TESTAMENT: THE AUDIENCE REVIEWS

Audiences say our Testament concerts were stunning!

Under the direction of Maestro Daniel Stewart, this mesmerizing program brought us into a musical landscape reflecting the deepest parts of our souls. Soloist Yuchen Lu and the Santa Cruz Symphony created an experience that many of our patrons found moving and compelling.

If you missed the concert or want to hear it again, you can tune in on Sunday November 13 at 4 pm for a full concert rebroadcast on KAZU.org (website and HD radio only). Find out how to listen here.

Many accolades for our Testament concerts have been coming in from folks who attended, and we want to share some of them with you:

"Simply among the finest concerts by the Symphony and Danny. Compelling selection of music, excellent performances by the orchestra of difficult work. Simply extraordinary."

"This was an amazing performance that rivaled and often exceeded anything we have experienced in much larger venues (such as SF or LA). It was a wonderful concert and the choice of music was fascinating and educating, especially the Bartok."

"The thing I loved most about the performance was the diversity in the three pieces. Going from a solemn, prayerful moment for Ukraine, to a more contemporary, somewhat dissonant and intriguing piece, and ending with a romantic bombastic jump out of your seat piece - it was a roller coaster musical experience. Really loved it!!!"

"The guest violist was spellbinding!! What talent!"

"This music helped us experience so many different emotions and mental images but from a place of connectedness and meaning. This Testament performance had all of that and much more. It was about all of life, but from a place of such depth and beauty and love and recognizing the greatness of who we are as a human race."

From reviewer and composer Josef Sekon: "This afternoon’s concert at the Mello featured soloist Yuchen Lu, whose performance was stellar! Both soloist Lu and orchestra achieved wonderful clarity, balance and fine overall ensemble. Rhythmically alert, warmly lyrical and dazzlingly virtuosic, Lu negotiated Bartók’s very tricky writing with admirable virtuosity. Stewart demonstrated his orchestra could support and blend with Lu’s wonderful poise and instinctive elegance. There wasn’t a note out of place and his playing created the sense of the musical whole."

Intrigued? There's still time to enjoy a Santa Cruz Symphony performance. Mark your calendar for our next concert weekend on January 28-29, 2023!

TESTAMENT: Listen to the complete concert on November 13

Our Testament concerts on October 29 and 30 were an incredible experience! If you missed the concerts, or just want to relive this performance highlighting courage, resolve, and the endurance of the human spirit, you can hear the concert rebroadcast this coming weekend.

At 4 PM on November 13, go to KAZU.org's classical station to experience the entire program performed by the Santa Cruz Symphony!

Here's how to listen: when you're on the KAZU website, click "All Streams" underneath the red Donate button and select the Classical station from the drop-down menu. Then just click the play button in the grey bar at the top left part of the page, right underneath the logo. At 4 PM on Sunday, clicking this button will play the Testament concert.

You can find more information about listening to KAZU broadcasts here, including how to tune in on your HD radio station.

We hope you’ll listen in!

Testament: highlighting courage, resolve, and the endurance of the human spirit

The Santa Cruz Symphony is honored to present Testament, our second concert of the season, on Saturday and Sunday, October 29 & 30. This will be a profoundly moving program featuring music written to reflect the deepest parts of our souls. 

We will begin with Valentin Silvestrov's Prayer for Ukraine, originally composed for chorus in response to the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014. After the Russian invasion earlier this year, Eduard Restasch arranged the work for chamber orchestra. Quiet and reflective, it speaks to the desires for freedom and peace that the Ukrainian people are yearning for today.

Next on the program is Béla Bartók's Viola Concerto, featuring soloist Yuchen Lu. Among the most beloved pieces for solo viola, the Concerto is one of the last works that Bartók wrote toward the end of his life. He passed away before its completion, and his friend Tibor Serly used the composer's sketches to finish the work in 1949. The piece moves through moods of intimate simplicity to grand, fully orchestrated gestures, finally ending with the lively Eastern European folk flavor for which Bartók is so loved.

Finally, the concert will conclude with Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 Pathétique. Grand and emotionally turbulent, this final symphony reflects the rich panorama of Tchaikovsky's life. He experienced periods of great joy, depression, a failed marriage, popular successes, and academic criticism throughout his career. Tchaikovsky himself even declared that he had put his "whole soul into this work."

We know that the Santa Cruz Symphony will inspire you with this program’s rich journey into the depths of the human experience.

FEATURING YUCHEN LU

This year, at the 36th Irving M. Klein International String Competition, thousands of people worldwide delighted in the talents of nine semifinalists via livestream as they competed for cash prizes and performance contracts. A jury of seven determined the winners. The first prize was awarded to 22-year-old violist Yuchen Lu.

