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National Repertory Orchestra presents Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in Breckenridge

Michelle Lewandowski
Special to the Daily
Maestro Carl Topilow relishes in a beautiful moment with the National Repertory Orchestra.
Travis Wilson / National Repertory Orchestra |

If you go

What: National Repertory Orchestra presents Beethoven Symphony No. 5 and other works, sponsored by Sam Kuller and Wyndham Vacation Rentals and dedicated to the memory of Jeff and Merrill Kuller

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 28

Where: Riverwalk Center, 150 W. Adams Ave., Breckenridge

Cost: $25 to $40, depending on seating, or $7 for youth 18 and younger

More information: Visit http://www.nromusic.com, or call (970) 453-5825

Don’t miss your chance to hear two exceptional soloists at the Breckenridge Riverwalk Center on Saturday, June 28. The National Repertory Orchestra, along with concerto competition winners violinist Pablo Griggio and clarinetist Benjamin Adler, will present the music of Beethoven, Weber, Ravel and Tchaikovsky, led by maestro Carl Topilow.

About the music



The concert opens with Ludwig Van Beethoven’s enigmatic Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Opus 67. One of his most popular and recognizable symphonies, the four-note opening motif in particular is well known worldwide and has appeared frequently in popular culture, including disco, rock ’n’ roll, film and television.

The first performance of the piece was in 1808 at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, and since then the work has achieved its colossal reputation. German author Ernst Hoffmann described the symphony as “one of the most important works of the time.” Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 was so groundbreaking in terms of both its technical and emotional impact that it had a large influence on such composers as Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Bruckner, Mahler and Berlioz.



The second half of the proram begins with a performance from two of this year’s concerto competition winners.

Adler will perform the first movement of Carl Maria von Weber’s Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor. Written from the relationship between Weber and clarinetist Heinrich Baermann, this innovative piece features sorrowful lines, virtuosic cadenzas and delicate melodies. Griggio, will then perform Maurice Ravel’s “Tzigane.” This short piece begins with an extended and challenging cadenza, played solely on the G string, which will surely wow the audience. “Tzigane” clearly demonstrates Ravel’s ability to imitate the romantic style of playing often used by violin master Nicolò Paganini.

About the musicians

Adler is one of three winners of the general concerto competition that the National Repertory Orchestra holds at the beginning of each summer season. He is currently a freelance performer and private teacher in the Los Angeles area and holds the position of principal clarinet of the Debut Symphony Orchestra and assistant principal clarinet of the American Youth Symphony.

Adler will join the prestigious Colburn School in the fall in pursuit of an artist diploma.

Griggio is the winner of the 2014 NRO violin concerto competition. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, he is currently studying with violinist Ivan Zenaty at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Griggio has also participated in the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival (Germany), Ushuaia International Festival (Argentina) and Campos do Jordao (Brasil). From 2008 to 2010, he held the position of concertmaster of the Orquesta Academica de Buenos Aires.

The concert will close with Tchaikovsky’s “Francesca da Rimini,” Opus 32, a symphonic fantasy based on a story from Dante’s epic poem “Inferno.” The poem depicts the tragic drama of Francesca da Rimini and her lover, Paolo, the brother of her husband. Her husband seeks revenge on their lives, but their affair brings punishment upon them before he has the chance. Francesca and Paolo are condemned to endlessly spin in the second circle of hell, bound together in a permanent embrace, forever grieving over the loss of the real-world embraces they once shared.

Tickets for the concert start at $25 and are $7 for those 18 and younger. Tickets may be purchased at the Riverwalk Center Box Office at 150 W. Adams in Breckenridge, by calling (970) 547-3100 or by going to http://www.nromusic.com.

The Breckenridge Welcome Center, located at 203 S. Main St., also sells tickets to National Repertory Orchestra concerts and is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; or call (877) 864-0868.

For more information about the National Repertory Orchestra, visit http://www.nromusic.com.

Michelle Lewandowski is the marketing and public relations intern for the National Repertory Orchestra.


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