Through The Forest Bringing Warmth In Winter
“Through the Forest” concert is here to bring warmth in winter.
The Augustana Symphony Orchestra’s winter concert, “Through the Forest,” will give listeners an artistic treatment of folk tales and the natural world. The performance is at 8 p.m. on February 11 in Centennial Hall on the campus of Augustana College, 639 38th Street, Rock Island, Ill. The concert is free and open to the public.
The program will begin with a prelude from a fairy tale opera, then follow a hunt, moonlight and mighty river through Bohemia. The final piece, based on a Czech folk tale, tells an exciting and dramatic love story.
“This program is perfect for a chilly winter night, combining the warmth of the romantic string playing in the orchestra with the excitement of dramatic fairy tales,” said Dr. Daniel Chetel, director of the symphony. “Humperdinck, Smetana and Dvorak evoke the wonder and power of the natural world through their own compositional voices and offer us three diverse tellings of three unique stories.”
The concert program begins with the prelude to Act One of Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel.” It continues with Smetana’s “Má Vlast (My Country),” using folk-inspired melodies to celebrate Czech culture and history, including major battles, mythological figures and the great Vltava River, which runs for 270 miles throughout Bohemia.
The concert ends with a tale of love at first sight, deception, murder, resurrection and the punishment of evil-doers —“The Golden Spinning Wheel,” the last of Antonín Dvorák’s four tone poems based on dramatic Czech folk tales.
Augustana Symphony Orchestra will present their winter concert “Through the Forest” this Saturday, Februrary 11 at 8 p.m. in Centennial Hall.
For more information, contact Connor Kealey at 309-794-7323.
