During our last posting back in May, we were just starting to reap the benefits of Daylight Savings Time with increasingly longer days. Can you believe it's now almost time to turn the clocks back? On Sunday, Nov. 4, give a shout out to Ben Franklin (who first conceived the idea) as you blearily get out of bed. Since, it is a Sunday though, don't get too angry with him. He did have a hand in that whole electricity thing which powers your home, and more specifically that very alarm clock. Hm. On the other hand, maybe you should grumble. Loudly.
But! All is not lost for that weekend. On Saturday, Nov. 3, you can leave the country without all the annoying jet lag, lost time, and pesky conversion rates by attending ASO's second performance of the season, "Exuberance." Transport yourself to Old World Germany and Austria, as the ASO performs Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 and German Dance No. 12 along with Brahms' Symphony No. 4 at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall (NOVA Campus, Alexandria).
What exactly makes these pieces special? According to Peter Fay, WETA "Around Town" panelist and ASO concert lecturer, Beethoven's German Dance No. 12 showcases a "lightness and airiness" that the composer takes to "new musical heights." In addition, Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 is a hidden jewel nestled between his better known Symphonies Nos. 3 and 5 and has been called by Robert Schumann "a slender Greek maiden between two Norse gods." It's like seeing your favorite band play something from their back catalogue that you rarely get to hear live. You might not hear it again for a while, but it doesn't matter, because you always have it in the back of your head.
Not to be outdone, Brahms' Symphony No. 4 is a grandly sweeping piece now considered to be one of Brahms' undoubted masterpieces. It would be that last symphony Brahms' would write before his death in 1897.
Tickets are $20-$80 with special discounts for students, seniors, and group sales. For more info or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.alexsym.org/ or call 703-548-0885.
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