Cascade Symphony in season finale concert May 2 at ECA
EDMONDS – Two highly-acclaimed clarinetists from the Seattle Symphony, Benjamin Lulich and Emil Khudyev, will perform on Monday, May 2, with the Cascade Symphony Orchestra for its “Tchaikovsky’s Fifth” concert – under the direction of maestro Michael Miropolsky.
The concert, completing the orchestra’s 60th season, will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Edmonds Center for the Arts (ECA), 410 4th Ave. North. A pre-concert lecture at 6:30 p.m., by KING-FM radio personality Dave Beck, will preview the musical highlights for the evening.
“We are fortunate to have the rare opportunity of hearing a duo of extraordinary clarinetists perform the Clarinet Double Concerto of Czech composer František Kramář-Krommer,” Miropolsky said of Lulich and Khudyev. “Kramář-Krommer was a contemporary of (Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus) Mozart and (German composer Ludwig van) Beethoven, and he is best known today for his music for winds.”
Lulich is the principal clarinet in the Seattle Opera, having previously served as acting principal clarinet with The Cleveland Orchestra while holding other prominent positions with the Pacific Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Colorado Music Festival and Sunriver Music Festival. He also has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra, IRIS Orchestra, Festival Mozaic, Chamber Music Northwest and many other ensembles. He also has played frequently with the Hollywood Studio Orchestra, recording numerous film scores, record albums, and video games.
Khudyev has performed with numerous music organizations, including the Chicago Symphony and The Cleveland Orchestra. He became an instructor of clarinet at the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan in 2014 after serving as the acting associate principal and second clarinet of the Kansas City Symphony. Born in Turkmenistan, Khudyev began his musical training under the auspices of the Moscow Conservatory, and at age 7 was admitted to the Special Music School of Turkmenistan.
The Cascade Symphony will open the concert performing Spanish composer Manuel de Falla’s Suite No. 2 from “The Three-Cornered Hat.”
“This ballet premiered 100 years ago, and immediately put de Falla on the map as a leading European composer of the time,” Miropolsky noted. “The suite is full of vigor and beauty.”
The concert will close with Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Fifth Symphony.”
“That work is Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece,” Miropolsky said. “It’s often called ‘Fate Symphony’ and it reflects the composer’s turbulent emotional life. Unfortunately, the musical piece’s triumphant ending did not reflect that of Tchaikovsky’s personal life.”
Tickets
Ticket prices are: $27 for adults; $22 for seniors (60-plus); $15 for students with an ID; and $10 for youth (12 and younger).
Tickets can be purchased online through the ECA website (https://www.edmondscenterforthearts.org/events/category/13/cascade-symphony-orchestra) and by telephone (425-275-9595). The ECA Box Office may be reached by email at boxoffice@ec4arts.org. The ECA Box Office is currently open 12-5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and extended hours during performances.
Joining other performance arts venues in the region, the ECA is requiring proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test for entry to all performances and events in the theater. Masks are required inside the ECA. The venue’s complete and up-to-date regulations can be found at www.ec4arts.org.
Additional information about the Cascade Symphony Orchestra, including its schedule for the 2022-23 concert season that begins in October, as well as any other updates, will be available online at www.cascadesymphony.org.