Join us for the season premiere of This is Forty – a concert inspired by the poster that started it all for ASO – a beloved work of art, curated for our inaugural season in 1985, by one of Louisiana’s heroes, the late George Rodrigue. Depicted in the poster are Mozart, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Chopin, Schubert, and Beethoven, sitting under one of Rodrigue’s iconic oak trees, waiting to inspire and move you through each note, as they're exquisitely performed by the Symphony, and virtuosic guest artist, Ziang Xu on piano.

Program

Richard Wagner
“Arrival of the Guests” from opera “Tannhäuser”
Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G-Major, op. 58
Allegro moderato
Andante con moto
Rondo. Vivace
---intermission---    
Franz Schubert
Symphony No. 8 “Unfinished” (movement 1)
Allegro moderato
Piotr Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 4 in F-Minor, op. 36 (movement 2, 3 & 4)
Andantino in modo di canzona
Scherzo; Pizzicato ostinato: Allegro
Finale: Allegro con fuoco

WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THIS CONCERT

  • Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 “Unfinished” is in fact a complete composition. It is only called “Unfinished” because it has two movements while traditional Romantic symphonies usually offer four or more.
  • Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 is one of the most popular orchestral works worldwide with hundreds live performances each year. Both musicians and listeners consider it a “perfect composition” which masterfully combines drama, lyricism, melodic beauty and rhythmic drive.
  • Scherzo of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 is a rare example of orchestral work in which the string sections primarily play “pizzicato” (plucking the string) instead of using their bows.
  • Wagner revolutionized the art of traditional opera with his creations of musical dramas, where the traditional structure of separate arias, duets and choruses is no longer the vehicle of the musical story telling. Instead, he promoted Gesamtkunstwerk or “total work of art” synthesizing poetry, visual elements, music, and stagecraft into an inseparable organic whole.