Rota & Schumann
Michael Gandolfi’s imaginative bon-bon Themes from a Midsummer Night conjures Shakespeare’s comedy through exquisite writing for chamber orchestra.
Artists
Program Info
MICHAEL GANDOLFI: Themes from a Midsummer Night
NINO ROTA: Bassoon Concerto
ROBERT SCHUMANN: Symphony No. 1
Assistant Principal Bassoon Nick Nelson takes on The Godfather’s own Nino Rota and his Bassoon Concerto, a warm, humorous tour-de-force for the double-reed after Michael Gandolfi’s imaginative bon-bon, Themes from a Midsummer Night. Schumann’s first symphony, “Spring,” was encouraged by his new wife, Clara, and premiered by none other than Felix Mendelssohn in 1841. Schumann wrote that he wanted it to “suggest the world’s turning green [...] and everything to do with spring is coming alive” – perfect for this April weekend.