As Valentine’s Day approaches, the Albany Symphony gives love a musical presence at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on Friday, February 14 at 7:30pm and Saturday, February 15 at 3:00pm.
Music Director David Alan Miller notes, “We are so excited to share this hyper-romantic Valentine’s Day program with everyone,” as the Albany Symphony presents a night devoted to romance’s most enduring motifs. The program includes performances by internationally acclaimed artists John Brancy and Kara Dugan.
Where Love and Longing Meet
Shakespeare, a playwright fascinated by love in all its complexity, will serve as an early influence on the program through Tchaikovsky’s symphonic fantasia The Tempest. The music encapsulates drama, love, and passion, evoking the fury of storm-tossed seas, the mystery of the enchanted island, and, above all, the blossoming love between Miranda and Ferdinand.
With love comes loss, a theme explored in Gustav Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer. Unrequited love stands as the most emotionally raw form of love, rooted in devotion without return. As Mahler’s poems progress, the profoundly human quality of the work allows audiences into the the emotional world of heartbreak. Baritone John Brancy will perform as the soloist.
Nathaniel and Sophia Hawthorne’s marriage, defined by deep affection and creative partnership, forms the emotional foundation of Feathers from the Old Manse. Through their words, everyday moments of playful humor and spiritual reflection remain deeply relatable. These intimate, private moments invite audiences to see themselves reflected in the couple’s shared life.
Finally, completing the program, Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 3, “Rhenish,” composed in 1850, provides a joyful conclusion to an occasion that honors love.
Evidently, soloists John Brancy and Kara Dugan bring international acclaim and wide-ranging experience across opera, concert, and contemporary repertoire. By the same token, composer Loren Loiacono writes music often described as vivid, colorful, and dreamlike, with commissions and performances from orchestras including the Detroit Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, and the American Composers Orchestra.
For the purpose of audiences insight into the program, a pre-concert talk with Music Director David Alan Miller will take place at 6:30pm on Saturday evening and 2:00pm on Sunday. For tickets and more information, visit albanysymphony.com or call 518-694-3300.
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