Beyond the Score

 

7:00 PM

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THE MIGHTY FIFTHS

This season, explore the great fifth symphonies of Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Prokofiev. Arguably the pinnacle works of each composer’s career, discover what makes these particular symphonies so profound. Join us for this tour of the mighty fifths.

These popular events bring insights for newcomers and seasoned concertgoers alike. The first half of each of these programs offers a theatrical examination of the selected score—exploring the context, history, and details of a composer’s life that influenced their creation, sharing illuminated stories found inside the music. Live musical examples, actors, and visual demonstrations bring these works to life in new and imaginative ways. After intermission, return to the hall to hear the work performed in its entirety. This season features two productions written and created by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s creative director, Gerard McBurney, on the fifth symphonies of Beethoven and Prokofiev, and a third brand-new presentation produced by The Philadelphia Orchestra on Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5.

Beyond the Score: Beethoven 5

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos Conductor

PROGRAM

Beethoven - Symphony No. 5

Few pieces in the history of the art of music have achieved the iconic power and reputation of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. In this awe-inspiringly concentrated composition, Beethoven not only invented a musical language of an unparalleled originality and overpowering force that still influences us today, but swept music out of the concert hall and into the wider world of human thought and experience. For more than 200 years, this Symphony has shown us that music has the power to transform the way we live and think.

 

The Philadelphia Orchestra Presents: Shostakovich 5

Friday, March 1, 2013 

Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor

PROGRAM

Shostakovich - Symphony No. 5

Seventy-five years ago, under extreme political pressure, Shostakovich withdrew his Fourth Symphony and got to work on writing his now-legendary Fifth Symphony. The result was an appealing and triumphant score full of contradictions and hidden messages. Is it a tribute to the greatness of Soviet virtues or a parody of its leadership? How could an artist create a work of such power and optimism under such harsh and threatening conditions? The enigma of Shostakovich’s message will unfold before your eyes in this dramatic presentation of the composer’s life and world. This production is an original creation by The Philadelphia Orchestra.

 

Beyond the Score: Prokofiev 5

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Jaap van Zweden Conductor

PROGRAM

Prokofiev - Symphony No. 5

In 1936, after nearly 20 years in the West, Prokofiev returned to his native Russia, now the Soviet Union, where he found it more difficult than he had thought to write music to please the Communist authorities. But when war came in 1941, the atmosphere changed. The regime needed artists to inspire and lead. Prokofiev played his part, and, as the tide of war turned in 1944, he created one of his most paradoxical and yet melodious masterpieces.

 

 

Philadelphia Orchestra performances of Beyond the Score® are made possible by support from the Hirschberg-Goodfriend Fund in memory of Adolf Hirschberg as established by Juliet J. Goodfriend, and by the Wells Fargo Foundation. Additional funding comes from the Annenberg Foundation, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Beyond the Score is produced by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Gerard McBurney, Creative Director, Beyond the Score, Martha Gilmer, Executive Producer, Beyond the Score.