Coastal Symphony of Georgia Winter Concert

The second concert of the season celebrates a fairy tale, a commanding trumpet solo, and a perennial holiday favorite.

German composer Engelbert Humperdinck’s 19th Century opera Hansel and Gretel is taken from the Grimm Brother’s fairy tale. The Overture delights us with lush melodies, the playful sounds of childhood, feelings of nostalgia – the magical feeling of a fairy tale.

A very different kind of sound follows with Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s Trumpet Concerto which was originally written in E major for Viennese trumpet virtuoso and inventor of the keyed trumpet, Anton Weidinger. Our own Tristan Clarke takes the stage as soloist for this demanding piece, written in E-flat major to make it more compatible with today’s newer trumpets. Listen for a spirited Allegro, the trumpet soloist playing against humming violins in the Andante, and alternating contrasting themes in the closing, vigorous Rondo, which is replete with the soloist’s technically demanding trills and flourishes before a triumphant finale

Tristan Clarke is Principal Trumpet for the Coastal Symphony of Georgia and also plays in the Jacksonville Symphony. A multi-talented musician, he is also a member of Melodica Men, a duo which is enjoying success in Europe and the United States as they entertain on the unusual melodica, a cross between a keyboard and harmonica.

Following intermission, we will hear selections from The Nutcracker Ballet, Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky’s perennial holiday favorite. The two-act ballet is based on E.T.A. Hoffman’s “The Nutcracker and The Mouse King.” Give yourself up to the music and the adventures of Clara as we listen to March of the Toy Soldiers, Waltz of the Flowers, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and so many more musical favorites from this delightful ballet.

 This concert will enchant us!