JACKSON, MISS. — The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra wraps up the season’s Bravo series with a concert designed to wow! Spanish-tinged rhythms, powerful emotion, and brilliant guest pianist Scott Cuellar are just a few of the treats this evening has in store, April 1, at Thalia Mara Hall.
The concert opens with Fandangos by contemporary composer and Latin Grammy Award- winner Roberto Sierra, whose Puerto Rican musical heritage is part of his DNA. Fandangos brims with the castanet-driven flirtation and fire of the Spanish dance for which it’s named.
Similar flair infuses Piano Concerto in G by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937). From its whip- cracking start to its dynamic, dizzying finish, the piece aims to entertain, and Ravel’s rapport with Spanish colors and rhythm (a gift of his Basque roots) is especially vibrant here. Hearing it on the heels of Fandangos highlights the connection.
“At its core, at its cellular level, it’s the same material that surfaces in Sierra’s music from Puerto Rico 100 years later,” MSO Maestro Crafton Beck says of the evocative melodies and captivating rhythms. Listeners can also hear Ravel’s fondness for jazz, in moments that sound positively Gershwin-esque.
Ravel’s concerto is a prime showpiece for pianist Cuellar as he marks his first concert with MSO. Hailed in reviews as “virtuosic in scope and expression” with “nerves of steel” and “a formidable technique,” the gold medals he won at the 2016 San Antonio International Piano Competition and the 2013 Virginia Waring International Piano Competition are top on his list of accomplishments.
Camille Saint-Saens’ Symphony No. 3, popularly known as the Organ Symphony, packs in all the passion, emotion, and creative muscle of the composer’s career. “The Organ Symphony is one of the Top 10 most famous orchestra pieces of all time,” Beck says of the powerful and transcendental show-stopping masterpiece that will close out the evening.
A free pre-concert lecture by Tim Coker, emeritus professor of music at Millsaps College, will be held at 6:45 p.m. on the mezzanine of Thalia Mara Hall.
Individual tickets start at $29 for adults and $5 for students, kindergarten through college (with valid student ID). Visit msorchestra.com for advance tickets and information. The box office will open at 6:30 p.m. on the evening of the concert. MSO’s Bravo season is presented by the Selby and Richard McRae Foundation. This season is supported in part by funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency.
What: Irresistible Color, MSO Bravo Series concert
Who: Mississippi Symphony Orchestra
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 1, 2023
Where: Thalia Mara Hall
255 E. Pascagoula St. Jackson
Website: msorchestra.com
