A former BPO Music Director is honored for his 80th birthdayBy Bill Raffel, WBFO
Buffalo, NY – Celebrating the 80th birthday of a musical legend. Good morning. I'm Bill Raffel with Music Notes.
Lukas Foss was the Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic between 1963 and 1971 and championed new music throughout his tenure. Foss is also a gifted composer and pianist, and he returns to Buffalo this week for a nine day festival given in his honor by the Buffalo Philharmonic, the BPO Chorus, the Buffalo Chamber Music Society, and the Slee Sinfionietta.
This weekend's performances center around the Buffalo Philharmonic. On Sunday (4/6) at 2:30?p.m., BPO Chorus Director Dale Adelmann leads his singers and the musicians in the second performance ever of a piece dating from 1988, With Music Strong, commissioned by the Milwaukee Symphony and music set to texts of Walt Whitman. Foss says its difficulty is probably why more orchestras haven't performed it. It will be paired with the Sea Symphony of Ralph Vaughan Williams.
The festival actually begins on Friday (4/4) with Joann Falletta on the podium leading the orchestra in two Foss concertos, with the dedicatees as soloists. Classical Guitarist Sharon Isbin will be featured in Foss's American Landscapes, while Western New York Native Carol Wincenc returns for the Renaissance Flute Concerto.
Joann Falletta will close the concert with Stravinsky's Suite from the Firebird. See the Buffalo Philharmonic perform works of Lukas Foss plus two of his favorite composers Friday (4/4) at 7:30?p.m. and Saturday (4/5) at 8?p.m. in Kleinhans, before the choral concert Sunday (4/6) at 2:30?p.m. The Foss festival continues into next week, and we'll have more from Lukas Foss next Monday morning.
The Western New York Chamber Orchestra will also perform a work of Stravinsky's, The Octet for Winds, Saturday (4/5) at 8?p.m. in Fredonia State's King Concert Hall. An Oboe Concerto by Vaughan-Williams and Britten's Seranade round out the program. The Amherst Symphony under the baton of Steven Thomas performs Dvorak's Eighth Symphony and welcomes BPO Cellist Roman Mekinulov as soloist Sunday (4/6) at 7?p.m. in the Amherst Middle School. Joann Falletta gives a pre-concert talk at 6:15.
The American Legion Band of the Tonawandas gives its spring pops concert Sunday (4/6) at 7:30?p.m. in North Tonawanda's Riviera Theatre.
And the Amherst Bel Canto Choir gives a free half-hour recital Friday (4/4) at 12:30?p.m. in Saint Paul's Cathedral downtown.