American River
Exploring new frontiers, the American River College Orchestra performs and illuminates great music—from classical to salsa to rap and back again.
May Concert
Symphony No. 8 in G major—Antonín Dvořák
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Our program will include Antonín Dvořák's 8th Symphony. Dvořák took his inspiration for this symphony from nature. The understated beauty of his own garden in Vysoká in Southern Bohemia gave him solace. The dramatic fields and forests near his home fueled his creative spirit as he communed with his natural surroundings. "Cheerful and optimistic," the music mimics birdcalls and Bohemian folk songs.
Lyrical, light, and glowing, the symphony captures the vitality of classical music.
Command Performance
You Voted — We Listened!
In March, we invited the audience to select two of our soloists to perform their solos again for this May concert.
Congratulations to Anne Plescia and Chloe Jaffe.
Plescia will perform:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major,
Third Movement
"The piece lets me open up and explore the deepest tones of my violin. The most challenging part is probably the double stops that go 100 mph. It's hard to get your fingers to remember each placement, all in time."
— Anne Plescia
The music is described as having a "deep, resonant, and slightly gritty sound" that only gets faster as the piece comes to its exciting conclusion. Tchaikovsky's only violin concerto is also one of the most famous and beloved.
PC: Serge Kuzmin
Chloe Jaffe will perform:
Edvard Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
Like Tchaikovsky and his violin concerto, this is the only piano concerto that Grieg ever completed, and like Tchaikovsky, it is one of the most popular concerti for piano. Because of its popularity, it was the first piano concerto ever recorded.
Listen for the dramatic timpani roll to start the piece, the opening flourish that echoes elements of Grieg's Norwegian folk music, and the virtuosic cadenza that ends the piece.
Relive this lively performance!
From original compositions to timeless classics, the Aria Concerto Concert brought 11 performers and three conductors to the stage.
Check out the compilation video here to celebrate these talented rising stars!
Videographer: Serge Kuzmin
Explore more from ARC Orchestra!
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Conversations
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Concerts
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Innovations
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