West Michigan Symphony Celebrates Muskegon Museum of Art's 100th Birthday with Masterworks Concert

ROCKFORD, MI, April 25, 2012

Muskegon, Michigan, April 23, 2012 - The West Michigan Symphony will perform three thrilling works inspired by visual artists on its June 1 and 2 Masterworks program, "Pictures at an Exhibition," as the orchestra joins in the celebration of the 100th birthday of the Muskegon Museum of Art.

The "Pictures at an Exhibition" performances will feature:
• Hector Berlioz, Overture to "Benvenuto Cellini"
• Kenji Bunch, Symphony No. 1: "Lichtenstein Triptych"
• Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky/Maurice Ravel, "Pictures at an Exhibition"

More information, as well as expanded program notes with audio samples, is available online at the Symphony's website. The performances will take place at the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Muskegon on Friday, June 1 and Saturday, June 2 at 7:30 p.m.

The Muskegon Museum of Art, or MMA, opened its doors in 1912 and is regarded today as one of the finest regional art museums in the United States. To celebrate the museum and pay tribute to the impact that different art forms have on one another, WMS Music Director Scott Speck has chosen works inspired by visual artists. The concert also includes a short video on the MMA's history.

"We have collaborated in the past with the MMA and are pleased to be able to do so again in honor of its centennial," Speck said. "The MMA is a highly regarded and excellent institution, not just for its size, but because of its great collection. It is a great organization by any standard. The West Michigan Symphony similarly aspires to the highest possible caliber, so it's a natural collaboration.

"All of the music on the evening's program has a connection with visual art. Visual art and music are like infrared and ultraviolet, they are simply different frequencies along the same spectrum of expression."

The evening begins with a performance of Berlioz's dynamic Overture to "Benvenuto Cellini," celebrating the great Florentine sculptor of that name. The overture begins with a wild syncopated theme that is followed by a number of themes from the opera. The themes begin solemnly, followed by a gentle love duet and then an absolution theme. The piece is by turns warm, triumphant and astringent, reflecting the freshness that Berlioz brought to his compositions during the period.

"Cellini was one of Italy's most celebrated visual artists," Speck said. "His most famous creations are the sculpted bronze doors of the Florence Baptistry, right across from the Piazza del Duomo. Hector Berlioz decided to create an opera based on some episodes from Cellini's life, and the overture to that opera is one of the most delightful, dramatic and devilishly difficult pieces he ever wrote."

One of the great masterpieces of the orchestral repertoire, "Pictures at an Exhibition" was last performed in Muskegon nine years ago. Speck and the Symphony are excited to present this striking work created by Russian composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky in 1874.

Following the unexpected death of his friend, artist and architect Victor Gartman, Mussorgsky set out to create a memorial in his honor, which resulted in "Pictures at an Exhibition." The WMS performs Maurice Ravel's brilliantly colorful orchestration of Mussorgsky's piano compositions, each tied to a specific painting by Gartman, which relates Mussorgsky's impressions of each painting. The work begins with Mussorgsky portraying himself as the observer in the "Promenade," which introduces the work and serves as the connector for the tableaux.

Another composer inspired by the visual arts is Kenji Bunch. Bunch composed Symphony No. 1: "Lichtenstein Triptych" in 2004 using three 1960's era paintings by Roy Lichtenstein as his inspiration. The pop artist used hard-edged images of classical comic strips to satirize contemporary pop culture. Bunch also uses comic strips as well as movie soundtracks and other pop culture mediums as inspiration for his work.

"Kenji is a good friend of mine and a superb young composer," Speck said. "WMS performed his "Fantasy" for Violin and Orchestra a few years ago, and it was a big hit with the audience. I felt that this was the right time to perform his first symphony, a three-movement work based on three cartoon-like paintings by Roy Lichtenstein. The music captures the 'zing' and the 'pow,' even the 'varoom' of Lichtenstein's art."

In fact, Symphony No. 1 literally begins with "Varoom," a picture that depicts a great explosion, but with an ambiguity that keeps its audience from knowing the cause. In his musical interpretation, Bunch takes his listeners through a gallery of musical styles. The second movement harkens back to the 1940s, creating a sentimental nostalgia for the period. It relies on a musical style reminiscent of the period's film soundtracks. Bunch has called it "hyper-romantic." The third movement depicts a man and a woman riding swiftly in a car. The piece has been described as having "manic, cartoon energy."

All WMS concerts take place in the historic Frauenthal Center for Performing Arts in downtown Muskegon. Individual WMS single tickets are $15, $31 and $42 and may be purchased online at http://www.westmichigansymphony.org; in person at the West Michigan Symphony Ticket Office, Suite 409 (4th floor) in the Frauenthal, 425 W. Western Ave.; or by calling 231.726.3231. Student tickets are $5 but are not available online.

About West Michigan Symphony
As one of the few professional regional orchestras in Michigan, West Michigan Symphony has played a leading role in the region's cultural community for more than 70 years. Founded as the West Shore Symphony Orchestra, WMS now serves a regional audience with eight pairs of concerts annually, along with dozens of educational and outreach activities for children and adults. WMS oversees operations for the West Michigan Youth Symphony. For more information, visit http://www.westmichigansymphony.org.

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