The Bergen Symphony Orchestra
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2019, 7:30 pm
Hope Presbyterian Church, 1190 River Road, Teaneck, NJ
A Trio of Classical Era Greats
with Guest Vocalists
IN YOUNG LEE, soprano • GABRIELA JOHNSON, mezzo soprano
SUNG WOOK KIM, tenor • DO JIN JUNG, bass
The Bergen Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Music Director Woomyung Choe, presents a moving evening of masterpieces by a Trio of Classical Era Greats. They were the prolific and influential Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, who expanded the Classical traditions of the other two and inspired the Romantics who succeeded him. Added to the mix are four distinguished guests: soprano In Young Lee, mezzo soprano Gabriela Johnson, tenor Sung Wook Kim, and bass Do Jin Jung. The concert is at 7:30 pm on Saturday, November 23, 2019 at Hope Presbyterian Church, 1190 River Road, Teaneck, NY.
The evening begins with Mass in C Major, Hob. XXII/9, “In Time of War” or “Paukenmesse” (due to the dramatic use of timpani) by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 –1809). The Mass was composed in 1796, during Austria’s general mobilization into the European war that followed the French Revolution. While it also reflected the troubled mood of the times, most of the mass is of a lyrically joyful nature.
The next treat is the luscious “Laudate Dominum” from the 1780 masterpiece Vesperae Solennes de Confessore K.339, the very last Salzburg liturgical piece by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-791). The “Laudate Dominum” for soprano and chorus is a work beautiful enough for a place in any of Mozart’s operas but somehow also breathing an inward spiritual air perfectly appropriate to a church service.
TBSO concludes with the exuberant Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Opus 36, written when the great and heroic Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was overwhelmed by depression and thoughts of suicide. It was then, between 1801 and 1802, when Beethoven realized his deteriorated hearing might never improve. Yet it seems he was determined to shake off his dark state of mind with this bright and vibrant work.
Admission is free for this concert. For information call 201-704-7584 or 413-446-6266 or go to