Monumental Moments

Bernstein, Shostakovich & Brahms

We begin with Leonard Bernstein, who was a major influence on Music Director John DeMain’s early life and career. Bernstein had a knack for bringing lighthearted populism into the concert hall. Though written in the late 1940s, Shostakovich’s first concerto makes use of traditional musical forms, including a famous Passacaglia, favored by composers like Bach 200 years earlier. Feared by violinists and loved by audiences, it was a hit from the day it was written and is one of the true masterpieces of the solo violin repertoire. The final work is Brahms’ G minor Piano Quartet, orchestrated by Schoenberg. These will be the MSO’s first ever performances of this remarkable work. Schoenberg took Brahms’ chamber work and transformed it into a kaleidoscope of 20th-century orchestral color, giving virtually every instrument the spotlight. – Kyle Knox, Associate Conductor

Music

Leonard Bernstein, Three Dance Variations from “Fancy Free”
Dmitri Shostakovich, Concerto No. 1 in A minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 77(99)
Intermission
Johannes Brahms (orchestrated by Arnold Schoenberg), Piano Quartet in G minor, Op. 25

Read the program notes to discover more about the music program!

What is TEXTURE in music? Our latest Musicology Moment explores texture and how it works as a compositional technique to enhance the listening experience. You’ll learn about texture and the words used to describe it and hear different examples, such as the musical effect created in the Brahms Piano Quartet in G minor using texture. Musicologist Steve Kurr explains in this Musicology Moment.
Watch here!

Featuring

Kyle Knox, Associate Conductor
Naha Greenholtz, Violin

Enhance Your Concert Experience

Take Note: Drinks Allowed in Overture Hall
As of this season, drinks are allowed inside Overture Hall during all Madison Symphony Orchestra concerts. Refreshments may be purchased at bars and concession stands located around the Overture Hall lobby before each concert and during intermission. Please enjoy food in the lobby and unwrap any candy or cough drops before the performance begins. Thank you!

Prelude Discussion
Enjoy a 30-minute talk starting one hour before each concert in Overture Hall with Associate Conductor Kyle Knox. Free to ticketholders.

Meet the Performers

Naha Greenholtz, Violin

View Biography

Thank You To Our Generous Sponsors!

Presenting Sponsor

Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation

Major funding provided by

Additional funding provided by

Ann Lindsey, in memory of Chuck Snowdon

with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts

Sponsor Spotlight Message

University Research Park supports creativity in all its forms. Not only does it underpin our science and innovation economy, but it is the score we set our lives to. University Research Park is proud to support the Madison Symphony Orchestra. Here’s to another successful season. – University Research Park