On Sunday, June 9, 2024 at 3:00 PM, the Lincoln-Sudbury Civic Orchestra (LSCO) presents its spring concert of its 51st season, “Symphonic Potpourri” at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School.
The concert is indeed a potpourri – a collage of great music, opening with two concertos with soloists Emil Altschuler, violin, and Dave McLellan, guitar. Works by two great Englishmen whose lives spanned the 19th and 20th centuries, Ralph Vaughan-Williams and Edward Elgar, are featured. The program’s biggest work is Antoin Dvorak’s Ninth Symphony. A special treat of tango by Astor Piazzolla will be performed by the soloists together.
Completing his second season, Alfonso Piacentini, a charismatic, young conductor and percussionist leads the all-volunteer community orchestra.
In an unusual programming twist, Piacentini is joined by two soloists: Violinist Emil Altschuler returns for his fourth performance with LSCO, and guitarist Dave McLellan – normally LSCO’s timpanist -- for his third. Altschuler will perform Niccolo Paganini’s
Concerto #1 for violin, and McLellan will offer the
Concerto #1 for Guitar by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. Altschuler and McLellan will also perform together in selected movements of Astor Piazzolla’s
History of the Tango.
The second half of the program highlights two great masterworks of the English orchestral repertoire: Edward Elgar’s
Enigma Variations, the
Norfolk Rhapsody #1, by Ralph Vaughan-Williams.
The program will close with Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony #9, known as
The New World Symphony. Acclaimed violinist,
Emil Altschuler, performs with incredible technique, magnificent expression and a profound artistry across a wide-ranging repertoire. The Boston Globe writes “top notch” of Altschuler’s performance. The Strad praises “Passion and portamento from a young American violinist”, and The Whole Note writes “There’s a decidedly old-style feel to…very reminiscent of Heifetz.” Erick Friedman, master violinist and protégé of the legendary Jascha Heifetz, wrote “…a truly outstanding violinist of his generation…and sound and accuracy of intonation that are truly extraordinary.”
Dave McLellan has performed in the U.S., South America, Great Britain, and Europe since 1976, including debut and chamber appearances in Jordan Hall, Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, and Wigmore Hall (London). Beginning in 1981, he lived a double life as software engineer and concert guitarist with duo partner Neil Anderson. The Anderson-McLellan Duo gave several hundred concerts throughout the 1980’s, including two concert tours of Great Britain, and festival performances in the US and South America. Mr. McLellan’s collaborators include the late guitarist/composer Frank Wallace, the Serata Quartet, soprano Rebecca Grimes, soprano Rebekah Alexander, contralto Emily Marvosh (Handel & Haydn Society, Lorelei), flutist Tracy Kraus, violinist Judith Eissenberg, and guitarist Edward Flower.
Alfonso Piacentini also serves under Benjamin Zander as an Assistant Conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and its youth orchestra. Managing Director William Nicholson said in a recent interview: “We so enjoy Maestro Piacentini on the podium. He brings great vitality to our eclectic mashup of the two concertos, and the iconic works by Dvorak, Elgar, and Vaughan Williams.”
Admission to the is a suggested donation of $20 per adult. Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School is located at 390 Lincoln Rd in Sudbury. The concert will also be livestreamed on SudburyTV. Go to
https://www.sudburytv.org, scroll down on the main page to the
Live Stream section and click on
Watch Now for the Educational Channel.