Minnesota State University, Mankato’s University Orchestra will perform “unfairly neglected masterworks” in its first concert of the year Tuesday, Oct. 19, in Halling Recital Hall of the Performing Arts Center.
Orchestra and strings professor Joseph Rodgers will both conduct the ensemble and will perform the work of a little-known composer as cello soloist. The 7:30 p.m. concert is open to students, faculty, staff and the public.
Rodgers relied on his 20 years of orchestral conducting experience to arrange obscure and challenging works for the student musicians and for himself.
The two “unfairly neglected masterworks” include “The Symphony” by George Whitefield Chadwick and “Cello Concerto” by Joseph Joachim Raff. “These composers were writing really great music in their time and were well thought of, but they were passed over by historians because they weren’t avant garde,” Rodgers said.
“There are lots of reasons works were forgotten. Great works fell out of favor. Raff fell out of favor because of politics. Early great 20th-century composers included Brahms, Liszt and Raff. But Raff was appeasing both sides of the musical spectrum, and he got lost in the trough of history.”
“I think the audience will like this music,” he added. “I don’t think any orchestra in the U.S. has played these works since World War II, in the case of the Raff.”
On a difficulty scale of one to ten, Rodgers ranks the Raff concerto at nine. “The cello is a challenging instrument, and this is a challenging piece,” he said.
Energetic on and off stage, Rodgers isn’t daunted by the double performance. He plays traditional cello repertoire, including the Shostakovich cello concerto, among the most difficult cello literature.
The orchestra, too, is energized for the concert, including senior clarinetist Amelia Schaller. “I’m really appreciating the honor of working with Dr. Rodgers,” Schaller said. “I’m excited to hear Dr. Rodgers and to be in the orchestra accompanying him.”
Elizabeth Murphy, a music performance major and transfer student from Nashville, Tenn., also is enjoying the orchestra. “It’s a good, relaxed feel, and has a lot of musical excitement,” Murphy says.
Concert admission is $9; $7 for students with a valid MavCard. Discount tickets are available online for Minnesota State Mankato students, and advanced purchase is strongly encouraged. Tickets are available online at www.mnsu.edu/music/. Those who want more information may call the Performance Series office at (507)-389-5549.
Those with disabilities who need reasonable accommodations may contact the Office of Disability Services (http://www.mnsu.edu/dso/) at (507) 389-2825 (V/TTD), (800) 627-3529 or 711 (MRS/TTD).
Minnesota State Mankato, a comprehensive, doctoral university with 15,393 students, is part of the Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system.
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