Download WSO`s Beyond the Score returns with Beethoven`s beloved 5th

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WSO’s Beyond the Score® returns with Beethoven’s beloved 5th Symphony Winnipeg, MB —January 20, 2014 — The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) is thrilled to present Beethoven's beloved 5th Symphony in a Beyond the Score® performance January 23 and 24 in Winnipeg, and in Brandon on January 25. The concert features an interactive presentation with actors and video as well as a full performance of the symphony in the second half. On the Saturday night performance there will be a cameo appearance by Mayor Brian Bowman. Beyond the Score® is an acclaimed multi-­‐media presentation created by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra where the first half of the concert brings the origin of a piece to life using live theatre, actors and narrator followed by a complete performance of the work. The audience will learn about the time and place where the work was composed, the composer and his state of mind, his friends, and the critics. Audiences will see and hear Beethoven in an all-­‐new light! After three successful years of Beyond the Score® presentations, the WSO will perform two presentations in Winnipeg, and a third presentation in Brandon, conducted by Maestro Alexander Mickelthwate. The show features Manitoban actors Arne MacPherson as Beethoven himself, along with Reid Harrison, Donna Fletcher, Matthew Fletcher and pianist Madeline Hildebrand. The most famous four notes in music begin Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. Yet try as one might, the work’s origins are as elusive as the music’s fame and impact. Were the notes about “Fate knocking at the door’’ – a good story published in the memoirs of Beethoven’s pupils Anton Schindler and Ferdinand Ries but never corroborated? Perhaps a patriotic response to the invading Napoleonic forces in the music’s progression from struggle to victory? Or maybe just a knock on the door by Beethoven’s housekeeper in an ongoing attempt to order his slovenly living habits. We do know that the Fifth Symphony came during four years of producing such masterpieces as the Violin Concerto, Fourth and Sixth Symphonies and the first version of his only opera Fidelio, among others. As always purely musical matters occupied him constantly and he did say about the Fifth “I see before my mind the picture in its whole extent, as if in a single grasp.’’ If a single comment sums up this colossal symphony it is that one, for Beethoven’s Fifth is all about inevitability in a symphony. Whether heard for the first or umpteenth time, one is simply swept up in its inexorable drive to the finish plus the perfect blend of head and heart within its plan. One need not say more. Beyond the Score® is produced by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Gerard McBurney, creative director Beyond the Score®. Martha Gilmer, executive producer Beyond the Score® Musicians In The Making Pre-­‐concert performance on the Piano Nobile. Friday, 6:45 p.m. Canadian Mennonite University Saturday, 6:45 p.m. Desautels Faculty of Music SoundBytes Beethoven's 5th -­‐ Beyond the Score® Friday, January 23 – 7:30 pm; Saturday, January 7:30 pm Centennial Concert Hall Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor; Madeline Hildebrand, piano; Arne MacPherson, actor; Reid Harrison, actor; Donna Fletcher, actor; Matthew Fletcher, actor; Jennifer Parr, stage director WSO in Brandon Musicians In The Making Pre-­‐concert performance in the lobby. Sunday, 2:30 p.m. Brandon University Conservatory of Music Piano Students WSO in Brandon Beethoven's 5th -­‐ Beyond the Score® Sunday, January 25 – 3:00 pm Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor; Madeline Hildebrand, piano; Arne MacPherson, actor; Reid Harrison, actor; Donna Fletcher, actor; Matthew Fletcher, actor; Jennifer Parr, stage director WSO in Brandon Series Sponsor: WSO in Brandon Media Partner: Tickets start at $25 and are available through the WSO Box Office: 204.949.3999 or wso.ca or Ticketmaster: 1.855.985.ARTS and Ticketmaster.ca Soundcheck tickets start at $15 and are available at the WSO Box Office: 204-­‐949-­‐3999. WSO in Brandon tickets are available at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium at (204) 728-­‐
9510 or www.wmca.ca. The WSO is integral to Winnipeg's rich cultural life, delighting more than 100,000 audience members each year with innovative programming and musical excellence. The WSO presents educational programs for more than 40,000 students annually and tours to communities across Manitoba. -­‐30-­‐ MEDIA CALL: Friday, January 23 11:00 am -­‐ 11:30 am Centennial Concert Hall, 555 Main Street Media to arrive at back stage entrance Lily Street. Please RSVP to the media call by emailing [email protected] MEDIA: For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact: Sarah Panas, Marketing & Communications Coordinator p. (204) 949-­‐3970 e: [email protected]