Symphony Concert – “On the Beautiful Blue Danube”

Following a sold-out concert with Tracy Byrd, the Symphony of Southeast Texas (SOST) continues its “Symphony Fantastique” season by going back to the classics and performing great works from Johann Strauss, Johannes Brahms and Robert Schumann. The SOST Chorus also joins in for the traditional choral concert on Saturday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the Julie Rogers Theatre.

This season, we are showcasing the many talents of our musicians as they perform a wide range of music from symphonic to popular to country-western. Going back to our roots, this choral concert is one that features a choral style that interweaves many voices to produce harmony and lyrical style that goes beyond straight symphonic style. The orchestra is enhanced by the chorus of the SOST to add to the sonic beauty.

The traditional SOST choral concert is always a grand event. This season, it begins with Johann Strauss’s classic waltz “On the Beautiful Blue Danube.” Commonly known as “The Waltz King,” Johann Strauss captures the rhythmic style of riding on a boat that gently travels down a river. Most known for its soothing sounds played on New Year’s Day from Vienna, his homeland.

The well-known Johannes Brahms’ “Variations on a theme by Haydn, op. 56a” was a tribute to the earlier symphonic master he revered. Haydn’s St. Anthony Chorale is used as the choral tune, and then played in true orchestral style, a hallmark of Brahms. The piece was originally written for piano, thus, the “a” indicator on his opus 56. In form as well as thematic material, these variations make us hear Haydn’s chorale in entirely new ways.

Guest Conductor Dr. James Han will lead the SOST Chorus in Robert Schumann’s Requiem, opus 148. Schumann, a German composer, was an influential music critic widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Also featured with the chorus will be soloists Amanda Kingston, soprano, Ashly Evans, mezzo soprano, Jason Choi, tenor, and Dorian McCall, baritone.

This classics series concert is sponsored by Rosine McFaddin Wilson; guest artist sponsored by Baptist Hospitals.

Single ticket prices range from $26 to $46; senior, student and group discounts are available. To purchase tickets or get more information, go to www.sost.org or contact the Symphony office at (409) 892-2257.

The Symphony of Southeast Texas continues its mission of presenting educational, entertaining, and culturally enriching programs of the highest artistic quality and, as always, promises to be “Good to the last note!”

Tickets: Call 409.892.2257 or click here.