The three movements of composer Bohuslay Martinu’s “Oboe Concerto” are often described as “nervously brilliant.”
” ‘Brilliant’ [means] pretty virtuosic music,” said Katherine Needleman, the BSO’s principal oboist. “It’s a show piece, with an undercurrent of anxiety.”
Needleman will be the featured performer in the “Concerto,” which will be presented this weekend by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Dvorak’s original set of “Slavonic Dances” and Haydn’s “Military Symphony No. 100” round out the evening’s repertoire conducted by Maestro Carlos Kalmar.
» Venue: The Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda
» When: 8 p.m. Thursday
» Venue: Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore
» When: 8 p.m. Friday
Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall’s Casual Concert Series (does not include Martinu’s “Oboe Concerto”)
» When: 11:00 a.m. Saturday
» Tickets: $25 to $80
» Info: 877-BSO-1444, 410-783-8000; www.bsomusic.org
The “Oboe Concerto,” very much inspired by concertos of the Baroque era, also showcases the trumpet and the piano. It is a piece that, according to Needleman, is scored quite heavily with a lively opening, a mysterious second movement and a high-spirited finale with a second cadenza (an extended virtuosic section for the soloist, usually coming at the end of a concerto movement) included.
“Usually the piece is performed with only one cadenza in the last movement,” Needleman said. “But I was able to dig up the [unpublished] second cadenza that Martinu originally wrote. I will actually play it in its original [form].”
Dvorak’s “Slavonic Dances, Nos. 1-8” were composed in 1878 and inspired by Czech folk dance traditions, which include a lively Ukrainian “dumka” and a Czech polka. It was this set of dances, coupled with the backing of his friend and mentor Johannes Brahms that launched Dvorak to international fame.
The “Military Symphony” of Haydn premiered in London on the composer’s 62nd birthday. The “London Chronicle,” shortly after its premiere, described the piece in terms evoking battle and “É what may be called the hellish roar of war increasing to a climax of horrid sublimity.”
Guest conductor Kalmer is the music director of the Oregon Symphony Orchestra. Needleman, in addition to performing with the BSO, is a member of the Peabody Conservatory faculty.
“With her impeccable technique, innate musicality and beautiful sound, the BSO is truly fortunate to have Katherine Needleman as our principal oboist,” said Stephen Jacobsohn, BSO manager of artistic administration. “In demand around the world as a soloist and chamber musician, her performances of Martinu’s charming oboe concerto should be a real delight for our audiences.”
