The Grand Rapids Symphony Presents "Latin Fire" March 11-12

GRAND RAPIDS, MI, March 04, 2011

The Grand Rapids Symphony will present "Latin Fire," a fast-moving collage of musical textures, dancing and other dramatic elements that reflect the Latin spirit on Friday, March 11 and Saturday, March 12 at 8 p.m. in DeVos Performance Hall.

Creatively directed by Music Director David Lockington, "Latin Fire" will feature three soloists and a Flamenco dancer who will perform with the Grammy-nominated Symphony to create a fiery evening full of exotic Latin flair. The concert, which will showcase music of Spain, Latin America and Mexico is part of the Richard and Helen DeVos Classical Series.

"We really wanted to create textures, rhythms and passionate moods all next to each another in really short bursts, with a couple of different soloists," Lockington explained. "The result will be a fast-paced evening that is song-filled, dance-filled and flamboyant.

"This is the Symphony's second concert this year that underscores our commitment to diversity and inclusion. Our hope is to create a deeper level of engagement with the Latino community in West Michigan."

The program will feature three soloists and a Flamenco dancer:
• Jason Vieaux, one of America's leading classical guitarists. He has performed widely with symphonies across the country and credited with changing the face of guitar programming. He is the youngest first-prize winner in the history of the prestigious Guitar Foundation of American International Competition. In addition to his duties as a performer, he is the head of the Cleveland Institute of Music Guitar Department.
• Peter Soave, a bandoneon and concert accordian player who has won multiple awards for his work, including the inaugural Voce d'Oro, an international award honoring those who have given prominence to the accordion in the world of modern music. He has performed with orchestras and chamber ensembles through the world.
• Dylana Jenson, a violinist who has performed with major orchestras in the United States and traveled to Europe and Latin American for concerts, recitals and recordings. She has been described as a "mature master' by The New York Times. In addition to her solo career, she teaches master classes and at summer music festivals. She was made an honorary citizen of Costa Rica in honor of her artistic contribution to her mother's homeland.
• Irma Suárez Ruíz, an accomplished Flamenco dancer and the first dancer of Ensemble Espanol in Chicago. A native of Chicago, she secured an arts grant to introduce area youth to the art of Spanish dance. Performing regularly, she also serves as a special guest artist for ballet and other dance companies.

Concert Moves from Intimate to Expansive
The first half of the concert will present smaller, more intimate works featuring the orchestra or soloists in music from Arturo Márquez, Joaquin Rodrigo and Édouard Lalo. Later in the program the orchestra performs works that are larger, more colorful and will, according to Lockington "blow the roof off."

Márquez achieved international fame with a series of compositions—called Danzóns—based on the dance music of Cuba and Mexico. Of his Danzón No. 2, Arturo Márquez writes: "It is a type of music full of sensuality and qualitative seriousness, a genre that old Mexican people continue to dance with a touch of nostalgia and a jubilant escape toward their own emotional world."

Vieaux will join the Symphony for the second movement of Rodrigo's popular guitar concerto "Concierto de Aranjuez," which was named after the most beautiful and cheerful of all the Spanish Royal residences. Rodrigo said that the concerto "is meant to sound like the hidden breeze that stirs the treetops in its park; it should be only as strong as a butterfly, and as dainty as a flower."

Concluding the first half of the program, Jenson will take center stage performing three movements from Édouard Lalo's Symphonie espagnole, Op. 21. Jensen will share the abundant Spanish flavor offered by this work, which places the soloist in the forefront displaying brilliant virtuosity with beautiful and sometimes tender melodies.

During the second half of the program, Vieaux joins the orchestra for Astor Piazzolla's Adios Nonino. Vieaux is then joined by Soave to perform "Tango-fugue" from Homage a Liege in which Piazzolla has infused elements of jazz, tonal dissonance, European classical traditions and rhythmic complexity into the tango.

Vieaux will continue with Isaac Albeniz, Asturias (Leyenda) with deep Spanish currents and storytelling qualities. Ruiz will enhance the experience by dancing to Rumores de la Caleta and to the next piece in the program, Roberto Gerhard's "Preambulo" from Alegrias. The orchestra will conclude the evening with highly rhythmic and rousing works from Silvestre Revueltas and Alberto Ginastera.

Tickets
Tickets start at $18 and are available at the Symphony office, weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 300 Ottawa NW, Suite 100, (located across from the Calder), or by calling 616/454-9451, Ext. 4. (Phone orders will be charged a $2 per ticket service fee, with a $12 maximum.) Tickets are available at the DeVos Place Box Office, weekdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or on the day of the concert two hours prior to the performance. Tickets may also be purchased through Ticketmaster, 800/982-2787, online at http://www.grsymphony.org, or in person at Ticketmaster outlets: select D&W Fresh Market, Family Fare Stores and Walmart. Tickets purchased at these locations will include a Ticketmaster service fee. This is a student passport concert.

About the Grand Rapids Symphony
The Grammy-nominated Grand Rapids Symphony was officially organized in 1930 and is recognized as one of America's leading regional orchestras. Led by Music Director David Lockington, eight concert series are presented, featuring a wide range of music and performance styles. More than 400 performances are presented each year, touching the lives of some 170,000. Nearly half of those who benefit are students, senior citizens and people with disabilities reached through extensive education and community service programs. The Symphony sponsors the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus, Grand Rapids Youth Symphony and Classical Orchestra, Grand Rapids Symphony Youth Choruses, and also provides the orchestra for Opera Grand Rapids and the Grand Rapids Ballet Company. To learn more about the Grand Rapids Symphony, please visit http://www.grsymphony.org.