Symphony season opens with keyboard magic
By By Penny Randall / staff writer
Sept. 6, 2002
Critically acclaimed pianist Andrea Padova will open the Meridian Symphony Orchestra's 42nd season with a concert on Saturday.
The concert begins at 8 p.m. in the McCain Theater at Meridian Community College. Music lovers are invited to a pre-concert lecture at 7 p.m. in MCC's Hardin Hall, Room 122, which will introduce Padova and his selections for the evening.
Saturday night's program will include Glinka's Overture to "Russian and Ludmilla," Grieg's Piano Concerto, and Brahms Symphony No. 4.
In celebration of the first concert, the Meridian Symphony Orchestra also will sponsor a reception after the concert for "Patron Level" members and above. The post-concert festivities will be at the Meridian Museum of Art at about 10 p.m., shortly after the conclusion of Padova's performance.
Padova first won critical attention when he won the J.S. Bach International Piano Competition in 1995 and since then has been widely considered one of the most important contemporary interpreters of Bach on the piano.
After his New York and Washington debuts, critics praised his "extraordinary gifts, pulsating interpretation, modern and vibrating conception."
About his Washington recital, which included Bach's Goldberg Variations, The Washington Post wrote, "The pianist Andrea Padova turns sound into poetry. His virtuosity, sensitively managed, resounds through every measure."
Padova's recent appearances include New York, Washington, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Montreal, Vancouver, Rome, Florence, Milano and Mainz.
WANT TO GO?
What: MSO concert
Performer: Pianist Andrea Padova
When: Saturday, 8 p.m.
Where: McCain Theater, Meridian Community College
Tickets: Season tickets: $75 for adults, $60 for senior citizens and military. Family package for $150 includes 2 adults and up to three children under age 18. At the door: $20 for adults, $15 military and senior discounts, $10 for students. Special discount for military personnel in uniform.
For information: (601) 693-2224
