Bohemians and Their Rhapsodies
Set your Bohemian heart ablaze...

Lubbock—The Lubbock Symphony Orchestra concludes its season with the Grand Finale Concert, Bohemians and Their Rhapsodies, on Friday and Saturday, May 2 & 3 at 8 p.m. in the Civic Center Theatre.  For tickets, please call 806.762.1688, come by the LSO office at 601 Avenue K or visit our website at www.lubbocksymphony.org.  This concert is sponsored by American Bank of Commerce. The Lubbock Symphony Orchestra’s Global Journeys season comes to a passionate end as we travel to our final destination--Bohemia. Now part of the Czech Republic, the proud Bohemians have a long legacy of tuneful music and electrifying dance, which is often combined to create pieces with a totally unique sound. On this journey, you’ll hear works of two of the greatest Bohemian masters, Antonín Dvořák and Gustav Mahler.

Dvorak’s Concerto for Violin in a minor, featuring violinist Yuval Yaron, takes us on a rhapsodic voyage through the many expressive possibilities of the violin, from the melodic and rhetorical first movement, to the melancholic second movement and the sizzling pyrotechnic displays of the final furiant, a fiery folk dance. Join us for an unforgettable performance of Mahler’s monumental Symphony No. 1, which he named the “Titan.” Mahler said of his first two symphonies, “My whole life is contained in them; I have set down in them all my experience.” Few composers capture the virtuosity and grandeur of the symphony orchestra like Mahler, as displayed in his First Symphony. Bohemians and Their Rhapsodies will wrap up the exciting 2007-2008 Global Journeys season and will leave you ready to embark on your next big adventure with the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra.

Come early to SoundBites and enjoy a fabulous Bohemian dinner brought to you by Ambrosia Catering. Tickets are $20 per person and reservations must be made by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, 2008. Call the Lubbock Symphony Office to reserve your spot today at 806.762.1688.

Yuval Yaron joined the music faculty at UCSB in 2001 after over two decades at the Indiana University School of Music. From his first prize-winning performances at the 1975 Sibelius Competition in Helsinki, he has thrilled audiences on three continents in recital, recording and as soloist with major orchestras. Professor Yaron has performed as guest soloist with distinguished symphony and radio orchestras such as Tokyo, Israel, Munich, Berlin, Mexico City, Frankfurt, Stockholm, Helsinki, Detroit, Cleveland, Baltimore, St. Louis, Montreal and Indianapolis. He has collaborated with conductors Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel, Klaus Tennstedt and James De Priest, among others. His recording on Accord of the Six Sonatas and Partitas of Bach on two CD’s received international praise. The Six Solo Sonatas of Eugene Ysaye, followed by the “10 Jewish Melodies” were also recorded on the same label. Reviews of his recent CD of Baroque Sonatas, including Tartini's famous “Devil’s Trill,” remark that:

“Yaron’s superlative command of every aspect of violin technique is obvious in his virtuosic approach to the works on the disc. Unabashed in his adherence to the grand school of violin playing advanced by his pedagogues, Josef Gingold and Jascha Heifetz, Yaron’s renditions are as sonorous as they are virtuosic.”      (The Strad, London, May 1999)

Yuval Yaron has been heard in recital in his native Tel-Aviv, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Toronto, Basel, Hannover, Helsinki and Reykjavik to great critical acclaim. In addition to the standard recital repertoire, he has performed extraordinary one-evening solo concerts of the complete solo Sonatas and Partitas of Bach. 

Tomasz Golka, conductor, has appeared in performances of over 100 major works with such orchestras as the Seattle, Fort Worth, Louisville, Spoleto USA, Charleston, Lansing, and Florida West Coast symphony orchestras. He has also appeared with Buffalo Philharmonic, where he replaced the ailing scheduled conductor on just a few hours notice and led the orchestra in an enthusiastically received performance. Golka is currently in his first year as Music Director of the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra. He holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in violin from Rice University, where he was a violin student of Kenneth Goldsmith and Sergiu Luca. He was a conducting fellow at the Aspen Music Festival in 2002 and has conducted in Master Classes for such distinguished conductors as Yuri Temirkanov and David Zinman.

Ticket prices for Bohemians and Their Rhapsodies are Adults--$45, $35 and $20 and Students--$12, $28, and $33. For more information about upcoming concerts, our new conductor or to purchase tickets, please call (806) 762-1688, visit our website at www.lubbocksymphony.org or stop by our office at 601 Avenue K in Lubbock.