DuPage Symphony Orchestra presents 'Remarkable Russians' Nov. 16

"Music is the universal language of mankind," said American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Regardless of where and when music is composed, it can touch the hearts of millions of people around the globe and be understood without any words if it was written from the heart.

Maestra Barbara Schubert and enthusiastic volunteer musicians from the DuPage Symphony Orchestra know the best way of delivering this universal language of mankind to their listeners.

This time, the DuPage Symphony Orchestra is happy to present music written by Russian and Soviet composers.

The orchestra's concert called "Remarkable Russians" will take place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, at Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave. in Naperville.

The mission of the DuPage Symphony Orchestra is "to provide inspiration and cultural enrichment through musical excellence, educational programs, and community outreach."

During the decades of its existence, this loved and appreciated orchestra has proven its high level of professionalism and mastership. It consists of talented volunteer musicians who know how to deliver to their listeners the composers' musical ideas and take their audiences on beautiful musical journeys. People of different ages and social groups come to the concerts presented by the DuPage Symphony Orchestra and enjoy its performances.

Maestra Schubert has been serving as music director and conductor of the DuPage Symphony Orchestra for more than 30 years already and has put all her talent, skills, time and devotion to music to creating beautiful concert programs.

Under her dynamic leadership, the orchestra has grown to more than 100 highly talented volunteer musicians. In 2013, the DuPage Symphony Orchestra was named Community Orchestra of the Year by the Illinois Council of Orchestras.

Under the baton of Maestra Barbara Schubert, the concert "Remarkable Russians" will be unforgettable. As always, Maestra Schubert carefully chose every piece that is going to be performed and created an excellent concert program.

The evening will start with Symphony No. 1 in G minor by Russian composer Vasily Kalinnikov. You might have never heard his name, but many Russian-speaking people are familiar with his music. Kalinnikov was born in the Russian Empire in 1866 and lived a short but productive life. He studied at the seminary in a Russian town called Oryol where he demonstrated his love and passion for music, becoming director of the choir there at the age of 14. During his lifetime, he wrote two symphonies with obvious Russian character and several piano, vocal, choral and orchestral pieces. In 1892, Tchaikovsky noticed his talent and recommended him as conductor for two prestigious theaters, but soon Kalinnikov became very sick and had to move to Crimea where he composed most of his music. He died of tuberculosis just two days before his 35th birthday.

Kalinnikov wrote his Symphony No. 1 between 1894 and 1895. It shows influence of the music of Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. The sweeping themes and sumptuous tonal colors of this piece will bring into your imagination beautiful Russian nature with its endless fields, fast rivers, and mysterious forests. This symphony brightly demonstrates the composer's love for his Motherland and its people and has its honorable place in the repertory of many Russian orchestras. "Anyone who likes Tchaikovsky - anyone," conductor David Robertson told NPR, "is going to adore (the First Symphony by Vasily Kalinnikov)."

After the intermission, internationally renowned violinist Rachel Barton Pine will join the DuPage Symphony Orchestra to perform Violin Concerto in D minor by Soviet Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian.

What makes this violinist so special? Her incredible technique, emotional presentation, lustrous tone, deep understanding of music, and remarkable mastery certainly make her one of the best violin players of our time. Being a devoted musician, Pine literally lives in music while playing her favorite instrument and carries her listeners away from this reality by swirling them on the brilliant waves of classical masterpieces.

Her infectious joy in music-making affects everyone who watches her perform. Pine combines an innate gift for emotional communication with her audience with a scholarly fascination for historical research. Interestingly, she performs on the "ex-Bazzini, exSoldat" Joseph Guarnerius del Gesu violin (Cremona, 1742). "I love the fact that I get to play...on a violin that Brahms knew," said Pine. "When you think about it, Brahms frequently played chamber music with Marie Soldat, which means that this violin actually got to 'jam' with Brahms!"

This world-renowned violinist holds prizes from several of the world's leading competitions, including a gold medal at the 1992 J.S. Bach International Violin Competition in Leipzig, Germany. Pine's 2019-20 season includes a two-week residency with the Singapore Symphony, as well as performances with the Royal Scottish National and Seattle Baroque Orchestras, the Madison Symphony, and the Tel Aviv Soloists. In recital, she will appear as part of Lincoln Center's Great Performers series. Certainly, her participation in the DuPage Symphony Orchestra's concert is highly anticipated.

The energetic and exotic music of Aram Khachaturian fascinates musicians from all over the world, and Pine is happy to perform a violin solo from his exhilarating Violin Concerto in D minor. This virtuoso showpiece incorporates musical elements from folk songs and dances of the composer's native Armenia, perfectly capturing the exotic Oriental flavor of traditional folk melodies and the rich diversity of customary dance rhythms. When you hear the sounds of Khachaturian's Violin Concerto in D Minor, your imagination will draw images of the beautiful Caucasus Mountains where warm and picturesque Armenia is located. Its poetic nature with beautiful waterfalls, green mountains, and amazing lakes is vividly demonstrated in Khachaturian's music. As a patriot of his Motherland, the composer was able to present the thoughtful beauty of Armenia through the means of music, particularly through the touching sounds of his Violin Concerto.

Born in Tiflis in the Russian Empire in 1903 to a poor Armenian family, he was fascinated by the folk music he heard around him. Interestingly, he had no formal music training until he was 18, when he studied cello at the Gnesin Institute. When writing his Violin Concerto in 1940, Khachaturian said he "worked without effort... Themes came to me in such abundance that I had a hard time putting them in order."

The Waltz from Khachaturian's Masquerade Suite will conclude this beautiful triumph of music written by Russian and Soviet composers. Written in 1941 as incidental music for a production of the play Masquerade at the Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow, this piece turned out to be the last production staged by the theatre before Germany invaded the USSR, and the production run was cut short. This beautiful masterwork is well-known by every Russian-speaking person who was born in the Soviet Union or whose parents came from the USSR. The Waltz from Khachaturian's Masquerade Suite is frequently performed in concerts, on radio and on television in Russia, and it might sound familiar to many American classical music lovers. The brilliant sounds of this composition, its poetic beauty and fascinating elegance will make it a great conclusion of the evening.

Single tickets for this concert can be purchased through the North Central College box office at Wentz Concert Hall. You can also purchase tickets online at northcentral.vbotickets.com/events or by calling (630) 637-SHOW.

A pre-concert lecture will take place at 6:30 p.m. in Wentz Concert Hall room 138. Admission to pre-concert lectures is always free.