Orchestra at Temple Square Presents “Music for the Soul”

SALT LAKE CITY – Acclaimed conductor Igor Gruppman will lead the Orchestra at Temple Square in this year’s fall concert, which features soloist Kevin Kenner—hailed as “one of the finest American pianists to come along in years” (Howard Reich, “Star on the Rise,” Chicago Tribune, Oct. 30, 1994, chicagotribune.com). The concert will take place in the Tabernacle on Temple Square on Friday, October 16, and Saturday, October 17, 2015, at 7:30 p.m.

The concert will open with Chopin’s Concerto no. 2 in F minor for Piano and Orchestra, op. 21. The first of Chopin’s two piano concertos (though it was published second), this piece was written in 1830 when the composer was only 20 years old, prior to the completion of his formal schooling. The piece is written in three movements: an opening movement filled with non-stop virtuosity; the second, a nocturne written for a secret love; and the final movement with Polish folk music influences leading to an exciting conclusion.

Playing the solo on the concerto will be Kevin Kenner, who has performed with world-class orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic and the principal orchestras of many U.S. cities, including San Francisco, San Diego, Salt Lake City, Kansas City, New Jersey, Rochester, Baltimore and St. Paul.

Featured in the second half of the concert will be “Dance of the Blessed Spirits” from act 2 of Christoph Gluck’s opera Orfeo ed Euridice, a surprisingly tranquil piece from an opera about Orpheus’s journey to the underworld. The piece, premiered in 1762, is written for two flutes with orchestra accompaniment. Concluding the concert will be Mozart’s Symphony no. 40 in G minor, KV 550. Written in 1788 during a particularly productive three-month period that produced his 39th, 40th and 41st symphonies, it is one of only two Mozart symphonies written in a minor key. Tragic in tone and intensely emotional, it is one of Mozart’s most admired works and among the most frequently performed.

The Orchestra at Temple Square was formed in 1999 under the direction of Gordon B. Hinckley, then president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Its charter as an all-volunteer musical organization is to accompany the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and to perform in two concerts of its own each year.

Igor Gruppman was named conductor of the Orchestra at Temple Square in 2003. He enjoys a career as a violin soloist, conductor, concertmaster and chamber musician and has appeared in the great European capitals and in the major cities of North America, Israel and New Zealand. He has been a frequent guest with such orchestras as the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic and has worked with conductors Sir Georg Solti, Mstislav Rostropovich, Sir Colin Davis, Christoph Eschenbach and Bernard Haitink. In addition to his duties with the Orchestra at Temple Square, he is currently concertmaster of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.

Tickets

* Free tickets are required for this event. There is a limit of four tickets per person.

* On Tuesday, September 22, 2015, tickets may be obtained at lds.org/events or by calling 801-570-0080 (locally) or toll-free 1-866-537-8457 (1-866-LDS-TIKS) beginning at 10:00 a.m.

* Based on availability, tickets may be obtained in person at the ticket office located at door 4 of the Conference Center beginning Wednesday, September 23, 2015. The ticket office is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

* Seating will be general admission.