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Orchestra to premiere Prokofiev work, Dec. 8-9
Posted November 27, 2006; 04:44 p.m.
The Princeton University Orchestra,
under the direction of Michael Pratt, will present the North American
premiere of Sergei Prokofiev's Suite from his incidental music to
Alexander Pushkin's "Boris Godunov" in concerts Friday and Saturday,
Dec. 8-9.
The concerts, which begin at 8 p.m. Friday and 8:30
p.m. Saturday in Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall, will feature
the work along with several other pieces. Speaking during the
performances will be Simon Morrison, associate professor of music at Princeton.
Prokofiev
composed this music for a planned Soviet production of the play in 1936
that was to be staged by celebrated director Vsevolod Meyerhold. The
production was aborted upon the arrest for treason and subsequent
execution of Meyerhold, and for decades the music has been rarely
performed. While this will be the North American premiere of the score,
the world premiere production of the entire play with the music is
planned for April 12-14 at the Berlind Theatre. The project, which
involves many students and faculty in the creative and performing arts
at Princeton, is directed by Morrison and Caryl Emerson, the A. Watson Armour III University Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures.
"Thus in December our audiences can hear a musical preview of this significant event," Pratt said.
The
remainder of the program will be devoted to well-known 20th-century
works. Senior Geoff McDonald, the orchestra's assistant conductor, will
conduct Nuages (Clouds) and Fetes (Festivals) from Claude Debussy's
"Nocturnes." Then the orchestra will perform one of Aaron Copland's
most popular scores, Four Dance Episodes from "Rodeo" (Buckaroo
Holiday, Corral Nocturne, Saturday Night Waltz and Hoe-down).
The
program will conclude with Igor Stravinsky's 1911 path-breaking ballet
"Petrushka." For these performances, the orchestra will present the
score in its original version. "The original 'Petrushka' is for a much
larger ensemble than the leaner revision," Pratt said, "and has a color
palette that is subtle, rich and complex. This is one of Stravinsky's
most beloved works."
Tickets for the concerts, priced at $18 for
general admission, $15 for seniors and $5 for students, may be
purchased at the Frist Campus Center box office, the Richardson
Auditorium box office or the University Ticketing website.