Fate can be a powerful thing, and so can the music inspired by it.
The Elgin Symphony Orchestra will perform its “The Power of Fate: Verdi, Strauss & Wagner” concert at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8 and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin.
“There are going to be two contrasting states of mind (for this concert),” said Andrew Grams, the orchestra’s music director and conductor. “One state of mind is extremely energetic and oftentimes kind of frantic; the other will be much more peaceful and much more calm.”
The program opens with the overture to Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “La forza del destino,” which premiered in 1862. The title of the Italian opera translates as “The Power of Fate” or “The Force of Destiny.”
“Fate has an ominous connotation to it,” Grams said. “It’s an extremely energetic Italian overture, a lot of drama, a lot of love and heartbreak. All of that is depicted musically in this lovely overture.”
Bookending the concert is the other “energetic” piece on the program, Edward Elgar’s “In the South,” written during English composer’s 1903-1904 vacation in Italy.
“He took all those impressions and wrote an absolutely dynamic piece,” Grams said.
In contrast, two much more serene works make up the concert’s midsection, both by German composers: 1945’s “Oboe Concerto” by 1945 by Richard Strauss and 1870’s “Siegfried Idyll” by Richard Wagner. “Both of those pieces are very calm and peaceful — fate does not come running in these two pieces,” Grams said. “They are more springtime pieces.”
The “Oboe Concerto” has an interesting origin.
“It came about because a young American oboist wanted a concerto,” Grams said.
Stationed in Germany at the end of World War II, American soldier John de Lancie, who had been the principal oboe of the Pittsburgh Orchestra, had a conversation with Strauss and brought up the topic of an oboe concerto.
“It’s an absolutely beautiful work; he weaves the solo part into the symphony,” Grams said. “It has all these lush springtime melodies that put a smile on your face.”
Guest musician Frank Rosenwein, who is the principal oboe with the Cleveland Symphony, will perform this concerto with the orchestra.
“He has all the technical ability and all the beautiful sound this piece requires,” Grams said.
The other “peaceful” piece is the fittingly named “Siegfried Idyll.” “It was originally composed as a birthday present for Wagner’s wife after the birth of their son, Siegfried,” Grams explained. “He wrote this lovely birthday tribute to slowly wake her up on Christmas morning, her birthday.”
It was originally written for 13 instruments — each musician standing on a step of the staircase in Wagner’s home. Later, he expanded the piece to include 35 players.
Elgin Symphony Orchestra’s ‘The Power of Fate: Verdi, Strauss & Wagner’ Concert
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When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8 and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 9
Where: Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin
Tickets: $10-$85
Information: 847-888-4000; elginsymphony.org
Jen Banowetz is a freelance reporter for the Courier-News.