Not only does the Eugene Symphony introduce its 2023-24 season with two Sergei’s — Prokofiev and Rachmaninov — but the program also includes the introduction of the first symphony composed by Michael Djupstrom.
That work, titled From the Northern Wilds, is the last to be performed as part of Eugene Symphony’s participation in the First Symphony Project. The Djupstrom piece tells a musical story that “charts the Missouri River’s flowing and majestic course from its start at an unmarked Montana spring.”
The Rachmaninov is the beloved Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, played by pianist Claire Huangci. He composed it during the summer of 1934, inspired by a tune by Italian composer Niccolò Paganini. Musical lore has it that Paganini composed his violin works in such difficult fashion that at first no one but he could play them.
The Prokofiev is Symphony No. 5, which he composed in Russia, as the world moved toward the last days of of World War II, during the summer of 1944.
Francesco Lecce-Chong, music director and conductor of the Eugene Symphony, will be at the podium.
This Sept. 21, 2023, performance will be broadcast on radio at 10 a.m. on Oct. 13, on KWAX 91.1.
Eugene Symphony in Concert
When: 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023 (pre-concert talk at 6:30 p.m. in the Hult Center Studio before the performance)
Where: Silva Hall, Hult Center for the Performing Arts, One Eugene Center (7th and Willamette streets), Eugene
Tickets: $10-$72, available at the ticket office, 541-682-5000, or online at eugenesymphony.org or hultcenter.org
