Memorial set for symphony

The Carolina Performing Arts Series continues today with a performance by the North Carolina Symphony at Memorial Hall.

Featuring renditions of Purcell's "Suite from The Fairie Queen," Elgar's "Cello Concerto in E minor" and Copland's "Symphony No. 3," the performance marks the second appearance of the orchestra in the hall since it opened this month.

The 65-member professional orchestra also appeared with Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman at the hall Sept. 10.

Music Director Grant Llewellyn said the orchestra's program, which combines composers from two continents, should appeal to a wide audience.

"This particular program, I think, even for the first-time college student has to be fantastically entertaining," he said.

As for the performance from featured cellist Zuill Bailey - who has performed concerts, recitals and chamber music in venues across the United States and around the world - Llewellyn said: "It's going to be an absolute feast."

David Chambless Worters, president and chief executive officer of the North Carolina Symphony, said Memorial Hall and the University campus hold a special place with the orchestra.

The North Carolina Symphony was formed in the Triangle in 1932 and played many of its first performances at Hill Hall. Five more performances are scheduled this year for Memorial Hall.

"Chapel Hill always had and will continue to have a special place with the North Carolina Symphony," Worters said. "We are overjoyed by the transformation that has taken place there."

The quality of a performance space, he said, impacts the quality of the orchestra's performance.

"When I heard the orchestra perform for the first time in that place I was blown away," he said. "Our concerts by definition can only be as good as the venues we play in."

Llewellyn, who said he has been anxiously awaiting the reopening of Memorial Hall, said it will be exciting to conduct an orchestra in the new setting.

"The first few minutes of a performance, you are adjusting as you go," he said, noting that even after rehearsals a space can take on a different sound once it is full of people. "You need to be relaxed enough, yet you need to concentrate."

Worters said the first major performance by the orchestra at Memorial Hall will work to connect the group with the community.

"In the case of Chapel Hill, that means students, it means faculty and staff, and it means the broader population - " he said.

"We are very much looking forward to collaborating with the University."

 

Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.