STOCKTON — When the Stockton Symphony performs its Classics IV concert at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 22, in Atherton Auditorium on the Delta College campus, members of the audience will have the fortunate opportunity to hear the distinguishing nuances of sound that emanate from the viola versus the violin.
The performance of Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante pairs guest artists Elena Urioste, violin, and Juan-Miguel Hernandez, viola. The engaging and elegant dialog between the two soloists is masterful. The audience is also provided a relatively rare opportunity to hear the deep rich sounds of the viola featured with such prominence. While viola concertos are part of the repertoire, they aren’t played as often as violin or cello concertos, and this is Mozart’s only work in which the instrument is given as much prominence as the violin.
Urioste, recently selected as a BBC New Generation Artist, has been hailed by critics and audiences alike for her lush tone, the nuanced lyricism of her playing, and her commanding stage presence. Elena’s debut performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra were praised by three separate critics for their “hypnotic delicacy,” “expressive poise,” and “lyrical sensitivity.”
Hernandez is widely regarded as one of the finest violists of his generation.
A native of Canada, Hernandez has been heard and seen on nationally-syndicated radio and television programs throughout Canada and the United States, including NBC’s Good Morning America, The Today Show and the Telemundo Network. As a featured guest soloist, Juan-Miguel has appeared with the Atlanta, Seattle, and Colorado Symphonies, and he has toured throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America, Canada, and the United States. He has released many CDs on various labels alongside the Harlem Quartet, Chick Corea or Norah Jones.
Also on the evening’s program are Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1, “Classical” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1.
Program notes, complete with audio clips can be found on the Symphony website at www.StocktonSymphony.org.
Tickets are $25 through $61 and can be purchased online at www.StocktonSymphony.org or at the Stockton Symphony office new location: 4629 Quail Lakes Drive (behind Bank of Stockton in the Quail Lakes Office Plaza). For more information, call the Symphony office at 209.951.0196.
