Pop Meets the Classics – Jun 15, 2013
Sponsored by Heritage Bank • 7pm: Concert Talk • 7:30pm: Performance
Great music inspires – and inspired musicians can masterfully transform the familiar into something new and innovative. Many of the world’s celebrated composers borrowed, reinterpreted and rearranged music written by their peers and predecessors. Stravinsky borrowed from Tchaikovsky, who rearranged Mozart, who stole from Beethoven, who breathed new life into old folk songs.
Modern genres, including pop, jazz, Broadway and rock, all contain countless works inspired by classical melodies. MCE’s “Pop Meets the Classics” concert celebrates popular contemporary hits with classical connections. Performances include everything from Neil Diamond’s ‘70s pop hit “Song Sung Blue” (based on Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, Second Movement), to the Walt Disney classic “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” (based upon a waltz in Tchaikovsky’s ballet Sleeping Beauty) to “Strangers in Paradise“ (based on Borodin’s Polovetsian Dances) from the Broadway musical, Kismet.
While elements of the music may sound familiar, each piece builds on the work that inspired it, adding unique twists that transform the familiar into something new and transport the listener to an entirely different place. This concert illuminates the inspiration behind the music, bringing it a new sense of depth and context.
Joining Masterworks as our featured youth soloist is vocalist, Elli Ehinger. As the elementary school level winner of Masterworks’ community-wide Youth Music Competition, Elli won an invitation to appear in a Masterworks season concert.
Prior to the concert, audience members are invited to attend a pre-show “Concert Talk” where they can gain insights about the music that will make the concert experience more meaningful.
Tonight’s Concert is sponsored by Heritage Bank. Our Community Spotlight is on C.I.E.L.O project http://cieloproject.org
Tickets & Information: TIckets are $22.50 for adults, $16 for Senior/Student/Military and $11 for Youth. Tickets are available through the Washington Center Box Office and website: (360)753-8586 or www.washingtoncenter.org. For information about Masterworks, including concerts, season subscriptions and special programs, visit www.mce.org.
