October 22, 2001

Contact: Kerri Conan, School of Fine Arts, (785) 864-5567.

KU symphony orchestra to perform four thematic masterpieces

LAWRENCE -- The University of Kansas Symphony Orchestra plays four works remarkable for their distinct themes during the ensemble's next concert. The performance takes place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, at the Lied Center. General admission is $7, $5 for students and seniors.

More than 30 percussion instruments appear in "Ionisation" by futurist composer Edgard Varese. This piece, conducted by John Parks, KU professor of percussion, has provided the cornerstone of the Western percussion repertoire in this century. As the title implies, Varese explores the concept of electrically charged groups of atoms using the orchestra's instrumental groups.

Orchestra director Brian Priestman describes Igor Stravinsky's "Symphonies of Wind Instruments" as the composer's most austere work with moments of exquisite rapture and inner serenity unparalleled in Stravinsky's other compositions.

"Serenade for Strings" by Peter Tchaikovsky is a four-movement piece that starts slowly and builds to a spirited finale. The composer himself described the work as being written "from inner conviction."

After intermission, the orchestra concludes with "Sheherezade" by the Russian Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Although the composer denied any immediate association, the basic concept somewhat follows the tales of the Arabian Nights, tracing the tale of the sultan, the caliph and the sheherezade who made herself indispensable.

Tickets are available at the Lied Center, (785) 864-ARTS; Murphy Hall, (785) 864-3982; and SUA (785) 864-3477. For more information, contact the KU Department of Music and Dance at (785) 864-3436.