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NEWS RELEASE
Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu
)
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
2/13/2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES-Works with a youthful flair will be on the program when the Natchitoches Northwestern Symphony Orchestra performs Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. Charles Demuynck is the conductor.
The concert will Ana Palanciuc of Moldavia, the winner of the NSU Concerto Competition. Palanciuc will be featured on Prokofiev's "Piano Concerto No. 1."
"Ana is an extremely talented musician and we are pleased to be working with her," said Demuynck. "The concerto by Prokofiev is a youthful work that is extremely lively and fresh. The orchestra is responding well to it and to working with Ana."
The orchestra will also perform Schubert's "Symphony No. 3" and "Nabucco" by Verdi.
Demuynck said each work was written when the composers were young. The works by Prokofiev and Schubert were composed when they were around 20. Verdi's work was composed before he was 30.
Schubert lived in Vienna at the same time as Beethoven, but followed the styles of Haydn and Mozart. "Symphony No. 3" was composed in the same year Schubert composed another symphony, four large dramatic works, a piano sonata, some short piano pieces and nearly 150 songs.
According to Demuynck, the work by Verdi was significant in his native Italy.
"It was based on the story of King Nebuchadnezzar," said Demuynck. "At the time it was written, Italy did not exist as we now know it. Part of northern Italy was under the rule of Austria. The Italian people identified with the Jews of biblical time who were seeking their freedom. 'Nabucco' led Verdi to being identified with Italian liberation and he found himself drawn into the political world.
"The work is extremely tuneful and crowd pleasing with charming melodies and woodwind solos."
Tickets are $10. Admission is free for subscription members of the Natchitoches Northwestern Symphony Society and NSU students.