Alvin Arumugam, conductor
Mikyung Sung, double bass
with Symphonia Choralis, led by chorus master Chong Wai Lun
Kosaku Yamada - Madara No Hana
Missy Mazzoli - Dark with Excessive Bright, Concerto for Double Bass and String Orchestra
Giovanni Bottesini - Double Bass Concerto No. 2 in B minor
Ludwig Van Beethoven - Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
The Musicians' Initiative presents "Beethoven's Ninth: Your Orchestral Experience" featuring the titular 9th Symphony, marking the 200th anniversary of the premiere of this monumental work. Known as the 'Choral" symphony, it is the first symphony to incorporate vocal soloists and chorus. This can be heard in the famous final movement, commonly known as the Ode to Joy. The orchestra will be joined by Symphonia Choralis, led by chorus master Chong Wai Lun, and 4 vocal soloists, for this epic work.
The concert also features Double Bass virtuoso Mikyung Sung, who will be performing Bottesini's Double Bass Concerto No. 2 as well as Missy Mazzoli's Dark with Excessive Bright. Mikyung gives some of the most fearlessly virtuosic and engaging performances heard on the double bass, most notable for her bel canto lyricism and emotional expression. She came to the attention of bassists around the world through videos of her performances while studying for her Artist Diploma at the Colburn School in Los Angeles.
Opening the concert will be the hauntingly beautiful symphonic poem, Madara No Hana (Flower of Mandala), composed by Japanese composer Kosaku Yamada. It is based on a poem of the same title by Kazo Saito, Yamada’s close friend, who showed versatility in music composition, architecture, painting, design of furniture and clothes. Saito studied in Berlin during the same period as Yamada, and was influenced by Kandinsky and Bruno Taut. The term denotes beautiful flowers growing in Buddhist Heaven.