Stratford Symphony Orchestra presents Sitarski Plays Barber

Expect excellence when Stephen Sitarski and the Stratford Symphony Orchestra perform Barber at Avondale United Church on Nov. 15.

The Stratford Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is set to perform its ambitious program with a dynamic evening of Mozart, Barber, Borodin and Hindemith, featuring violinist Stephen Sitarski. The concert is to be held Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m. at Avondale United Church.

The inspiration for the musical selection made came initially from Sitarski, who when invited to perform with the SSO came back with the Barber suggestion, which is a piece of music from the 1930s.

“It is part of a repertoire of orchestral music from the 20th century that is accessible and has powerful messages for the audience. For the orchestra’s part in the second half, we programmed Hindemith-Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber because it complements each other well,” said William Rowson, SSO conductor.

The four major components comprising the concert can be categorized as “player’s choice” because when presented with the programming, the orchestra members each responded increasingly with enthusiasm.

Special arrangements orchestrally that audiences will particularly enjoy are the huge clarinet solo in Borodin, the flute solo in Hindemith, as well as Sitarski’s violin solos. Classical era transformed into contemporary is the umbrella term that Rowson would use to describe this concert.

“I think in the Barber violin concerto, the second movement, it has three in total, is a searingly beautiful piece of music. It’s slow and so expressive, but wait until it comes out of that concerto. There’s a story about that concerto when Barber had written the first two movements, the person commissioning it thought that it wasn’t hard enough to be a big flashy touring concerto. Barber was a little annoyed with this, so he came back with one of the hardest things ever written for violin. It’s like a rocket ship. It’s one of those pieces that when it ends people have to catch their breath a bit before they applaud. We’re really lucky to have this in Stratford,” said Rowson.

Sitarski is described as a very honest musician, a musician worth listening to and has the virtuosity that it takes to play this concerto. “He’s a very likeable human being, very warm, and will come and bring a lot to the orchestra as well as the audience,” he said. “One thing that’s been happening with the orchestra is we’ve been upping our own virtuosity. It is a hard program for the orchestra to play.”

Rowson believes that if you program well, you can balance showcasing a soloist while still maintaining the orchestra’s voice. It may be a supportive role for the orchestra, but there are many opportunities for them to shine.

“Sarah Cardwell, our principal oboe player, has a magnificent solo in the second movement of the Barber, then Stephen takes over and they play a duet. Stephen is a generous musician. He want’s the orchestra to shine as well,” said Rowson.

Stratford has a fantastic audience that comes out to support the SSO for the last decade, for which Rowson is grateful. The SSO is a unique collection of people with great talent that punches above its weight class.

“It’s my favourite place to work, I feel very comfortable when I get up on the podium there. People are always polite and I look forward to it on my calendar,” said Rowson.

He hopes that the audience will take away a new admiration for the performing arts, the orchestra, and that there is great music in the twentieth century. He always wants the audience to feel confident purchasing a ticket and that they are glad they came.

Tickets to the Nov. 15 concert can be purchased online by visiting www.stratfordsymphonyorchestra.ca, by calling 519-271-0990, or at the door of Avondale United Church on concert night.