Northbrook Symphony Orchestra Music Director Mina Zikri is looking forward to hearing his orchestra perform from the audience’s perspective for the first time on April 30. That’s when the orchestra’s Artistic Creative Partner Robert Chen will be on the podium instead of Zikri.
“Before I took over as Music Director, I was principal second violin with our former great conductor Larry Rapchak,” Zikri explained. “I’m really glad that when I hear the orchestra, it will be led by somebody like Robert Chen, a great artist.”
Zikri reported that this concert is something that Chen, who is concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, has been wanting to lead for a long time. He chose the program.
“Part of the Artistic Creative Partnership that he has with the Northbrook Symphony is that he also helps with programming and innovative ideas,” Zikri explained. “I thought this would be a very good change for our audience.”
“It’s all great music,” Zikri said, particularly praising Astor Piazzolla’s re-imagining of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.”
“The last time I performed with the Northbrook Symphony, I did Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons,'” Chen related. “I thought I would follow it up with ‘The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.'” He added that Piazzolla originally created the piece to perform as part of a trio with him on the bandoneon, a type of accordion.
“I’m not sure why but somebody had the idea of arranging it for solo violin and string orchestra,” Chen said. “It’s a very exciting piece of musical theater without words — the protagonist being the violinist, using the instrument in creative ways to mimic voice and percussion, and so forth.”
He further described the piece as a crossover from classical to tango.
The program will also include “D Major Divertimento K136? by Mozart which Chen described as “very familiar to everybody.”
The third selection will be Franz Schubert’s “A Major Rondo for violin and string orchestra.”
The entire program will be performed by a string orchestra consisting of around 30 musicians.
“It’s an opportunity for me to work with the string players in the Northbrook Symphony exclusively, without having to worry about the wind players and the brass players,” Chen said.
Chen said of his role as Artistic Creative Partner of the Northbrook Symphony, “I’m hoping to bring a little something extra to the Northbrook community and to give the orchestra a little more visibility.”
Chen added that he enjoys the opportunity to work with musicians that he doesn’t usually have the opportunity to work with. “It’s always good to leave your comfort zone,” he said.
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The orchestra’s 43rd season will continue on June 4 with “Violins of Hope.” Soloist Masha Lakisova will perform Bruch’s “Violin Concerto in g minor.” In addition, the orchestra will perform Dvorak’s “Symphony #9 From the New World.”
Some of the historically preserved instruments that belonged to Jews before and during the Holocaust will be on display in the lobby along with their stories. They have been collected as part of the Violins of Hope project.
Spring Concert
When: 4 p.m. April 30
Where: Northbrook Symphony Orchestra at Sheely Center for the Performing Arts, 2300 Shermer Road, Northbrook
Tickets: $40-$55; free for children 5 and older
Information: 847-272-0755; northbrooksymphony.org
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.