CSO begins season with intense, dynamic 'Mahler's Titan'

Oct. 20—If William Intriligator had to pick between naming Ludwig van Beethoven or Gustav Mahler as his all-time favorite composer, he'd have to go with Beethoven.

But it's not often that the conductor and musical director of the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra gets to tackle a piece by Mahler, and that makes the symphony's season-opening performance all the more special.

CSO's "Mahler's Titan" will feature just two works — Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2 and Mahler's Symphony No. 1 (Titan) — but both are dynamic masterpieces of intense, youthful composition.

"Anytime you perform Mahler, especially because the music is incredibly intense, he always scores for a very large orchestra. There's something about the sheer sound of it," Intriligator said on Thursday. "Because with so many players on stage, he can be really loud and exciting. But he also calls for the extremes of dynamic, because it sometimes asks for things to be extremely quiet."

The titular piece runs for roughly an hour and requires 98 musicians to execute. It's one of the orchestra's largest performances in recent years, and Intriligator admitted they're having a hard time fitting everyone on the Cheyenne Civic Center stage.

"I like to say this concert is going to be the big bang," Intriligator said, laughing. This season's theme is "The Universe Awaits," with each concert playing off of a different aspect of space.

Though the monstrous "Titan" will close out the show, "Piano Concerto No. 2" is its foil to begin the concert. Each piece was written when Beethoven and Mahler were in their 20s, and both explore themes of heroism and strength.

"It's kind of neat that they're both youthful pieces, but in both cases, they have the definite stamp of sounding exactly like Mahler, sounding exactly like Beethoven. It doesn't sound like it was an early piece where (Beethoven) hadn't found his voice yet," Intriligator said.

The CSO will be joined on the Beethoven piece by pianist Adam Zukiewicz, who currently serves as professor of piano at the University of Northern Colorado.

Zukiewicz is something of a Beethoven scholar, having founded the Beethoven Festival of the Rockies. He and Intriligator have been in contact for the last several years, but this will be the first time they've had the opportunity to work together.

"We worked together (Wednesday) night with the orchestra, and we met one-on-one about the piece beforehand," Intriligator said. "He's a really fine musician. He's got great, great ideas, and I'm very, very happy with him as the soloist."

Both Intriligator and Zukiewicz will also be present for "Lunch and Learn" today from noon-1 p.m. Laramie County Library, where the musicians will discuss the concert and their backgrounds. If you miss it, you can catch the video on CSO's website.

Will Carpenter is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's Arts and Entertainment/Features Reporter. He can be reached by email at wcarpenter@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3135. Follow him on Twitter @will_carp_.