Mr. Lu also won second prize at the Lionel Tertis viola competition. He has attended the Morningside Music Bridge summer festival, and was a member of the Seiji Ozawa Orchestra Academy. He also performed at the Marlboro Music Festival in summer 2022. This exceptional young artist will perform a viola concerto by Bartók, one of the greatest composers of the 20th century!

Here are some accolades from people who attended our last concert

“The Santa Cruz Symphony is a jewel in this community."

"Just fantastic. The finale at the end was incredible. The dancers and music and everything, so beautiful. It left me teary eyed."

"Thank you for enduring and thriving. Daniel Stewart is a treasure."

WHEN AND WHERE TO SEE IT:

October 29 at 7:30 pm at the Civic Auditorium (pre-concert talk at 6:30 pm)

October 30 at 2:00 pm at the Henry J. Mello Center (pre-concert talk at 1:00 pm)

Ready to learn about Testament? Join the online class!

Dear Symphony Music Lovers and Lifelong Learners,

Our second concert of the season, Testament, will be happening October 29-30, and the Symphony is back with a new online class to help you fully appreciate the music!

We’re delighted to introduce you to our newest professor: Dr. Anatole Leikin, Professor Emeritus of Music at UC Santa Cruz. With his wealth of knowledge, and using the piano to demonstrate themes and motifs, Professor Leikin will explore the background of the pieces we will hear at Testament and provide a detailed listening guide to enhance our concert experience.

Professor Leikin will lead a Zoom class on Wednesday evening October 19, 2022 at 7 pm. He will dive into these pieces with his wealth of musical knowledge and perspective. And all in the comfort of your home!

Dr. Leikin is a music historian and pianist. He teaches at UC Santa Cruz in his semi-retirement, specializing in Classical and Romantic performance practice, music history, and theory, as well as piano performance. He enjoys a stellar reputation as a professor with his UCSC students!

The Testament concert program to be discussed will include:

• Valentin Silvestrov’s Prayer for Ukraine, the orchestral version. Having heard the choral version last May, we’ll now learn how this music arose from the Russian annexation of Crimea and has become a frequently performed piece around the world today.

• Béla Bartók’s Viola Concerto, featuring the Klein String Competition winner, Yuchen Lu. This piece has a fascinating history, and Bartók left it unfinished when he died. We will recognize the important themes and learn about the structure of the three movements. Perhaps we’ll hear about who helped get the work finished and ready for performance with an orchestra?

• Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 Pathétique, a masterwork. Labeled by Tchaikovsky as a “Passionate” Symphony whose theme or “program” was to remain a “mystery,” we’re sure that Professor Leikin with enlighten us as to what the themes and development are within this structure.

Allow up to 90 minutes for this class, which will go into greater depth than time permits at our pre-concert talks. We will record this class for those who can’t attend so you can view the recording ahead of the concert. The recording will be available before the concert dates on October 29-30.

After you've paid for the class, we'll send you an email on Tuesday, October 18 with instructions with the Zoom link for the class and some important details.

Join your Symphony friends for this excellent class! Please share this email with any friends who may not be on our mailing list. We look forward to seeing you!

It's not too late to get season tickets!

All photos from Symphonic Dances concert are by Kevin Monahan

If you missed the deadline for buying a full season subscription for the 2022-23 season, you can still get the benefits of being a subscriber by purchasing a mini-subscription for the last four regular classical series concerts in the season. In addition, when you buy a mini-subscription, you have the option to purchase tickets to the Family Concert and the Pops Concert for a reduced price. Good seats are still available for this fabulous season of classical music!

Want to share your love of the Symphony with someone else? Gift vouchers are available for mini-subscriptions. Contact the Symphony office at 831-462-0553 x10 or office@santacruzsymphony.org for more information.

Here's what people are saying about our 65th season so far:

"Maestro Stewart is no longer just the Wunderkind of classical music he was some ten years ago. He has evolved into a highly respected, mature conductor, not only with the established classical music repertoire, but also an oblique exploration and commitment to perform outstanding contemporary music performances that have brought new excitement to his audiences, and a podium Master Class as well... What a wonderful opening to the 2022-2023 Symphony season, BRAVO Maestro, BRAVO Santa Cruz Symphony!" - Josef Sekon, D.M.A.

"The Santa Cruz Symphony opening concert on September 17 was stupendous! Music Director Daniel Stewart and the orchestra filled the Civic with incredible "dance" music that included a massive percussion section. The folkloric dances from across the world plus Watsonville's Esperanza del Valle Baile Folklorico were a perfect way to start the 65th Symphony season." - Nancy Meyberg