February 26, 2007

Meira Warshauer Symphony No. 1 World Premiere

World Premiere Performance of Meira Warshauer Symphony No. 1 Living, Breathing Earth by Western Piedmont Symphony of North Carolina was a great success. The two other orchestras who helped commission the work will have first performances in March and April.
The Symphony was commissioned by the Western Piedmont Symphony, the South Carolina Philharmonic (their Premiere performance will be on March 24 - http://scphilharmonic.com/) and the Dayton Philharmonic (their Premiere performances will be given on April 26 and 28 - http://www.daytonphilharmonic.com/).

You can find much more about Meira Warshauer at http://home.sc.rr.com/meirawarshauer/.
The greatly successful World Premiere performance of Meira Warshauer’s Symphony No. 1 – “Living, Breathing Earth” was given by the Western Piedmont Symphony, John Gordon Ross, Conductor, on Saturday, February 3, 2007 as part of their Masterworks III concert at the First Baptist Church in Hickory, North Carolina.

Classical Voice North Carolina’s review of the premiere performance included this paragraph, “In the first movement, nature could not provide better sound effects of the cicadas, the orchestra buzzing and chirping throughout. The second movement recalls a nighttime canoe ride in the Peruvian rainforest, with the sparkling reflections of stars and fireflies in the dark, still water. This section is so gorgeous and emotional that it could bring tears to one's eyes. The third depicts the playful dance of the butterflies and sunlight at the river's edge. The fourth movement takes us into space, where we look onto the living, breathing, pulsating earth and its many changing colors.” The review also praised the Western Piedmont Symphony’s performance and concluded with, “"Living, Breathing Earth" deserves to be heard many, many more times, not only for its message that life on earth is in danger, and that we must be good stewards of the environment, but because it is such beautiful music.” Read the complete review at http://cvnc.org/reviews/2007/022007/WPiedmontS.html

Her latest Bracha Newsletter, containing full program notes for Symphony No. 1, is online at http://www.jamesarts.com/releases/jan07/MW_nws_010907.htm You can also read Carson Cooman’s marvelous Three Questions Before the First Night interview in England’s Music & Vision daily at http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2007/01/meira-warshauer.htm.

Posted by jmwc at February 26, 2007 07:51 PM