Albany Symphony presents 'Scottish Outing' in season finale

Apr. 7—ALBANY — Violin soloist Ariel Horowitz will perform Max Bruch's well-known "Scottish Fantasy" and local bagpipe aficionado Dan Gillen will add his talent to Peter Maxwell Davies' "Orkney Wedding with Sunrise" during the Albany Symphony Orchestra's final musical travel adventure of the 2022-23 season at the Albany Municipal Auditorium April 15.

Musical Director/Maestro Claire Fox Hillard will lead the orchestra in "A Scottish Outing," which puts the cap on what has been an intriguing season, Hillard said.

"Looking back on the performances from this season, I'm most pleased with how we showcased diversity and inclusion," Hillard said. "For years, one of our concerns has been people's preconceived notions about the symphony. However, we are constantly breaking barriers.

"I had someone who came for her first symphony performance tell me, 'I came because I was invited, and I had no idea of the diversity in the musical selections. I'm coming back.' And the great things is, she did."

The 6:30 p.m. Saturday-night "Scottish Outing" performance will include a piece, Hillard said, that is about the Loch Ness Monster (in keeping with the Scottish theme) and another that will feature Dan Gillen's bagpipes.

"This should be a great performance for the end of the season," the musical director said. "We wanted to be careful and not focus too much on next season's 60th anniversary season — although we've been working on it since January — because we wanted this to be a special season as well."

Symphony General Manager LeeAnna Anglin said the public has responded well this year to the pre-concert "Grace Notes" program, planned again Saturday morning from 10-11:15.

"We had to stop that feature with COVID, but now a lot of groups — nursing homes, assisted living communities, people who might feel intimidated with the more formal setting of a performance — are coming in to enjoy the more laid-back pre-performance rehearsal. It's open to the public, and any who come may pay whatever they feel they can."

Hillard said southwest Georgians have responded favorably to the symphony's musical travels over its last several performances, which have featured artists' works from various countries.

"Our season finale transports us to the wonderful world of Scottish folk music and bagpipes through the music of Scottish composers Peter Maxwell Davies and Thea Musgrave as well as the famous 'Scottish Fantasy' for violin and orchestra by Max Bruch," he said.

The first half of the the concert will feature the orchestra in three colorful pieces related to Scotland. The performance will open with Hector Berlioz's "Rob Roy Overture," based on the adventures of Rob Roy MacGregor, head of a proud 18th-century Highlands clan, and written by Sir Walter Scott. Thea Musgrave's "Loch Ness — A Postcard from Scotland" is a musical tale portraying the infamous Loch Ness Monster (represented musically by the tuba) emerging from the sea to bask in the sun and play, only to return to the ocean's depths as the sun sets.

In Davies' "Orkney Wedding with Sunrise," a wedding party is heard becoming more and more excited as the guests enjoy their dancing, celebrating and Scotch whisky. As the guests begin to tire from all the excessive revelry, they eventually begin to make their way home in the wee morning hours. As the sun rises, a lone bagpiper ushers in the new day with the distant sounds of a folk melody, which gradually reaches full volume with the full orchestra.

Following intermission, guest soloist Horowitz will perform "Scottish Fantasy" for violin and orchestra. The composition consists of a slow introduction followed by four individual movements, each based on a Scottish folk tune. Hillard said the piece is "a brilliant showcase for the solo violin with a rich orchestral accompaniment that features a very prominent harp part."

Hailed by The Washington Post as "sweetly lyrical," Horowitz enjoys an active concert schedule playing staples alongside works by lesser-known composers from backgrounds historically underrepresented in classical music. She has performed as a soloist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Kammerphilharmonie Hamburg, and the Santa Fe ProMusica Orchestra and, in recent seasons, she premiered two of her original pieces for violin and voice at Carnegie Hall's Weill Hall and the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater.

Tickets for the concert are $25 for adults, $22 for seniors (60-plus), $15 for students/military and free for children 6-under. For more information and to purchase tickets, call the Albany Symphony offices at (229) 430-8933 or visit www.albanysymphony.org.