Violinist Midori to Debut with the Erie Philharmonic

Join the Erie Philharmonic as they bring the timeless works of the Romantic Era to the Warner Theatre stage. The evening will include the symphonies and waltzes of Brahms and Strauss and Schumann's Violin Concerto in D Minor, featuring world-renowned soloist Midori.

SATURDAY, MAR. 25

The Erie Philharmonic will be transporting concert-goers to the ballrooms of Vienna as Grammy award-winning violinist Midori marks her Erie debut with a selection of classical dance music by composers of the Romantic Era. The pieces set to be performed include the Emperor Waltzes by Richard Strauss, Robert Schumann's Violin Concerto, and Johannes Brahms's Third Symphony, with a special performance by the Erie Philharmonic Junior Orchestra taking place before the concert.

"In our March concert, we begin with the charm and opulence of old Vienna — the Vienna of lavish balls and the height of a dance craze that swept through Europe with a force that is still felt today," states the Erie Philharmonic. "Strauss's Emperor Waltzes teem with invention and melodies that linger in the ear long after the glow of the party has faded away. We then welcome the incomparable Midori to make her Erie Philharmonic debut performing Schumann's Violin Concerto. We round out this concert with Brahms' Third Symphony, a work that fully realizes the composer's command of classical style coupled with sumptuous Romantic harmony."

Strauss is known as the "Waltz King,'' as he composed over 500 waltzes and popularized the style in Vienna. The Emperor Waltzes, also known as "Kaiser-Walzer Op. 437," first premiered on Oct. 21, 1889 in Berlin and were composed in honor of Franz Joseph I, the Emperor of Austria who was visiting German Emperor Wilhelm II, as a show of friendship between the two empires.

The Violin Concerto in D Minor by Schumann, composed three years before his death, was written at a difficult time during his life. As the Philharmonic explains, "A work composed for Joseph Joachim, the same violinist who premiered Brahms's great Violin Concerto, Schumann's concerto was written as the composer was suffering from delusions that Schubert and Mendelssohn were dictating the notes to him." Joachim kept the manuscript hidden, believing it should not be played or performed. It remained hidden in the Prussian State Library from the world until German violinist Georg Kulenkampff performed it with the Berlin Philharmonic on Nov. 26, 1937.

Brahms wrote his Third Symphony over the summer of 1883, premiering it the same year on December 2 with the Vienna Orchestra. Writing the composition in the German city of Wiesbaden on the Rhine, he is believed to have been inspired by his early years of spending time with Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, and violinist Joseph Joachim.

Midori has performed with world-renowned orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the London, Chicago, and San Francisco Symphony orchestras, and has collaborated with musicians Leonard Bernstein and Yo-Yo Ma. Serving as the Dorothy Ricard Starting Chair at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, she founded the nonprofit Midori & Friends, which brings tuition-free music education and performance programs to students in New York City. Midori also serves as a United Nations Messenger of Peace and was awarded the Brahms Prize by the Schleswig-Holstein Brahms Society in 2022. She made her professional debut with the New York Philharmonic at the age of 11 in 1982.

8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. // Warner Theatre, 811 State St. // $12 - $56 // For more info: eriephil.org