NJSO opens season with Carmina Burana

Music Director Jacques Lacombe conducts opening program that also includes works by Antheil and Debussy

Opening Night Gala on Oct 10 honors Chairman Emeritus and eminent cardiac surgeon Dr. Victor Parsonnet

Fri, Oct 10, at NJPAC in Newark
Sat, Oct 11, at State Theatre in New Brunswick
Sun, Oct 12, at Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown

NEWARK, NJ (September 8, 2014)—Music Director Jacques Lacombe and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra open the NJSO’s 2014–15 concert season October 10–12 with Orff’s Carmina Burana in Newark, New Brunswick and Morristown. The concert opens with New Jersey composer George Antheil’s McKonkey’s Ferry as part of both the NJSO’s New Jersey Roots Project and NJ350—a celebration of the Garden State’s 350th anniversary in 2014. Debussy’s Nocturnes rounds out the opening program.

Performances take place on Friday, October 10, at 7 pm at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark; Saturday, October 11, at 8 pm at the State Theatre in New Brunswick and Sunday, October 12, at 3 pm at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown.

Of the ubiquitous power of Orff’s masterwork, which has found its way into the popular consciousness through films, television shows and sports commercials, The New York Times once wrote that “the idea that Carmina Burana’ somehow belongs to everyone instinctively rings true. Its tenacious hold on the public imagination suggests a power that transcends … ‘Carmina Burana’ exists between the high and the low, the modern and the traditional, reminding listeners just how seductive such border crossings can be.”

The NJSO last performed Carmina Burana on Lacombe’s NJSO debut program in November 2008. The Star-Ledger praised Lacombe’s Carmina interpretation, noting his “dynamic subtlety and zest” in a performance the NJSO has since released as an audio recording. The Star-Ledger later wrote: “In addition to the requisite firepower, Lacombe draws out the many textures and colors within Orff’s orchestration, making for freshness even in wild celebratory movements.”

Soprano Aline Kutan, tenor Jean-Francis Monvoisin, baritone Jonathan Beyer and the Westminster Symphonic Choir join the NJSO for these opening-weekend performances of Orff’s masterwork.

Antheil’s McKonkey’s Ferry was inspired by the Revolutionary War events of Christmas night, 1776, when General George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River into New Jersey and camped at McKonkey’s Ferry Inn on the eve of the Battle of Trenton. “This was the right year [to perform this piece], when we are celebrating New Jersey’s 350th anniversary,” Lacombe says. “[Antheil] was a unique figure among American composers; his music spans diverse styles in a very personal way. In this work about the Revolutionary War, he balances [military elements] with lyrical moments and some Hollywood elements reminiscent of his film music. It’s a nice mixture.”

The NJSO performs Debussy’s Nocturnes for the first time in more than 30 years. Lacombe says: “Nocturnes is a remarkable piece that is almost visual. In ‘Nuages,’ you can practically see the passing of the clouds, like a painting. In the last movement, ‘Sirènes,’ he uses the women’s chorus almost like another orchestral instrument, another texture.”

TICKETS
Concert tickets start at $20 and are available for purchase online or by phone at 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476).

OPENING NIGHT GALA
The Orchestra’s Opening Night Gala on Friday, October 10, at NJPAC begins at 5 pm with a cocktail party and close with a gala dinner following the NJSO performance. The gala honors NJSO Board Chairman Emeritus Dr. Victor Parsonnet on the occasion of his 90th birthday. An internationally acclaimed heart surgeon, Parsonnet performed the state’s first heart transplant and pacemaker implant. A passionate advocate for the arts and for New Jersey, he has dedicated 28 years of service to the NJSO and has devoted himself to improving the state’s arts, healthcare and social-outreach efforts.

For more event information, visit www.njsymphony.org/openingnight or contact Alice Golembo, Senior Manager of Special Events, at 973.735.1729 or agolembo@njsymphony.org.