Carmen Fantasy

PABLE de SARASATE: “Carmen” Fantasy
GIACOMO PUCCINI: “O mio Babbino Caro” from Gianni Schicchi
CHRISTOPH WILLIBALD GLUCK: Melodie from Orfeo de Euridice
ENNIO MORRICONE: “Gabriel’s Oboe” from “The Mission”
DMITRI SCHOSTAKOVICH: Piano Quintet in G minor

Perhaps the most iconic Opera of all time, and the one with tunes found in everything from early films to modern rom-coms, Bizet’s “Carmen” was as popular in the 19th century as it is today. Just five years after its scandalous premiere, violinist Pablo de Sarasate was writing his very own “Fantasy” based on themes from Carmen. A legendary virtuoso from Spain, Pablo de Sarasate’s rendition for violin is exactly the way I love to open our Concertmaster Series Season: virtuosic, irresistibly catchy, and a wild ride. Followed by Carmen, we perform beautiful mini-selections for violin and piano from great Operas with phenomenal pianist Kevin Class. We conclude with Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet, written in 1940 and a winner of the “Stalin Prize.” One of the most intensely dramatic pieces for String Quartet and Piano, this drama is clearly inspired by Opera and the many characters and scene changes that the genre offers. It is pieces like this that inspire me deeply at the beginning of the KSO season, and I cannot wait to share this program with our audience as we kick off 2022-2023 at the Knoxville Museum of Art. – William Shaub