HRO: Stravinsky, Copland, & Tchaikovsky

Saturday, Oct. 29. Sanders Theatre. 8 p.m. Tickets available at the Harvard Box Office (617-496-2222). $16/$14/$12, students $12/$10/$8.



The Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra (HRO) has planned a stellar concert to take place on Saturday night. The program will include three features—Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait,” Tchaikovsky’s “Piano Concerto No. 1”, and Igor Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring.”

Known as “the dean of American composers,” Aaron Copland is famous for his orchestra and film compositions. Throughout his life, Copland created innovative pieces that were different from traditional European music. “A Lincoln Portrait”, written after Pearl Harbor was attacked, resonates with patriotism. The piece includes quotes from Abraham Lincoln’s writings that will be narrated by Dean of Harvard College Benedict H. Gross ’71 as Copland’s music plays in the background.

Wei-Jen Yuan ’06, the winner of this year’s HRO Concerto Competition, will be playing Tchaikovsky’s “Piano Concerto No. 1.” Many of the HRO members agree that the audience will be dazzled with Yuan’s musical talent. “He plays with great musicality and sensitivity but also with complete technical confidence and maturity,” says Julia I. Bertelsmann ’09, a cellist in the orchestra.

Although “Rite of Spring” has become a familiar tune thanks to the score of Disney’s “Fantasia,” many people who attend the HRO concert on Saturday will hear Stravinsky’s original score for the first time. The piece’s technical difficulty and demanding instrumentation often force orchestras to eliminate certain parts; however, HRO will be performing the piece in its full orchestration, a feat of which they are deservedly proud. HRO president Jimmy F. Collins ’07 writes in an email, “I’m sure the audience will [be] pleased to know they are hearing the piece as Stravinsky intended it.”

Now in their 198th performance season, HRO has a rich history going back to 1808, and with their program for Saturday’s concert, they promise to both uphold and enhance their tradition of musical excellence.