Tag Archives: Lubbock Symphony Orchestra
Carmen Program Notes
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 7th April 2015The Lubbock Symphony Orchestra will present two concert performances of Carmen – May 1 and 2. Below are the Program Notes I wrote for the occasion. Bizet’s great opera recently had its 1000th performance at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House. Carmen’s popularity is worldwide, yet the work started as a failure. Like The Barber of…
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Renée Fleming Opens Lubbock Symphony Orchestra’s 2014-15 Season
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 10th September 2014Renée Fleming opened the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra’s 2014-15 season before a capacity audience at the Civic Center Auditorium. Ms Fleming appeared in both halves of the concert. The program is below. Fleming who has obviously done this kind of show before had the crowd with her from the moment she first appeared. At this point…
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Renée Fleming to Open Lubbock Symphony Orchestra’s 2014-15 Season
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 8th August 2014The Lubbock Symphony Orchestra opens it 2014-15 season on September 9th with Renée Fleming as guest artist. Music Director David Cho conducts.
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Lubbock Symphony Orchestra Video
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 30th March 2013The video below give a good picture of how good Lubbock’s premiere arts organization is. The Lubbock Symphony Orchestra would be outstanding in a city 10 times our population. Here it verges on the miraculous. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iVFpvtZm-mY
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Conrad Tao and the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 20th January 2013I usually don’t write about the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra’s concerts because I am too close to the performers and managers to be either objective or frank. But last night’s performance by Conrad Tao with the LSO was so out of the ordinary that I have to mention it. Tao is an 18 year old wunderkind . Born in Urbana…
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Lubbock Symphony Opens 2012-13 Season
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 11th September 2012The Lubbock Symphony Orchestra’s new season opened last night at a sold out Civic Center Theater. Maestro David Cho conducted his first concert as the orchestra’s music director. The guest artist was cellist Yo-Yo Ma who performed Elgar’s Cello Concerto. The first half of the evening was devoted to Czech music. The program began with Smetana’s overture to…
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La Traviata Program Notes
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 1st March 2012Below are the program notes I wrote for the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra’s performances of Verdi’s La Traviata March 2 and 3, 2012. La Traviata was Giuseppe Verdi’s 19th opera. Though the composer was dissatisfied with its initial run, the opera rapidly established itself as his most popular work. Indeed, it may be the most popular opera even…
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La Traviata in Lubbock
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 7th February 2012The Lubbock Symphony Orchestra will present two concert performances of Verdi’s opera on March 2 and 3. Amanda Hall is Verdi’s noble courtesan, Tenor Scott Ramsay is her overwrought lover Alfredo, and baritone Ashley Prewett is his father Germont. Thomasz Golka will conduct the LSO and the Lubbock Civic Chorale.
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Beethoven in Excelsis
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 25th September 2011He came, he played, and he conquered. Adam Golka played all five of Beethoven’ piano concertos before two dazzled Lubbock audiences on Friday September 23 and on the following Saturday. Actually, he played the cycle twice. There were dress rehearsals Thursday night and Saturday morning. This feat, unique in my experience, requires prodigious doses of stamina, endurance,…
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All Five
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 23rd August 2011The Lubbock Symphony Orchestra will open its season next month with a program unique in my experience. The brilliant young pianist Adam Golka will perform all five Beethoven piano concertos. Numbers 2, 3, and 4 will be played on Friday September 23. Numbers 1 and 5 will follow the next evening. The orchestra will be conducted by Golka’s older brother Tomasz…
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