FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Susan Bardack, Buzz Media Solutions
(518) 867-7940 · susan@buzzmediasolutions.com
The Albany Symphony’s February Concerts Celebrate Valentine’s Day and Maestro David Alan Miller’s Birthday, and feature Rachmaninoff’s Romantic, Sensual Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, performed by 19-year-old pianist, Harmony Zhu
The concert also includes Robert Schumann’s glorious, romantic Symphony No. 1, “Spring,” and works by Loren Loiacono and Randall Thompson
ALBANY, NY – The two-time GRAMMY award-winning Albany Symphony is thrilled to present romantic Valentine’s weekend concerts on February 15th at 7:30pm and February 16th at 3:00pm at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. The concerts will feature Rachmaninoff’s gorgeous Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, performed by 19-year-old superstar pianist Harmony Zhu. Also featured are Robert Schumann’s radiant Symphony No. 1, his “Spring” symphony, Loren Loiacono’s thrilling orchestral tour-de-force, Sleep Furiously, and Randall Thompson’s charming travelogue, A Trip to Nahant. Patrons can also wish Music Director David Alan Miller a very Happy Birthday that weekend!
“We are absolutely thrilled to share one of the most romantic works ever written for piano and orchestra, Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, as the centerpiece of this delicious program,” said Miller. “We are delighted to bring back pianist Harmony Zhu, whose deep musical sensitivity and sparkling personality stretch beyond her 19 years of age. She is definitely a superstar in the making, and someone to watch! Loren Loiacono, our brilliant composer friend, returns for the recording premiere of her breakthrough piece from 2016, which dazzled us all at its premiere. Troy Savings Bank Music Hall is about to embark on some very exciting renovations, so this is your last chance to hear the orchestra in that acoustically splendid, legendary hall before our return in December, 2025. Hearing Schumann’s thrilling First Symphony in the hall’s flawless acoustical space is an unforgettable experience. Schumann wrote it in the first flush of his marriage to Clara, and it celebrates both the coming of spring and their passionate romance.”
Harmony Zhu will perform Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. The piece is one of the most famous and beloved works in the repertoire. It was composed during the summer of 1934, and premiered in Baltimore, with Rachmaninoff at the piano. By the time he composed the piece, Rachmaninoff had already completed four large concertos for piano and orchestra and was a master of the form. The work is a musical depiction of the 19th century violinist, Paganini, and conjures his love affairs and his pact with the devil.
Zhu began her studies at The Juilliard School at age eight, and her teachers include Emanuel Ax and Veda Kaplinsky. She was recognized as a Young Steinway Artist at age 10, and made her debut at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium at age 14. She won the 2021 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, becoming the youngest artist on the YCA roster. She has been featured three times on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, CBC News, NPR’s From the Top and many other shows. She has appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony and many other orchestras. She is a chess champion and currently a student at Harvard University and New England Conservatory.
Commissioned by the Albany Symphony and premiered at the 2016 American Music Festival, Sleep Furiously is inspired by the grammatically correct but seemingly nonsensical text by linguist Noam Chomsky. Loiacono's work is a celebration of the balance between literal and figurative meaning, order and chaos, and coherence and nonsense. But, mainly, it is a thrilling orchestral tone-poem, riveting from start to finish.
The music of Loren Loiacono has been described as “plush...elusive” (New York Times), “vivid and colorful” (Albany Times Union), “dreamy, lilting” (Pioneer Press), and “quirky and fun” (Bad Entertainment- Twin Cities). Loiacono has received commissions and performances from such nationally esteemed ensembles such as the Detroit Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Sacramento Philharmonic, Lexington Philharmonic and the American Composers Orchestra. She frequently collaborates with the Albany Symphony, partnering to create new concerti for Sandbox Percussion (2022) and pianist Vicky Chow (2018). Dr. Loiacono served as the Albany Symphony’s Mellon Composer-Educator-in-Residence for the 2017-18 season.
Maestro Miller hopes to summon a bit of spring into the concert hall by programming Symphony No. 1, “Spring” by Robert Schumann. Schumann composed his first symphony in early 1841. Before then, he was largely known for his works for the piano and for voice. His wife, Clara, encouraged him to write symphonic music, noting in her diary, "it would be best if he composed for orchestra; his imagination cannot find sufficient scope on the piano... His compositions are all orchestral in feeling... My highest wish is that he should compose for orchestra—that is his field! May I succeed in bringing him to it!" Schumann sketched the symphony in four days, from the 23rd to 26 of January. He completed the orchestration by the end of February.
A Trip to Nahant takes its name from an old square-dance fiddle tune Randall Thompson came across. It is a charming, old-timey tone-poem from 1957 about romance and the sea. The aura and sentiment of the piece surround the town of Nahant in Massachusetts, which was a popular summer resort. Thompson was a distinguished composer whose exceptional efforts in choral composition remain his most lasting contribution to the repertory. He was also a noted educator, joining the faculty of his alma mater Harvard in 1948, where he remained until his retirement in 1965. There, his composition students included Leonard Bernstein, Samuel Adler, and Lukas Foss.
The 2024-2025 season runs through the American Music Festival in June. Season subscriptions are available and offer flexibility, convenience, and price savings. Through the Nielsen Associates’ Student Access Program, students can purchase discount subscriptions and enjoy the full benefits of being a subscriber for as little as $45. To purchase a subscription or single tickets, visit albanysymphony.com or call the Box Office at 518-694-3300.