(Three Central Oregon Symphony concerts will take place November 2-3 at Caldera High in Bend, under the direction of conductor Michael Gesme | Photo courtesy of COCC)
The Central Oregon Symphony — a cooperative effort between Central Oregon Community College (COCC) and the nonprofit Central Oregon Symphony Association — is staging its fall concert series on November 2 (2pm and 7:30pm) and November 3 (2pm) at the Caldera High School Auditorium in Bend, 60925 SE 15th St.
The symphony will perform Romeo and Juliet Suite No. 2, a seven-movement work drawn from Sergei Prokofiev’s landmark ballet, and Johannes Brahms’ legendary Symphony No. 1. Admission is free; obtain tickets at cosymphony.com.
The works will highlight the broad palate of instruments, techniques and sounds — coming from composers of two very different mindsets — that are possible with the modern symphony, explained Michael Gesme, Central Oregon Symphony conductor and professor of music at COCC.
“Prokofiev was one of the early ‘bad boys’ of classical music,” Gesme explained. “He understood and revered the tradition of his predecessors, but often thumbed his nose at all the rules he was expected to follow. Instead, he blazed a new trail of musical sound and orchestration techniques that set him apart with distinction and provided inspiration for later composers of cinema soundtracks.”
“Brahms was a shy symphonist,” added Gesme, “fearing that no matter what he composed would be compared unfavorably to the great master, Beethoven — this despite the fact that Beethoven had died a decade before Brahms was even born. It took him until he was 43 years old to overcome his fear and release his first symphony. It is a glorious work.”
The Central Oregon Symphony was formed in 1967 as part of COCC’s fine arts department. For more information about the performances, contact Michael Gesme, Central Oregon Symphony conductor, at 541-383-7516 or mgesme@cocc.edu.
