballet music by Spanish composer Manuel de Falla. The tale concerns Candelas, a young widowed gypsy, sung by Newport’s own famed mezzo-soprano, Erica Brookhyser.
Candelas is haunted by the ghost of her jealous husband. To free herself from his unwanted attention, Candelas and Carmelo, her new lover, must exchange a kiss of perfect love. In a series of dances that de Falla ingeniously composed in the Flamenco and Andalusian idioms, the ghost first frightens the couple in the Dance of Terror. Candelas responds by trying to exorcise the spirit in the rousing, crowd-pleasing movement Ritual Fire Dance. While the ghost is distracted, Candelas and Camelo enjoy their perfect kiss during the introspective musical embrace, Dance of the Game of Love.
Next up on the program, the audience will enjoy the dreamy, impressionistic ballet music of “The White Peacock,” composed by Charles T. Griffes and inspired by a poem of the same name by Fiona MacLeod.
“It pictures a wonderful garden filled with gorgeous color, where a white peacock moves about slowly ‘as the soul, as the breath of all this beauty,’” Griffes said. “The music tries to evoke the thousand colors of the garden.”
Following intermission, Brookhyser will return to the stage to sing four selections from the ever-popular “Old American Songs,” arranged by Aaron Copland: “Simple Gifts,” “Long Time Ago,” “At the River” and “Zion’s Walls.”
The final selection of the program is a favorite audience-pleaser, “The Firebird Suite” by Igor Stravinsky. This masterwork expertly portrays all the elements of the Russian fairy tale in which the crown prince uses the mystical firebird as his helper to free his beloved from the evil king’s castle. The full forces of the orchestra are employed, including piano and harp along with several extra percussion instruments, leading the listener through the mystical landscapes and passionate emotions of the magical tale. The concert wraps up with one of the greatest and most satisfying endings in the symphonic repertoire.
Following each concert, a special complimentary “Wine Down” features select wines from the Flying Dutchman Winery of Otter Rock, a delicious array of food items and a chance to mingle with Flatt, Brookhyser and orchestra members.
Performances are Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2 pm. A pre-concert talk with Flatt and Brookhyser begins at 6:45 pm for all the Saturday night ticket holders at no additional cost. Tickets start at $44.25 or $15.50 for students. The Newport Performing Arts Center is located at 777 W Olive Street. For more information, go to coastarts.org or call 541-265-2787.