Bremerton Symphony Association presents two concerts this weekend in Kitsap

The Bremerton Symphony Association presents two concerts this weekend.

"Moving Between Light and Darkness" is on Friday. A fitting concert title for any choral performance in the world, as singers have had to negotiate the reality of COVID. At shutdown two years ago there was darkness. In 2020 the benign act of singing killed good people in a good choir in a good town in the good state of Washington. It was a tremendous blow to those of us whose lives involve singing. There were many months of darkness until a flicker of light; medical miracles. Summer 2021 looked so very hopeful, until it wasn’t; the Delta variant plunged singers back into the dark and Omicron followed. As the new year progressed, light blossomed; the possibility of a safe, in-person rehearsal period became reality.

The Bremerton Symphony Chorale, after a two-year hiatus, met in-person on February 22, 2022, vaccinated, masked, distanced, and thrilled to hear another human voice singing nearby.

We will begin Friday’s concert with Eric Whitacre’s "Five Hebrew Love Songs." Each poem captures a moment that the composer and poet shared together. Sung in Hebrew, it tells a story of light and darkness, wonder and fulfillment. Gabriel Fauré’s "Requiem" follows; it is one of choral music’s most beloved works. First performed in 1888 but not fully completed until 1900, it prayerfully calls for the eternal rest of those who have died and entreats angels to lead the souls of the dead into the light of paradise. "Glow," by Eric Whitacre, completes the evening’s narrative with a message of hope, joy, and light.

Then on Sunday, we celebrate our rising stars.

There have been three absolute greatest child prodigy composers in history. We all know about Mozart, the 20th Century gave us Korngold, the composer of "Robin Hood," and the 19th Century gave us Felix Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn was the luckiest in that he was born into a wealthy family that adored music. At the age of 12, his parents hired a chamber orchestra for young Felix to conduct and try out his early symphonies. Later he founded the famous Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. His final concerto was recognized as a masterpiece from the first day it was performed. We will hear the first movement of Felix Mendelssohn’s "Violin Concerto in E minor," performed by last year’s winner Anya Letson.

Rachmaninoff premiered his 1st symphony in 1897. It was a disaster. Everybody hated it. Rachmaninoff went into a severe depression. For nearly two years he could not work. He was about to give up music altogether. Finally, he was sent to a psychiatrist, who we assume was a strict Freudian and believed in therapy by hypnosis. Every week, Sergei sat reclining in his doctor's office. His doctor intoned over and over again: "You will write a concerto ... You will compose a great piano concerto … it will be excellent .. it will be successful." Unlike the vast majority of patients, Rachmaninoff actually listened to his doctor and in a few months, produced his great "C Minor Piano Concerto." It was great. It was successful. It was original and it launched his career. He quickly went on to compose reems of great piano music. Runner-up Noah Miller will present Sergei Rachmaninoff’s "Elegie Op. 3, No. 1."

The 19th Century saw the rise of travelling virtuosi and great rivalry between them. Nicolo Paganini wrote a beastly difficult violin solo as the finale of his 2nd Violin concerto, which is called "La campanella." Pianist Franz Liszt came along and essentially said, “anything you can do. I can do better,” and proceeded to compose these beastly difficult variations for piano using Paganini’s theme. 21st Century virtuoso and Senior Winner Damaris Harvey will tackle the "La campanella."

The ultimate romantic pianist was certainly Frédéric Chopin. We will enjoy his somber, soulful and exquisite "Etude Op. 25, No.7 in C-sharp minor," played by Junior Winner Alec Rodriguez.

Our second Senior Winner, violinist Elizabeth Stein, will bring us one of the most beautiful and beloved pieces in all the romantic literature, the Max Bruch "Violin Concerto in G Minor."

Moving Between Light and Darkness and Five Hebrew Love Songs

Friday, June 3, 7:30 p.m.

Bremerton Symphony Chorale, with members of the Bremerton WestSound Symphony

St. Gabriel Catholic Church, 1150 Mitchell Ave., Port Orchard

Rising Stars

Sunday, June 5, 2022 3 p.m.

Winners and Runners-up of the 2022 Young Artists Competition

North Point Church, 1779 NE Hostmark St., Poulsbo

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Bremerton Symphony Association presents two concerts this weekend