VERO BEACH — The Atlantic Classical Orchestra (ACO) presents music by David Conte, Antonin Dvořák, and Georges Bizet in their second concert of this season.
The world premiere of Conte’s Sinfonietta was commissioned by the ACO in memory of Shirley Zemsky.
Performances will take place on Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. at the Waxlax Center for the Performing Arts in Vero Beach and on Feb. 1 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Lyric Theatre in Stuart.
This concert features the world premiere of Sinfonietta, commissioned by the ACO to honor the legacy and memory of Shirley Zemsky, an ardent supporter of the ACO, classical music, and the arts.
“Many concertgoers tend to think of Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, or Mahler when they hear the word symphony,” according to Conte.
A sinfonietta is a short symphony.
“My Sinfonietta, composed in three movements and lasting 14 minutes, more resembles the spirit of works by Prokofiev, Stravinsky, or Copland,” he added.
While Conte has specialized in vocal and choral music and opera, he has also composed a string quartet, piano trio, and a brass quintet. When Maestro Stewart Robertson invited David to compose a special commission honoring the memory of Shirley Zemsky, he was delighted.
David wrote Sinfonietta with dramatic and lyrical melodies.
David earned a Ph.D. from Cornell University, is a Fulbright scholar, and one of the last students of famed composer Nadia Boulanger. A Professor of Composition and Conductor of the Conservatory Chorus at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, David has composed more than 70 published works.
He had the rare opportunity of working with Aaron Copland, preparing sketches of the composer’s works in 1982.
David co-wrote the film score for the documentary Ballets Russes, shown at the Sundance and Toronto Film Festivals, and composed music for the PBS documentary, Orozco: Man of Fire shown on the American Masters Series.
David was also recently appointed to the composition faculty of the European American Musical Alliance in Paris.
Marina Lenau, violinist, part of the ACO Young Artist Discovery Program, is making her debut as the featured soloist in the second selection of this concert, Concerto for Violin & Orchestra in A Minor, Op. 53 by Antonin Dvořák (1841–1904.)
Soon after the beginning of the first movement, the violin enters as the passion and color of the piece evolve and Marina remains front and center. As the concerto continues, Bohemian dance rhythms evoke the sounds of bold peasant music ending with a sunny, upbeat finale.
The Symphony in C Major by Georges Bizet (1838–1875) was composed in one month. It is believed that Bizet unfortunately never heard this work in performance, as it remained undiscovered until 1933.
Bizet is familiar to most audiences as the composer of the world’s most beloved opera, Carmen. Sadly, Bizet died during the first run of the opera, thinking the work and he were failures.
The three movements of this symphony, Allegro, Adagio, and Finale, move from several first movement motifs including an oboe as one subject, to operatic beauty in the second movement, ending with a good natured rustic scherzo reflective of Bizet at age seventeen.
Please join us in honoring the memory of Shirley Zemsky and in celebration of the 23rd season of the Atlantic Classical Orchestra.
Concert #2 – The Romantic Spirit:
1. Vero Beach, FL – Thursday, Jan. 31, at 8 p.m. at the Waxlax Center for the Performing Arts
2. Stuart, FL – Friday, Feb. 1, at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. at The Lyric Theater
Concert #3 – Timeless Classics:
1. Vero Beach, FL – Thursday, Mar. 7, at 8 p.m. at the Waxlax Center for the Performing Arts
2. Stuart, FL – Friday, Mar. 8, at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. at The Lyric Theater
Concert #4 – Inspiring Musical Landscapes:
1. Vero Beach, FL – Thursday, Apr. 4, at 8 p.m. at Waxlax Center for the Performing Arts
2. Stuart, FL – Friday, Apr. 5, at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. at The Lyric Theater