Page 56 - May-June-July Life In Naples

Pops concerts, the chorus will sing Handel’s Messiah with the
A s Music Director Andrey Boreyko enters his third season as
the organization’s artistic leader, his focus continues to be the ALMA MAHLER AND MISIA SERT
examination of the communion between visual and performing
arts.This season will find programs across series and disciplines that
explore the ideas of muses and scale.
“These two themes provide us with several interesting points of
comparison throughout the Artis—Naples offerings,” Boreyko said.
“The effects of muses on art dates back to antiquity. This season, we
chose to explore three dynamic women who influenced countless
great artistic minds of the 19th and 20th centuries. For scale, we
are excited to show how visual and musical works can be filled with
tremendous artistic intensity regardless of size.”
Artistic cross-pollination continues with visiting artists performing
in multiple series. The orchestra continues to explore various eras of
music with Baroque concerts, a Masterworks appearance by noted
early-music expert Bernard Labadie and new works by contemporary
composers Gabriel Prokofiev, Giya Kancheli and Nicholas Jacobson-
Larson. Our Pops programming celebrates Broadway divas and dives
into the unfairly maligned music of the 1980s.The 2016-17 season
will also see an increase in the number of dance and Broadway
performances from four to five.
And the Naples Philharmonic Chorus will celebrate its 25th
anniversary this season. In addition to its part in our annual Holiday
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Naples Philharmonic in a stand-alone concert in November and
perform Vaughn Williams’ Toward the Unknown Region during
Masterworks concerts in April 2017.
THE POWER OF MUSES: CLARA SCHUMANN,
The influence these three women had over the classical arts from
the middle of the 19th century through the 1950s is incalculable.
Each held some of the greatest visual and performing artists of the
period enthralled by their mesmerizing personal charm.Throughout
the season, works inspired by, financed by or written for these women
will be performed, often paired with compelling programming from
other parts of the organization.
Schumann’s clout appears across several concerts. In addition to
performing with the full orchestra in the Masterworks series, pianist
Benedetto Lupo joins Naples Philharmonic musicians for a Wang
Chamber Music series performance of Brahms’ Piano Quartet in C
Minor, which is rumored to have been written as an expression of his
affection. Schumann is again the subject of an entire Masterworks
performance conducted by Boreyko with works by Mendelssohn,
her husband Robert Schumann, and Brahms.
In March, the orchestra takes up the mantle of Alma Mahler
with another -led Masterworks concert featuring Korngold’s Violin
Concerto—dedicated to her—and her husband Gustav Mahler’s
Symphony No.4. At the same time, she will be the subject of works
in the Wang series and an exhibition by The Baker Museum of
works by her lover Oskar Kokoschka.
Sert, too, will be the focus of Boreyko’s programming with
a Masterworks concert featuring works by her teacher, Fauré,
and Stravinsky’s Petrushka, the ballet Sert famously saved with a
last-minute purchase of costumes for the Ballet Russes’ opening
performance. Various Lifelong Learning series will explore her
roles in the music, dance and art worlds, where she was notable for
hosting an influential salon and posing for artists such as Toulouse-
Lautrec and Renoir.
CLIMB UP AND DOWN THE SCALE
As Music Director, Boreyko is also delving into the idea of scale
as part of the 2016-17 season. At The Baker Museum, a season long
exhibition of work from the Olga Hirshhorn collection includes the
return of her Mouse House collection of small works from prominent
artists such as Picasso, Calder, Giacometti, Man Ray and more.The
works were originally the decorations for a small carriage house
she owned in Washington, D.C., and have been a favorite of local
museum-goers since they went on display at The Baker Museum a
decade ago.
Boreyko’s love of short orchestral pieces is being transformed into
a Masterworks concert inspired by them. The performance includes
newly commissioned works from composers Prokofiev, Kancheli
and Jacobson-Larson. Prokofiev and Jacobson-Larson were selected
in part because of their previous work with the orchestra, mirroring
Life in Naples | May • June • July 2016