The Nashville Symphony will conclude the 2021/22 Amazon Classical Series with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, featuring the universally beloved “Ode to Joy.” Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 also includes the world premiere of a commission created especially for the Symphony’s 75th anniversary, Continuum, by composer and Nashville Symphony violist Christopher Farrell.
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This concert is a particularly momentous occasion for the Nashville Symphony because it represents the orchestra’s successful reemergence following the devastating effects of the pandemic. After being forced to furlough 90% of its workforce and cancel an entire concert season in 2020/21, the orchestra’s soon-to-be-completed 2021/22 concert season embodies the resilience, collaboration and community support that made the Nashville Symphony’s reemergence possible – all perfectly captured in the triumphant sounds of Beethoven’s masterpiece.
Of equal significance is the fact that the 2021/22 concert season also represents the Nashville Symphony’s 75th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero commissioned a piece from one of the Nashville Symphony’s own musicians: violist Christopher Farrell’s Continuum.
“I called this piece Continuum because it represents the life of the orchestra,” Farrell explains. “Over time, changes happen, and our lives may look completely different from where we started. So Continuum celebrates the fact that the Nashville Symphony started out as a much smaller organization and has grown to where it is now: an important institution in our community, with its own concert hall, and with a wider, global reach.”
“I’ve tried to represent this idea of transformation musically in Continuum. A melody first played in the solo trumpet represents the orchestra as whole. I then take that melody and alter it in a way that represents the ups and downs of our own experiences. But what remains is the idea of the orchestra continuing on. It was important that I utilize as many of the players of the orchestra as possible, because I wanted to put a spotlight on all of the great players we have.”
Even though the piece was written to commemorate an anniversary, Farrell explains that the piece is also forward-looking: “In writing Continuum, I wanted to convey an optimism for the future. It’s important for us musicians to continue doing what we are doing because it’s vitally important to humanity to keep putting art out there. My hope is that we keep this orchestra strong and stable and relevant to the community that we are in.”
WHEN:
Thursday, June 2 at 7:00 p.m. CT
Friday, June 3 at 8:00 p.m. CT
Saturday, June 4 at 8:00 p.m. CT
Sunday, June 5 at 2:00 p.m. CT
WHERE:
Schermerhorn Symphony Center
1 Symphony Pl, Nashville, TN 37201
TICKETS NOW ON SALE: Purchase at NashvilleSymphony.org/
FOR PARKING INFORMATION, CLICK HERE. The Nashville Symphony offers valet parking (through PMC Management) in front of Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Symphony Place for most events. The price is $27, credit card payment only. Valet service opens 90 minutes before showtime for all concerts.
