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STOCKTON —The Stockton Symphony opens its second Classics concert of the season with two beautiful examples of French symphonic repertoire: Ravel’s “Le Tombeau de Couperin,” and Bizet’s “Symphony in C Major,” juxtaposed with a very recent flute concerto, “Trail of Tears,” by American composer Michael Daugherty. The vivid contrast makes for an extremely intriguing and satisfying evening.
The concert begins at 6 p.m. at Atherton Auditorium on the Delta College campus in Stockton on Saturday, Nov. 16.
Daugherty’s piece, completed in 2010, is an emotionally charged composition, illustrating the five- month forced migration in the 1830s of 15,000 Cherokee men, women and children from Tennessee. From November 1838 to March 1839, the Cherokee, with scant clothing and many without shoes were forced to make an 800-mile march for relocation in Oklahoma during the bitter cold of winter. Suffering from exposure, disease, and starvation, nearly 4,000 Cherokee died during the five-month march known as the “Trail of Tears.”
Michael Daugherty describes his concerto as ‘a musical journey into how the human spirit discovers ways to deal with upheaval, adversity and adapting to a new environment.
The hauntingly beautiful sounds of the soloist’s flute are heavily inspired by the sounds of native flutes and flute songs, and the resulting blend of sounds and influences is quite compelling.
Flute soloist Jennifer Olson is an international recording artist and an active orchestral and chamber music performer in the Los Angeles area. She is the principal flute with the Stockton Symphony and second flute with the Long Beach Symphony and Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra. As a freelance musician, Olson has performed with prestigious groups such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera and Pacific Symphony. As a recording artist Olson can be heard on recent soundtracks such as Ice Age 4, The Lorax and Men in Black 3.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.StocktonSymphony,.org or by calling the Symphony office at (209) 951-0196. Group rates are available. Tickets begin at $25; tickets for children and student with an ID begin at $12.
