Beethoven’s Third Symphony, the “Eroica” is the featured work on Clinton Symphony Orchestra’s 73rd season opener. The concert is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Durgin Performing Arts Center at Clinton High School.
Dr. Silas Nathaniel Huff will conduct the orchestra of 50 area musicians. Huff was recently named a finalist in the Programming category for the American Prize, a prestigious national competition recognizing the best achievements in orchestral programming, celebrating music directors who build orchestras and cultivate audiences.
Beethoven wrote his Third Symphony a decade after the French Revolution in honor of Napoleon Bonaparte. However, when Napoleon declared himself Emperor in 1804, the composer angrily tore his title page in half, deleting the original dedication, “Bonaparte Symphony,” replacing it with the words “composed to celebrate the memory of a great man.”
Opening the concert will be a Suite for Orchestra composed by Camille Saint-Saëns. It was originally written for the harmonium, and orchestrated in 1869. It consists of five short dance forms from the period.
Dr. Huff has programmed a contemporary American composer for each concert this season in honor of America’s 250th birthday. For the first concert, he has chosen a piece by Elena Specht titled “Maranatha.” Specht is music librarian with “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band. Maranatha is an Aramaic word that can be translated in two ways; as a plea, “O Lord, come!”, or as a celebration, “Our Lord has come!”
The front entrance and parking (8th Ave. S) is now open at Clinton High School, with easy access to the Durgin Performing Arts Center. Admission to the concert is by season ticket, or by individual concert tickets available at the door for $20. Season tickets will also be available at the door. All students are admitted free of charge, and a student’s adult companion can apply for a half-price ticket.
Additional information, including complete program notes, is available on the Symphony’s website at www.clintonsymphony.org.
