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Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series

Concert Conversations | Grand Opening with Misha Dichter | Violin Wizardry
The Magical & The Miraculous 
Chopin & Rachmaninoff | Eroica! | Madame Butterfly

The six concerts of the Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks series will inspire and entertain you with the world's most beautiful music.  You'll enjoy a mix of old and new, rare and beloved classics from Beethoven to Bernstein, and will thrill to the talents of the guest artists who bring these classics to vibrant life!

All concerts are held at Robinson Center Music Hall in downtown Little Rock at the times and dates listed, and are conducted by ASO Music Director David Itkin unless otherwise noted.

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Grand Opening with Misha Dichter
September 15, 2007 at 8:00 PM
September 16, 2007 at 3:00 PM

Misha Dichter, piano

Rimsky-Korsakov	Capriccio espagnole
Respighi	Fountains of Rome
Bernstein	Symphony No. 2 (Age of Anxiety)

Celebrate the beginning of the 2007-2008 season with music-making on a grand scale as Maestro Itkin and the ASO welcome back internationally acclaimed pianist Misha Dichter.

Presenting Sponsor:  American Airlines
Artist of Distinction Sponsor:  Dillard's

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Violin Wizardry
October 20, 2007 at 8:00 PM
October 21, 2007 at 3:00 PM

Giora Schmidt, violin

Rossini	Overture to "The Barber of Seville"
Ravel	Tzigane
Sarasate	Carmen Fantasy
Schubert	Symphony No. 9 "The Great"

Giora Schmidt dazzles in two white-hot violin showpieces:  the gypsy fire and jaw-dropping thrills of Tzigane and Carmen Fantasy's pyrotechnic interpretations of themes from Bizet's opera.  Schubert's magnificent last symphony concludes our concert -- a masterpiece of such grand design that it's been nicknamed "Great."

Presenting Sponsor:  Posh

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The Magical & The Miraculous
November 3 & 4, 2007
Orchestra Showcase

Mozart	Overture to "The Magic Flute"
Elgar	Enigma Variations
Brahms	Academic Festival Overture
Bartók	Miraculous Mandarin Suite

The ASO's own virtuosos present Brahms at his most unbuttoned, giving full symphonic treatment to student drinking songs with mock seriousness.  Elgar's crowning achievement introduces his enigmatic theme and variations, cryptically depicting friends and family.  Bartók's gripping score about a mysterious mandarin is guaranteed to thrill!

Presenting Sponsor:  Stella Boyle Smith Trust

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Chopin & Rachmaninoff
January 26 & 27, 2008
Navah Perlman, piano

Chopin	Piano Concerto No. 2
Rachmaninoff	Symphony No. 3

Nineteen year-old Chopin infused his Second Piano Concerto with poetic sentiments and ardent romance -- he was, after all, in the throes of love when he composed it.  Navah Perlman brings out the virtuosity and lyrical qualities of this beloved composition.

 

Presenting Sponsor:  Metal Recycling

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Eroica!
March 1 & 2, 2008
Eugene Rousseau, saxophone

Claude Baker	Lamentations (pour la fin du monde)
Tomasi	Concerto for Alto Saxophone
Beethoven	Symphoy No. 3, "Eroica"

With a sound as smooth as silk, Eugene Rousseau performs a haunting meditation on recent troubling world events, natural and human.  A new symphonic universe unfolded in Beethoven's "Eroica," a revolutionary masterpiece -- bigger, more stirring and more complex than anything that had come before.

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Madame Butterfly
April 11 & 13, 2008
Marie Plette, soprano
Mark Brown, tenor
Eugenie Grunewald, mezzo-soprano
Phillip Kraus, baritone

Puccini

Madame Butterfly

(a concert performance, sung in Italian with English supertitles)

Puccini's poignant opera tells the story of Cio-Cio San, who falls in love with, marries and is deserted by an American naval officer whose child she bears; and when she chooses death over disgrace, we weep.  One of the most beloved operas of all time, Madame Butterfly resounds with unforgettable melodies.  Musical drama at its most heart-breaking.

Presenting Sponsor:  Maestro's Circle

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American Airlines Concert Conversations

Whether you are a long-time music aficionado or a budding music lover, this program is for you. Maestro Itkin leads dynamic and insightful Concert Conversations lecture series 45 minutes prior to each Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series performance. The format is casual and many times our guest artists will participate for a moment of demonstration. The series takes place downstairs at Robinson Center Music Hall in rooms 101-102 and is always free to the public.  

 

 

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