World Premiere Concerto at Pasadena Symphony

Violist Danielle Farina, for whom the Concerto was written, will appear as guest soloist for the performance on Jan. 21When The Pasadena Symphony presents its first concert of the New Year on Jan. 21, the program will include a work that couldn’t possibly be any newer -- the world premiere performance of composer Peter Schickele’s Concerto for Viola and Orchestra. However, those who also enjoy hearing works from the traditional classical music repertoire will be pleased to learn that the orchestra will perform Schubert’s Symphony No. 6 in C major and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings.

Music Director Jorge Mester frequently includes a more contemporary work in a concert program. But rarely is that work a World Premiere performance.

Schickele is internationally recognized as one of the most versatile artists in the world of music. As a composer, he has written over 100 works for symphony orchestras, choral groups, chamber ensembles, voice, and the entertainment industry.

These range from compositions for the National Symphony, the Saint Louis Symphony, the Minnesota Opera, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center to music for such feature films as “Silent Running,” “Fantasia 2000” and “Where the Wild Things Are.” Schickele has also written scores for documentaries, television commercials, and even segments of Sesame Street. In 2003, he served as composer in residence for The Pasadena Symphony.

Schickele views the work being presented Jan. 21 as a reflection of his love and respect for his brother.

“When my brother was about 13 years old, he switched from violin to viola, igniting in both of us a love for the instrument and also for chamber music evenings,” the composer explains. “David died in 1999, of cancer; my viola concerto is a tribute to his lively mind and his passionate music-making. The movement titles refer to four of his favorite places in America: Bitter Valley, Nevada; New York City; Shadow Mountain, Wyoming; and San Francisco.”

As the host of a weekly, nationally syndicated radio program entitled Schickele’s Mix, Schickele is heard in many of those cities. Since its debut in January 1992, the program has garnered the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award and the Gold Award for Programming Excellence from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Each program features a ‘mix’ of works of composers as diverse as Ravel, the Beach Boys, Willie Nelson and Cole Porter and then reveals how their compositions share a similar musical technique or idea.

To many members of the music-loving public, Schickele may be best known as his alter ego, PDQ Bach. The fictional youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach, PDQ is celebrating his 40th birthday this season.

Violist Danielle Farina, who will be making her debut performance with The Pasadena Symphony during this concert, has performed worldwide as both a soloist and chamber musician. Currently the violist of the renowned Elements Quartet, Farina has participated in the Tibor Varga Festival in Budapest, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in Detroit, been in residence at Utah Valley State College, and premiered a project called “Snapshots,” which involved commissioning works from dozens of composers including Regina Carter, Angelo Badalamenti and John Corigliano.

Prior to joining the Elements quartet, Farina was a member of the equally esteemed Lark Quartet. In fact, it was through the Lark Quartet that she first met Peter Schickele. The quartet has performed such works by Schickele as the String Quartet No. 2 “In Memoriam,” Sextet for Strings, and the Quintet No. 2 for Piano and Strings, with the composer himself at the piano.

Regarding the Viola Concerto, Farina says, “Peter would send me one movement at a time. Sometimes he would call me on the phone and play parts he was working on, on the piano. ‘How does this sound? Will this work?’ he’d ask.”

But Farina has yet to hear the work in its fully orchestrated version, though she has studied the score. For this reason, she will attend early rehearsals of the work.

Established in 1928, The Pasadena Symphony performs monthly, October through May, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, 300 East Green St., Pasadena. Concerts begin at 8 p.m., with a free pre-concert lecture taking place in the auditorium at 7 p.m.

Individual ticket prices range from $15 to $72, with discounts available for groups of ten or more. Student and senior rush tickets will also be available on the day of the concert for $12. To purchase tickets to any performances of The Pasadena Symphony, call the box office at 626.584.8833. To learn more about The Pasadena Symphony, call The Pasadena Symphony’s offices at 626.793.7172 or visit the orchestra’s website at www.pasadenasymphony.org.