FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ulises Serrano (405) 232-7575
December 22nd, 2021
OKCPHIL Presents: Rachmaninoff Festival!
January 8th, 2022, 8 PM, at the Civic Center Music Hall
Join Music Director Alexander Mickelthwate and the musicians of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic on a Rachmaninoff Festival! Thrilling piano virtuoso, Natasha Paremski, returns to Oklahoma City to perform the Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-sharp minor, Op. 1 with the OKCPHIL.
Natasha is a regular return guest of many major orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, NAC Orchestra in Ottawa, and Nashville Symphony.
Some of Paremski’s praise include:
“The confiding quality of Paremski’s rendition channeled the intensity of a young man’s love, or perhaps of a composer in love with the idea of being in love. She played the opening movement with poetic delicacy, producing a rounded tone.” – Los Angeles Times
“Hers was a deeply personal Rachmaninoff Third, by turns pensive and tempestuous, warmly songful and brazenly fast.” – Chicago Tribune
The second half of the program features a hauntingly beautiful journey from darkness to triumph, the Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27. This symphonic work helped re-establish Rachmaninoff’s self-confidence as a symphonist and remains, to this day, one of his most beloved orchestral works. His rich orchestration and creative melodies cement its status among the top Russian symphonies of the late Romantic era.
“We look forward to bringing back the highly-acclaimed pianist, Natasha Paremski, onto our stage” says OKCPHIL Executive Director Agnieszka Rakhmatullaev. “The Philharmonic continues to present our one-composer programs with an evening of Rachmaninoff – a perfect musical beginning to 2022!”
The OKCPHIL would like to thank the Inasmuch Foundation for their continued leadership support as the Presenting Series Sponsor for our Classics and Phil G. and Cathy Busey DRG for their support as the Maestro’s Podium Underwriter.
Thank you to Ad Astra Foundation & Mekusukey Oil Company, LLC for sponsoring this concert. In addition, this concert is being dedicated as The Joel Levine Family Classics Concert in Memory of Seymour & Anne Levine, as well as In Memory of Paul Silverstein. Through these sponsors’ generosity, the OKCPHIL continues to provide inspiration and joy to our community through orchestral music.
The Oklahoma City Philharmonic has gained recognition as one of the nation’s premier regional orchestras. Tracing its roots to 1924, the Oklahoma City Philharmonic was formed in 1988 under the musical direction of Founder and Music Director Emeritus Joel Levine and began a new era with the passing of the baton to Maestro Alexander Mickelthwate in 2018. The Orchestra remains steadfast in its mission “to provide inspiration and joy for the community through orchestral music.” The Oklahoma City Philharmonic strives to enrich lives, expand cultural development, educate future generations, and provide audiences with diverse and inspirational performance experiences through its consistent commitment to excellence. Committed to expanding its reach well beyond the concert hall, the Oklahoma City Philharmonic enjoys a close collaborative relationship with Oklahoma’s schools, colleges, universities, and the city’s other premier arts organizations, including Oklahoma City Ballet and Canterbury Voices. Through high-caliber performances and a variety of education and community engagement programs, the OKCPHIL serves over 135,000 individuals throughout the state of Oklahoma.
For more information or to purchase tickets, call 405-“TICKETS” (842-5387), or visit www.okcphil.org
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