Let’s indulge!

Let’s Indulge! With Internationally Acclaimed Pianist Stanislava Varshavski

MANITOWOC, WI, April 1, 2024 – Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra (MSO) presents a concert of some of the greatest music of all time featuring the compositions of Beethoven, Brahms and Rachmaninoff on Saturday, April 13 at 7:30pm on the stage of the Capitol Civic Centre. You are invited to indulge and spoil your ears with the moving and beautiful melodies of this performance under the direction of Maestro Dylan Chmura-Moore.

The MSO will be joined by internationally acclaimed pianist Stanislava Varshavski. Varshavski, born in Kharkov, Ukraine, was a young piano prodigy who had her orchestral debut at the age of eight. She will perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 2 found instant successand is his most performed work. It’s been in the vernacular since the ‘30s when it began to inform pop ballads and supply soundtracks for movies, including the late singer-songwriter Eric Carmen’s 1975 smash hit, “All By Myself”.

Varshavski remarked, “Sergey Rachmaninoff is one of my favorite composers. He was not only a great composer but also an incredible pianist with extraordinary abilities. Concerto No. 2 is a beautiful and challenging composition.” She further commented, “This is a privilege to play with Maestro Chmura-Moore and Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra! All orchestra players are very talented and highly skilled musicians. Maestro Chmura-Moore raises the bar of every performance of MSO. I look forward to performing with Maestro Chmura-Moore and Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra on April 13!”

The program also includes Beethoven’s Egmont Overture. In 1809 Beethoven was commissioned to compose incidental music to accompany the play Egmont, written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832). The music of Beethoven –  a gray-haired, wild-eyed, crazed eccentric who had a particular genius for music – became the embodiment of perseverance, freedom, and a representation of heroism.

Brahms Symphony No. 3 was composed in a span of just four short months while he was on summer holiday overlooking the Rhein in Wiesbaden (near Frankfurt). Clara Schumann (1819-1896), Brahms’ best friend and spouse of his late mentor Robert Schumann, said, “All the movements seem to be of one piece, one beat of the heart, each one a jewel! From start to finish one is wrapped about with the mysterious charm of the woods and forests.” And, Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904), who visited Brahms on his sojourn, said, “I say without exaggerating that this work surpasses his first two symphonies; if not, perhaps, in grandeur and powerful conception—then certainly in—beauty. … What magnificent melodies there are for the finding!”

Immediately, following the concert, an Afterglow Party will be hosted at the Stage Door Pub featuring complimentary snacks, special drinks as the cash bar and other festivities.

Tickets for the concert are currently available at manitowocsymphony.org/lets-indulge.  

ABOUT MSO: Manitowoc, Wisconsin is one of the smallest cities to have its own symphony orchestra. The mission of the Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra Association is to promote the highest quality orchestral music experiences available to patrons and musicians. Music’s true power is to move and unite people. Hearing music is about discovering what connects us all—uncovering shared eternal truths. The MSO is currently celebrating its 73^rd season. manitowocsymphony.org

CONTACT: Peggy Pitz, MSO Executive Director | 920-684-3492 or pwpitz@ameritech.net