The Ohio Valley Symphony returns to the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre stage on Saturday, September 8 to kick off their 29th season with the very best of the best, the music of Ludwig van Beethoven. The 7:30 pm program features music from the early, middle and late stages of this musical titan’s career. Guest Conductor, Tim Berens who has graced the Ariel stage before as a soloist and arranger for the OVS, will lead the orchestra in this musical journey.
Beethoven was arguably one of the greatest composers who ever lived and The Ohio Valley Symphony will open their 2018-19 season with the Overture to the Creatures of Prometheus telling the story of the Greek god who takes humans to receive instruction from Apollo on music, drama, dance and other arts. Written for a ballet in 1801, Beethoven used coloristic orchestral effects that never appeared in any of his symphonies.
Beethoven composed his Symphony No. 2 in D Major at a time when his hearing loss was becoming quite pronounced and he began to realize it was not curable. Nevertheless, it is full of musical jokes shocking the critics of the day (his gastric problems were commonly known). At the premiere in 1803 it was conducted by the composer himself.
Pianist Michael Chertock will join the OVS to perform the Emperor Concerto, one of Beethoven’s most important pieces. Chertock has fashioned a successful career as an orchestral soloist, soloing with many major orchestras such as Philadelphia, Montreal, Baltimore, Detroit, Boston and many others. He traveled to Bulgaria recently to record a new work written especially for him by Roger Davis. Starting his professional career at the tender age of 11, Chertock has garnered awards and prizes for his many performances and recordings over the years. When not on tour, Chertock conducts the Blue Ash Symphony and frequently composes and arranges orchestral music as well. He also serves as Assistant Professor of piano at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
The OVS is devoted to bringing great music played by great artists to the Ohio Valley – and making orchestral music easy to love. The doors are open and the public is welcome to attend OVS rehearsals for free at 7-10 p.m. on Fridays and 1-4 p.m. on Saturdays on concert weekends. Open rehearsals are a wonderful way for young and old alike to listen to live symphonic music when schedules and timing do not allow them to attend concerts. They also offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what goes into preparing an orchestral performance.
Concertgoers — new or veteran — have another chance to learn more about the music with a free pre concert chat in the third-floor Ariel Chamber Theatre, the pre concert talks are interactive and informal and begin at 6:45 p.m.
Tickets for The Ohio Valley Symphony’s concerts are $24 for adults, $22 seniors and $12 for students. Tickets are available on the website at arieloperahouse.org or ohiovalleysymphony.org or at the box office. Funding for The Ohio Valley Symphony is provided in part by the Ohio Valley Ban where community is first and the Ann Carson Dater Endowment. The Ariel is located at 426 Second Ave. in downtown Gallipolis, Ohio and is an ADA accessible facility.