The West Virginia University Symphony Orchestra will perform works by Rachmaninoff, Bottesini, Sibelius and WVU music composition student Matthew Jackfert, during a concert at the Creative Arts Center, Thursday, Feb. 24.

The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre under the baton of Maestro Mitchell Arnold, director of orchestral studies at WVU.

In addition, WVU faculty members Andrew Kohn, double bass, and Mikylah Myers McTeer, violin, will join the Orchestra to perform Bottesini’s virtuosic “Gran Duo Concertant.”

The featured work is Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 in D Major.

“This symphony encompasses moods ranging from those elicited by the sunny warmth of the Italian sun to the stark coldness of a Finnish winter,” Arnold said.

“Sibelius was a man tormented by self-doubt who often withdrew from his work and his friends. It is possible to recognize his personal struggles in this symphony, in spite of its moments of triumphant, blazing brilliance, especially at the end of its finale.”

Also on the program is the well-loved gem, “Vocalise,” by Sergey Rachmaninoff. Originally composed for wordless voice and piano, then orchestrated by the composer, “Vocalise” sustains a lyrical beauty, featuring the WVU Symphony Orchestra violins, for all its brevity.

WVU student Alan Heath will be guest conductor on this work.

WVU student Matthew Jackfert’s “Brighter by the Second” eloquently captures the composer’s reaction to a stunning West Virginia mountain sunrise.

For concert tickets and information, call the WVU Box Office at (304) 293-SHOW.

Also, check the WVU Symphony Orchestra’s Facebook page for more information on this concert, including program notes.

More about Matthew Jackfert: http://www.newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/543429.html

-WVU-

CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, College of Creative Arts
304-293-4359, Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.