By: Michael French, UC Davis College of Letters & Science
In a concert titled “Orbiting Spheres,” the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra explores three unique orchestral works under the baton of conductor Matilda Hofman. The concert is Friday, May 1 at the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts and begins at 7 p.m.
The concert’s title is taken from American composer Missy Mazzoli’s “Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)” which the composer describes as “music in the shape of a solar system.” Comprised of concentric musical loops like planetary objects in orbit, and using harmonicas to create a unique sound floor, the work sounds like outer space. Toward the end, the composer describes a rapid transformation whereby the “ensemble turns into a makeshift hurdy-gurdy, flung recklessly into space.” The work was originally commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
The program includes Jean Sibelius’s Symphony No. 7 in C Major, which is his final published symphony. Noted for its unique, single-movement structure lasting approximately 23 minutes, the work was originally titled “Symphonic Fantasia.” The music flows continuously through shifting tempi (Adagio, Vivacissimo, Allegro) and features a celebrated, majestic theme on trombone.
Also on the program is Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Ballade in A Minor, one-movement orchestral work known for its dramatic, passionate, and highly melodic nature. Commissioned by Edward Elgar, this early breakthrough piece features an intense, stormy opening themes alternating with tender, romantic melodies, showcasing rich orchestration and energetic, narrative-driven phrasing.
A highlight of the orchestra’s spring concert is a featured performance by winner of the UC Davis Concerto Competition. This year’s winner is undergraduate music and mechanical engineering major Joshua Lee, who will perform the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Concerto.
Tickets are $12 UC Davis students; $15.50 children (under 18), $24 faculty/staff $27.50 and regular (reserved seating). Tickets are available at the Mondavi Center Ticket Office in person or by calling 530-754-2787 between noon and 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. Tickets are also available online at Tickets.MondaviArts.org.
For more information about the Department of Music in the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis, visit arts.ucdavis.edu/music.
