This is a program to uplift your spirits and get your ‘inner dance’ on!
Season openers are always fun for both Arizona Philharmonic musicians and audiences alike. We are seeing old and new friends after a summer break, and the excitement of new opportunity and continued growth is palpable.
Featuring a full orchestra and international Steinway Artist Thomas Pandolfi, the concert opens with Argento’s Royal Invitation, a tongue-in-cheek ballet score on the famous appearance of a Tongan queen at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Thomas Pandolfi then performs a brilliant piano concerto by a 21-year-old Mendelssohn, Piano Concerto No. 1. The concert closes with Beethoven’s joyful Symphony No. 7, a work that Richard Wagner famously called the “apotheosis of the dance.” Tickets and more details about this and the rest of the concert season are available at AZPhil.org.
“When the Queen of Tonga was invited to attend the coronation of Elizabeth II, it not only made a spectacular headline in the newspapers, but it inspired American composer Domenick Argento to write a musical ‘report’ filled with fox-trots, marches, polonaises and lots of humor,” said Peter Bay. “From those dances to a work described as the apotheosis of the dance, Arizona Philharmonic gives its first performance of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony on this program. Brilliant keyboard artist Thomas Pandolfi is featured in the virtuoso First Piano Concerto of Felix Mendelssohn. This is a program to uplift your spirits and get your ‘inner dance’ on!”
The musicians love working with Maestro Peter Bay. The Argento is both humorous and charming, and I am really excited about the Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 1. Mendelssohn is a master of melody and phrase construction; and featured soloist Thomas Pandolfi is a terrific, heartfelt and daring pianist.
“Mendelssohn’s First Piano Concerto is full of pianistic fireworks, scintillating virtuosity, yet also pure and tender beauty – it is a concerto of complete and ecstatic joy,” said Pandolfi. “I am so excited to bring it all to life and make magic with Maestro Bay and the musicians of Arizona Philharmonic.”
Thomas Pandolfi is an international artist selling out some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including Lincoln Center Alice Tully Hall, Strathmore, The Kennedy Center, Kiev Opera House, Bucharest’s Romanian Athenaeum and London’s Cadogan Hall.
Arizona Philharmonic (AZ Phil) is celebrating its fifth season in Prescott in 2022-2023 as Prescott’s regional professional orchestra, presenting large and small concerts that engage and inspire listeners. Based in Prescott, AZ Phil draws musicians from across state and is committed to offering transformative music, while nurturing community participation and supporting the needs and growth of the Prescott area performing arts scene. Recognized in 2021 by the Prescott Chamber of Commerce for Excellence in Arts and Culture, Arizona Philharmonic is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Ticket information, sponsorship and volunteer opportunities can be found at AZPhil.org or on Facebook. QCBN
By Henry Flurry
Henry Flurry is the executive director of Arizona Philharmonic. He can be reached at henry@azphil.org or 855-321-6724.
Arizona Philharmonic (AZ Phil) is celebrating its fifth season in Prescott in 2022-2023 as Prescott’s regional professional orchestra, presenting large and small concerts that engage and inspire listeners. Based in Prescott, AZ Phil draws musicians from across Arizona and is committed to offering transformative music, while nurturing community participation and supporting the needs and growth of the Prescott area performing arts scene. Recognized in 2021 by the Prescott Chamber of Commerce for Excellence in Arts and Culture, Arizona Philharmonic is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Ticket information, sponsorship and volunteer opportunities can be found at AZPhil.org or on Facebook.
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