The Evanston Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its delayed 75th anniversary season with an opening concert featuring works from the Austro-German tradition on Nov. 7 at the Evanston Township High School Auditorium.
“We had a summer pops concert in Gillson Park in August but getting back to a regular hall indoors is exciting,” said Music Director Lawrence Eckerling.
The concert, “Brahms 4,” will feature selections by Wagner, Mendelssohn, and Brahms. In selecting the program, Eckerling said, “I was unsure how difficult it would be to get a core audience back after COVID. So I wanted to make sure, especially on this first concert, that it was enjoyable and familiar and inviting.”
The program will begin with Wagner’s “Overture to Die Meistersinger.” “Not only is it familiar but it’s also a great way get a homogenous sound from the orchestra,” Eckerling said.
Eckerling chose one of the most popular violin concertos for the middle selection, Mendelssohn’s “Violin Concerto in E Minor.” He selected acclaimed violinist Arnaud Sussmann to perform the work after reviewing possible performers. “He stuck out as somebody that was extraordinary,” the Music Director explained. “He had the charisma, the musicianship, the sensitivity. He had it all.”
A native of France who now lives in New York City, Sussmann was the winner of a 2009 Avery Fisher Career Grant. He has performed around the world with many of the most celebrated orchestras and artists, including the American Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, New World Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Paris Chamber Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony, and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
Sussmann said he was thrilled when he was invited to play with the Evanston Symphony Orchestra. “It’s always a pleasure to play concerti around the country,” Sussmann said. “I’m very much looking forward to coming and playing this wonderful concerto with the orchestra.”
Mendelsohn’s “Violin Concerto in E Minor” is a very familiar piece for the violinist. “I think most violinists will tell you that it may be one of the first major concertos that they learn,” Sussmann explained. “I’ve played it many times with orchestras.”
He described the piece as brilliant and beautiful, and typical of Mendelssohn’s work.
“The third movement is incredibly virtuosic and brilliant,” Sussman said. “There’s a beautiful soulful second movement. Long lines and elegant. A charming concerto. There’s such magic in Mendelssohn’s music.”
Sussmann has been playing extensively the last couple of months as venues have reopened. He noted that his upcoming concert schedule is very busy. That includes a big tour of the “Brandenburg Concerti” with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. “We’re going all over the country,” Sussmann reported.
The violinist has several Chicago concerts in his future, which pleases him. “I love the general feeling in that town,” he said. “I like Millennium Park. There’s a wonderful orchestra in Chicago. I’m going to see if I can catch a concert. And I find the architecture amazing. It’s one of the most beautiful American cities.”
The concert will conclude with “Symphony No. 4 in E Minor” by Brahms. “When is it ever wrong to play Brahms,” Eckerling declared. “It’s a pinnacle of romantic core repertoire.”
Audience members must show proof of vaccination.
Evanston Symphony Orchestra’s ‘Brahms 4′
When: 2:30 p.m. Nov. 7
Where: Evanston Township High School Auditorium, 1600 Dodge Ave.
Tickets: $34-$39 adults, $29-$34 seniors, $5 students, free for children 12 and under
Information: 847-864-8804; evanstonsymphony.org/concert/november-2021-concert
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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