Thoughts on the September 10, 2023 concert
Pam Hahn/Vanja Gjumar Nikolovski
We asked Maestro Nikolovski some questions about next week's concert, to give you some insider information.
Q: Our upcoming concert on September 10 is a program of orchestral dance music. Which one of the selections speaks to you the most, and why?
A: True. Every piece offers a some type of dancing character. Maybe Boléro speaks to me the most because of its building and growing structure. It is impressive how just a few soloists begin developing one tune, and little later an enormous orchestra develop that tune with massive sound.
A: True. Every piece offers a some type of dancing character. Maybe Boléro speaks to me the most because of its building and growing structure. It is impressive how just a few soloists begin developing one tune, and little later an enormous orchestra develop that tune with massive sound.
Q: 2. Tell us about the Bach/Stokowski Toccata and Fugue in D minor. What was Bach’s original version of this piece and why did Stokowski arrange it differently so many years later?
A: Bach’s original two-part Toccata and Fugue in D minor was written originally for organ along with other pieces for the instrument he worked on a lot in 17th century. As a big fan of Bach, Stokowski wanted to present Bach’s organ music in modern times, orchestrating several pieces for big orchestra, among them Toccata and Fugue in D minor. Stokowski manages to provide a distinct orchestral sound effects enriched by powerful sonorities. This version was completed in 1927.
Q: Ravel’s Boléro is an iconic work that has been made popular through the movie “10.” But it’s a skillful use of orchestration and composition. Talk about what makes this such an interesting, riveting piece.
A: Music of Boléro served several movies and other events. Ravel was an extraordinary composer and orchestrator who managed to create a great composition consisting on one tune based on Spanish dance form bolero. Playing the melody on the piano with one hand, he told the friend that he plan to repeat it a number of times without any development, but also gradually increasing the orchestra lines the best possible way. The result was obvious: he did create a true masterpiece.