The Washington Symphony Orchestra has taken its audience (musically) to Ireland and Italy over the past few years. This time, there’s a new destination.
“A Musical Tour of Latin America” will mark the first time the WSO has dedicated a concert exclusively to the region. The performance dates, Saturday, Oct. 14, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 15, at 3 p.m., coincide with the final two days of this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month.
The concert will be held at the Olin Fine Arts Center on the Washington & Jefferson College Campus, 285 East Wheeling Street, Washington, Pennsylvania, 15301. All four season concerts will be held at the venue, the WSO’s home since last season.
“Preparing for every concert has its challenges,” said WSO Artistic Director Yugo Ikach. “This has been especially challenging having to internalize and ‘feel’ the rhythmic patterns that the repertoire presents. The music is passionate and varies greatly, almost begging you to let your emotions drive you forward rather than the notes on the page.”
The tour will begin in Mexico with “Huapango” and popular favorite “Bésame Mucho.” It will be Colombia afterward with “Colombia Tierra Querida.”
Ikach will then take the audience further south with “Libertango,” “Malambo” and “Por Una Cabeza.” Audiences will recognize “Por Una Cabeza” from the tango scene in “Scent of a Woman.”
After intermission, the tour picks back up with a trip to Brazil to hear “Tico Tico,” “The Girl from Ipanema” and “Mas Que Nada,” in addition to “Melodia Sentimental.”
Finally, before ending where the tour started, in Mexico with “Danzón No. 2,” the orchestra will stop in Cuba for “Malagueña.”
“Choosing a favorite is difficult, but I would have to say it’s Márquez’s Danzón No. 2,” said Ikach. “From the sultry courting game, and the interplay between clarinet and oboe, to the fiery and muscular danzón sections that, by the end, makes the listener thirsty for more, yet satisfied.”
Tickets start at just $17 and can be purchased online at washsym.org, by calling 1-888-71- TICKETS or at the WSO Office on East Wheeling Street in Washington (WSO Office by appointment only, call 724-223-9796 and leave a message for an appointment).
Tickets are also available at the door. Children 12 and under are admitted free.
For further information about the symphony, visit www.washsym.org or connect with the WSO on Facebook.
