Tucson Symphony Orchestra is mixing a little old with some new when it comes back this weekend from its short holiday break.
Under the baton of Music Director JosÊ Luis Gomez, the orchestra opens its "Haydn's Farewell Symphony" concert with the world premiere of "My Brilliant Friend: Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay," which the TSO commissioned from Italian-American composer and former Tucsonan Paola Prestini.
Tucson Symphony Orchestra commissioned Italian-American composer Paola Prestini to write a piece that the orchestra will premiere this weekend.Â
Prestini, a prolific opera composer who now lives in New York City, grew up in Tucson and Nogales, where her family has operated the Italy-born Prestini Reed Corp. for 42 of its 136 years. The company manufactures reeds and pads for wind and brass instruments.
This is the first time Prestini, who regularly visits Tucson, has worked with the TSO. Two years ago, ASU Gammage premiered her opera "The Old Man and the Sea" based on Hemingway's famous novel.
"My Brilliant Friend" is one of two works by female composers on this weekend's Masterworks program, which is anchored by Haydn's dramatic Symphony No. 45 "Farewell." Haydn composed the work in 1772 as a protest song of sorts; he and his choir, serving Hungary's Nikolaus I, Prince EsterhÃĄzy, wanted to leave the prince's summer palace and return home, and the only way that Haydn, the kapellmeister, could get through to the prince was through music. In the dramatic finale, the musicians leave the stage one by one; think of it as their way of walking off the job.
JosÊ Luis Gomez will lead the Tucson Symphony Orchestra in a world premiere of a commissioned work during the orchestra's Masterworks concert this weekend. Â
The concert, which the TSO will perform at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11, also includes Peruvian-American composer Gabriela Lena Frank's Concertino CusqueÃąo, which celebrates Peruvian culture and British composer Benjamin Britten; Villa-Lobos' Bachianas Brasileiras No. 9, an homage to Bach, and Haydn's Overture to his opera "Lâisola disabitata."
Tickets for this weekend's performances at Catalina Foothills High School, 4300 E. Sunrise Drive, are $51.85â$94.65 through tucsonsymphony.org.
