West Texas Symphony to begin new season with tribute to Rachmaninoff

Michael Bauer, Odessa American, Texas

Updated Thu, September 7, 2023 at 3:46 PM UTC

5 min read

Sep. 6—The West Texas Symphony will kick off its 61st season this weekend with a special tribute to Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff.

The concert, which celebrates 150 years since Rachmaninoff's birth, will take place at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center.

Rachmaninoff, who lived from 1873-1943, was a composer, virtuoso pianist and conductor. He was considered one of the best pianists of his day, and as a composer, came at the end of the last great representatives of the Romanticism era in Russian classical music.

The symphony will be performing Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances.

"We're excited," West Texas Symphony Executive Director Ethan Wills said. "Rachmaninoff is, in the scheme of what you would call a classical composer — he's actually from the romantic era but he gets lumped into the classic category. That music has become more accessible than it has in the past because of how public domain and copyright laws work. He's been played more and more by symphonies."

It's not the first time in 2023 that the West Texas Symphony has featured Rachmaninoff.

In April, the symphony had another concert which featured his famous Piano Concerto.

"This year is his 150th birthday so it's always been the plan that we were going to do both of these pieces — we did his piano concerto in April — and then do this one in the new season so that we're not overloading a season with two Rachmaninoff pieces," Wills said. "Anyone who came to our April performance knows that music was very enjoyable and very digestible. It was almost movie music. ... It's an exciting way to kick off our season with a piece that's beautiful to listen to."

Saturday's performance will also feature Christopher Theofanidis' Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orchestra and Bedrich Smetana's Dance of the Comedians.

Theofanidis is an American composer whose works have been performed by leading orchestras from around the world and will be working with the symphony.

"One of the cool things about this weekend is the guest artist, the composer of the piece that the guest artist is playing is still alive," Wills said of Theofanidis. "Most of the time, we're playing people that have passed away from 200 years ago. But he's still living and writing. He's coming to work with the ensemble so you're going to hear a piece the way the composer actually wanted it performed. That's pretty exciting."

The performance will also feature special guest Richard O'Neil on viola.

The 2023-24 season will continue with a Pops and Family Series featuring Cirque Musica Symphonic at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 14 at the Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center.

The Masterworks Series will return with An American Salute Nov. 11.

"The cirque show is probably the biggest show we have coming in as far as the logistics behind the scenes and the performers," Wills said. "We just expect a huge audience for that show. It's visually stimulating, so it's going to be super exciting. The following concert is our Masterworks II and that's our Veteran's Day program. We have a lot planned for that performance that we're really passionate about. We're honored to do something for our veterans that day through music. That's the first half; then we have another collaboration with an artist in March that's a new symphony product. It's premiering with us. You're not going to see it anywhere else for a while."

Other performances will includes Sounds of the Season on Dec. 2; WTS Spotlight on Feb. 3; Wally Minko on March 2; Brahms on April 13, before the season concludes with Fantasy on May 4.

"That Fantasy show is built for all ages," Wills said. "The Fantasy show is another chance for us in the spring to engage the younger audience members, so families can bring their kids out and experience the symphony in a way that is digestible for them."

For tickets or more information, go to tinyurl.com/3den4fwm.

2023-24 West Texas Symphony season

>> If you go:

>> What: Rachmaninoff

>> When: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 9