Enjoy a broadcast performance of Gankino Horo, performed for the Festival’s 2020 Summer Season by Time For Three and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, Kevin Puts. The Bulgarian folk tune was the inspiration for the fourth movement of Contact, a concerto for Time For Three with orchestra, which the Festival co-commissioned from Puts.
It’s hard to imagine a piece of classical music causing a riot, but that’s the word often applied to the audience’s reaction when Igor Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring debuted in 1913 in Paris. Apparently, the arguments between those who loved it and those who hated it became so heated the dancers couldn’t hear the orchestra! Stravinsky’s music (and Nijinsky’s choreography) broke with tradition so dramatically that the piece is often called the first example of modernism in music. In this installation of Upbeat with Alasdair, Maestro Alasdair Neale will describe not just the innovation, but the beauty of Rite of Spring, which the Festival will present during the upcoming Summer Season.
Get the inside scoop on the Festival’s Winter Season, direct from the musicians! Music Director Alasdair Neale will host his popular Upbeat with Alasdair speaking series on March 14 with a special presentation to kick off the winter concerts, which take place later in the week. For the talk, Maestro Neale will be joined by four Festival Orchestra principal brass musicians who will share the unique characteristics of their instruments and how they will be showcased during the winter performances.
The Sun Valley Music Festival presents its fifth Winter Season, featuring Mussorgsky’s beloved Pictures at an Exhibition, one of the most popular works in all classical music. It’s a piece you’ll enjoy whether you’re hearing it for the first time or the fiftieth. For these concerts, a sparkling arrangement for brass and percussion captures the power and emotion of the original. Music Director Alasdair Neale will conduct the performances, which will also feature a series of short works showcasing the beauty and range of each instrument in the brass and percussion sections. Note: repertoire will be the same for each Winter Season performance.