The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s next concert begins with one of the most performed orchestral works of Brooklyn native Jennifer Higdon (born 1962), “blue cathedral.” Higdon’s compositional star is certainly on the rise; in recent years her work has won both a Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy. The concert continues with Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, of which each of the four movements is a masterpiece in its own right.
The MSO’s music director Edo de Waart recently said that he was anticipating renewing “the friendship and musical camaraderie” he shares with famed violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, whom he describes as “an absolute original.” Salerno-Sonnenberg will be on hand for one of the most popular 19th century showpieces, Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Major by Max Bruch (1838-1920). In this impassioned work, the opening movement (Vorspiel) leads into one of the most heart-on-sleeve adagios in all classical music—a movement that truly speaks to your innermost romantic being. The work concludes with an exhilarating allegro energetico finale.
At the Marcus Center’s Uihlein Hall, March 8-9.
