Assad and Dvorak

About the Program

Maestro Zander discusses the Dvorak New World Symphony and invites you to the concert on Mother's Day. 

This year’s BPYO summer tour will be an extensive series of concerts in Brazil, taking in all the major cities. With that in mind we have decided to commission a new piece from the acclaimed Brazilian composer Clarice Assad, to be entitled Bonecos de Olinda. Assad’s music is rooted in Brazilian styles and rhythms and further influenced by jazz. Many of her compositions include sections for improvisation by the performers. Who knows what she is going to come up with for the BPYO!!

Every other year the BPYO holds a concerto competition for the players in the orchestra. You will hear the winners of this year’s competition in this final concert of the season. This regular feature of the BPYO calendar never fails to astound audiences. You will be hearing young soloists who are going on to make a major impact on musical life, and you will be catching them at the very outset of their careers. This is an event not to be missed!

This year's soloists:

• Bottesini Concerto for Bass No. 2, first movement played by Kebra-Seyoun Charles
• Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante, Op. 125, first movement played by Zachary Fung
• Saint-Saëns Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, Op. 28 played by Mitsuru Yonezaki
• Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47, first movement played by Meriel Bizri

And ending the season is a piece that seems apt for both Americas, North and South, that we look forward to taking on tour, Dvořák’s New World Symphony No. 9. The composer wrote it during the period that he was living in this country and under the influence of both the Negro spirituals and the native American music that he encountered here. Dvořák didn’t make any actual quotes from music he heard while he was here, but you can hear the influences – even the rhythm of the scherzo, which was suggested to the composer by the meter of Longfellow’s The Song of Hiawatha! The symphony was a sensation when it was first performed in New York, went around the world seemingly in a flash and has never lost its hold on the public. We think it’s the perfect symphony to bring to South America, and equally perfect for ending our season here in North America!

All dates, repertoire, venues, and artists subject to change.