State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico Makes Rare Appearance

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Kristen Gleason
Director of Marketing
The Paramount Theater
215 East Main Street
Charlottesville, VA 22902
434.979.1922 ext. 103
kristen@theparamount.net

For Immediate Release

January 30, 2008

Making a rare United States tour under the direction of Maestro Enrique Batiz, The State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico was founded to create union and identity among Mexican citizens through music. Classical music’s universal ability to express of human values and experiences is illustrated through its embrace by cultures far beyond its European origins, and Founding Director/Conductor Batiz has provided leadership in this cultural history as no other. Now entering its fourth decade, this ensemble has become one of the premier orchestras in its native land.

Adding to the rarity of this orchestra’s appearance, Cuban-born pianist Leonel Morales will interpret the monumental and infrequently-performed Piano Concerto No. 3 by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Once considered virtually unplayable because of its difficulty, the concerto was made famous as the obsession of pianist David Helfgott in the movie Shine. The State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico will present a concert at The Paramount Theater on Monday, February 11 at 8 pm.

This event is sponsored in part by a Friend of 91.1 WTJU-FM.  Special Media Sponsor is WVTF Public Radio and Radio IQ.

In addition to the Rachmaninoff concerto, the symphony will play the Chacona in E Minor by Dieterich Buxtehude and the Symphony No. 5 in D Major "Reformation" by Felix Mendelssohn. The Chacona is a short work from the Baroque era originally written for organ and arranged for orchestra by Mexican composer Carlos Chavez. Composed in 1830 for an important Lutheran anniversary celebration, Mendelssohn's "Reformation" Symphony uses the familiar "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" in its fourth movement.

A champion of the music of Latino and Hispanic composers, Batiz’s program features Chavez as well as Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas, represented by his work Sensemaya: Chant for the Killing of a Snake. Compared to Stravinsky's Rite of Spring for its extraordinary rhythmic and coloristic intensity, Sensemaya is a rhythmically dramatic 1938 work based on a poem by Afro-Cuban poet Nicolas Guillen about an ancient snake-killing ritual.

Born in Mexico City, Enrique Batiz studied at Juilliard. Starting his career as an accomplished pianist, he quickly emerged as one of the most sought-after guest conductors on the world's stages. His highly personalized blending of passion and elegance has been recognized through numerous awards and critical accolades. He has worked with more than 150 of the world's greatest orchestras, including the Czech Philharmonic, Dresden Staats, Leipzig Gewandhaus and Moscow Philharmonic.

Batiz’s extensive list of recordings includes more than 60 with the Royal Philharmonic, London Symphony, and London Philharmonic orchestras alone. His recording of Stravinsky's Petrushka was selected by the London Sunday Times as recording of the year, and Gramophone chose his Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 as the “best recorded version.”

The perfect combination of extraordinary gifts, technique, talent, and inspiration have made Leonel Morales one of the most brilliant and successful pianists of his generation. A resident of Spain since 1991, Cuban-born pianist Morales is noted as a performer of Spanish composers, although his work covers the entire piano repertoire. Invited to perform with important orchestras such as the Orquesta Nacional de España and the Symphony Orchestra of Hamburg, he is often invited to serve on the jury for international piano competitions, and has served as manager of the Piano Festival in Granada since 1998.

The State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico performs a diverse repertoire of works from Verdi and Rossini to the works of Mexican and Spanish composers such as Isaac Albeniz and Joaquin Rodrigo. The ensemble has toured throughout Europe with extraordinary success, as well as traveled to the Republic of China with performances in Changsha, Shanghai, Shenyang, Harbin, and Beijing. During the thirty-plus years of its existence, the Symphony has hosted innumerable guest directors and soloists chosen from the most outstanding in the world.

The Symphony and Maestro Batiz enjoy well-deserved fame as the most important musical group of their country. Founded in love of its labor, the Orchestra holds high the flag of quality in a ceaseless search for excellence.

Seats are still available for The State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico’s performance on Monday, February 11. Tickets are $54.50, $57.50, $60.50, and $65.50. Half-price student rush tickets and group discounts are offered.

Tickets are available online or through The Paramount’s Box Office at 434.979.1333.