On November 17, at 3 p.m., the Topanga Community House once again welcomes the Topanga Symphony for its free autumn concert featuring virtuoso violinist Aubree Oliverson playing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35. The concert will also include the Overture to an Italian Girl in Algiers by Gioachino Rossini, and Franz Schubert’s Symphony #3 in D Major.
The charismatic 21-year-old who performed the Mendelssohn and Bruch violin concertos in 2016 and 2017, has been heralded by The Miami New Times as presenting a “powerful performance, brimming with confidence and joy.” Her solo debut with the Utah Symphony at age eleven opened the door to her life’s pursuit. She currently studies with Robert Lipsett, the Jascha Heifetz Distinguished Violin Chair at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles.
In this performance, Oliverson will present the beautiful violin concerto by Russia’s most famous Romantic era composer and pianist, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35 was written in 1878 when the 38-year-old Tchaikovsky was staying in a Swiss resort on Lake Geneva, recovering from a depression caused by his short marriage to Antonnia Miliukova that ended after only six weeks. While recuperating, he was joined by his composition pupil, violinist Iosil Kotek. They played music together creating what Tchaikovsky called “musical beauty. It goes without saying that I would have been able to do nothing without him.” On December 4, 1881, the piece was premiered in Vienna and has become one of the most famous concertos of the violin repertoire.
The Italian Girl in Algiers by Gioachino Rossini is uplifting, bright, energetic, and a familiar classical work based on his mostly comic opera. It can arguably be considered as generally representative of classical music, as parts of this piece have been used in children’s cartoons. In this composition, Rossini may have been inspired by Haydn’s Surprise Symphony as the overture presents lyrical woodwind melodies immediately followed by loud and bold chords creating an expressive element that is unexpected and dramatic.
Austrian composer Franz Schubert was born in 1797, the twelfth of fourteen children born to Franz and Elisabeth Schubert. He was first taught music by his father and older brother Ignaz and soon showed exceptional talent in voice, piano, and violin. In 1804 his vocal talent came to the attention of Vienna’s leading musical authority, Antonio Salieri, who introduced him to the works of Mozart, Beethoven, and Haydn, which had a profound influence on the young composer.
Schubert’s Symphony #3 in D Major was written when he was 8 years old and is one of more than 1,500 works composed in his short life of only 31 years. The four movements along with other smaller pieces, were written in 26 days—May 24 to July 19, 1815—a remarkable amount of music that has been described as a “productive explosion.”
The Topanga Symphony began in 1982 as a community orchestra under the direction of Jerome Kessler. Performing three free classical music concerts a year is possible only with the support of the community it serves. Please visit topangasymphony.com and join other “Friends of the Topanga Symphony.” Bring your neighbors, family, and friends to the amazing free concerts and enjoy the beautiful music and surroundings of the Santa Monica Mountains.
MInor nitpick – Schubert wrote his 3rd symphony when he was 18.