South Valley Symphony presents a special evening with some of
the world’s most beloved holiday music
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and locals are sure to find plenty of good cheer at the South Valley Symphony’s Saturday concert, “Holiday Magic.”
The concert, held at Gavilan College Theater, is designed to showcase the sounds of the season.
“Expect to have a really good time – you’ll recognize some old chestnuts and a piece or two you probably won’t recognize,” said Jenny Redfern, who has played French horn for the symphony for about nine years. “The pieces are lively and everyone should have fun.”
Concert selections include Symphony No. 26 by Franz Joseph Haydn, “Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson and “Medley of Well-Known Carols” by Arthur Harris. The program was created by conductor and music director Anthony Quartuccio, who said he chose musical selections that would show off the orchestra’s abilities and versatility.
“We’ve got holiday music that traverses 300 years of music, from Baroque and classic to romantic and 20th Century,” he said. “The program also features music from around the world. We’ve got pieces from Italy, Austria, England, Russia and, of course, the United States. We have traditional and nontraditional pieces. It’s going to be a great concert.”
Along with the original program, the concert will feature two brass quartet selections, including Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus.”
Redfern, a Morgan Hill resident, said her favorite piece in the program is probably “On the Beautiful Blue Danube” by J. Strauss, Jr. because the French horn is prominently featured and because her parents are from Vienna, making it a sentimental choice.
Quartuccio explained the “Blue Danube” is traditionally played at the end of the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s program and generally brings the house down, which is why he selected it.
One of Quartuccio’s favorite pieces in the concert is Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Christmas Eve Polonaise.”
“It’s a Russian composer writing a Polish dance for Christmas,” he said, laughing. “It’s not something you’ll hear every day.”
The South Valley Symphony features 40 to 50 musicians ranging in age from 17 to 70, said Hollister resident and violinist John Prichett.
The group rehearses once a week and gives four to five performances a year.
Musicians in the symphony come from as far away as Salinas and San Jose.
The South Valley Symphony began in 1972 with six local musicians under the baton of Kathleen Ash Barraclough.
In the beginning it was offered as a night class by the Morgan Hill Schools Continuing Education..
Dr. Anthony Quartuccio took the baton the beginning of the 2006-2007 season as the new musical director.
For more information and tickets, call (408) 847-1441 or visit www.southvalleysymphony.org. Tickets range from $9-$15.
The concert at Gavilan College Theater in Gilroy, begins at 4pm.
