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The Lee University Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Artist-in-Residence Bob Bernhardt, will have its first concert of the year on Monday evening, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m. in Pangle Hall. This will be the first performance in the newly renovated performance hall and is part of a two-day grand opening celebration, with the second event happening the next night, Oct. 28.

According to Bernhardt, the first work on the program is one of the most famous tone poems in the symphonic repertoire: “The Moldau” by the Bohemian composer Bedrich Smetana. It is one movement of a six-part suite called “My Country,” in which each movement describes an aspect of the composer’s beloved Bohemian homeland.

“The Moldau” describes the river of the same name, from the river’s origins, passing a forest hunt and a peasant dance, becoming a series of rapids, and ending as a mighty river at its fullest breadth. This piece also has Smetana’s most famous tune, based upon the 17th century Italian melody “La Mantovana,” which was the basis for the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikvah.”

The program will conclude with “Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21” by Ludwig van Beethoven. While written sometime between 1795 and 1797, the premiere of this symphony was in 1800 in Vienna in a concert that also included Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 2,” his Septet, and works by Mozart and Haydn. Beethoven used this concert to introduce himself into the musical life of Vienna. Premiering 12 years after Mozart’s final symphony, and five years after Haydn’s, Beethoven’s first symphonic effort is both homage to his predecessors and a declaration of independence.

“Most of all, this is a happy, tricky, clever and exciting romp, and a rewarding challenge for Lee Symphony,” said Bernhardt.

Bernhardt joined Lee’s School of Music in the fall of 2011 as an artist-in-residence and conductor of the Lee Symphony Orchestra. He also serves as Music Director Emeritus and Principal Pops Conductor of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera (CSO) and Principal Pops Conductor of the Louisville Orchestra.

He was formerly the music director and conductor for 19 seasons with the CSO, and is the first to hold the title Emeritus. He is also a frequent guest conductor for the Boston Pops Orchestra and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

The concert is free and open to the public. For more information about the School of Music at Lee University, email [email protected]
or call (423) 614-8240.