 Mark The Dates
By LISA CRUZ
Photography courtesy of SAPictx,
Ahh — the holidays! A time of
spiced apple scents, jingling
bells and eloquent harmony. From
November through mid-January, we will
fill our plates with good food, our souls
with spiritual celebration and our ears
with jubilant refrains.
The San Antonio Symphony will present
several special performances
throughout December and January to
help fill us with the spirit of the holidays
and take us singing into the New Year.
The Symphony has teamed with Arts San
Antonio for a special presentation of Pyotr
Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s holiday favorite, The
Nutcracker. Performing with the Moscow
Ballet, the Symphony will help bring to life
the Land of Snow and Sweets and transform
the Municipal Auditorium stage into
everyone’s most memorable Christmas
party, with such guests as the Mouse King,
Clara and the Nutcracker Prince.
The Nutcracker performances will run
Dec. 6 and 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 8 at 2
p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The Moscow Classical Ballet was
established in 1966 to tour the Soviet
Union and the world performing
Russian classical ballet. The troupe has
won more than 15 gold medals from
international competitions throughout
the world and was granted the prestigious
title of Academic Theatre by the
Russian government.
“We are very excited about partnering
with Arts San Antonio to bring
such a timeless classic to audiences
here,” says David Green, president and
CEO of the San Antonio Symphony. “The Moscow Ballet is a fabulous group
of performers, and there really is no
equal to hearing Tchaikovsky’s score
performed by a live orchestra. It rounds
out the Nutcracker experience.”
 The Symphony moves from ballet to
choral harmony as the orchestra shares
the stage Dec. 14 and 15 with the San
Antonio Mastersingers and vocal soloists.
Guest conductor James Judd will lead
the orchestra in a performance of
George Frideric Handel’s timeless oratorio,
Messiah. Both concerts begin at 8
p.m. on the Majestic Theatre stage.
Complete with glorious choruses and
powerfully dramatic solos, Handel’s
Messiah is one of the most popular
works in the history of music. The work is
a presentation of the significance of
Jesus’ life with text taken from the Bible.
Although the work was conceived and
first performed for Easter, it has become
traditional since Handel's death to perform
the Messiah oratorio during the
Christmas season.
In a three-week spurt of creativity —
between Aug. 22 and Sept. 12, 1741 —
Handel wrote Messiah, resulting in nearly
two-and-a-half hours of inspired music.
British historian Richard Luckett notes, “There has never been a year since (its
premiere in) 1742 in which Messiah has
not been performed.”
The Symphony follows the reflective Messiah piece with some frolicking holiday
fun, bringing back Holiday Pops Dec. 21 and 22 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 23 at 2
p.m. Robert Moody will conduct this
upbeat tribute to traditional favorites such as We Wish You a Merry Christmas,
O Holy Night and March of the Toys from
Babes in Toyland.
The San Antonio Mastersingers add their
harmonious sound to Carol of the Bells and Peter, Ring Dem Bells, among others. The
audience will be invited to participate in an
entertaining Christmas sing-along.
Prior to the Holiday Pops performance,
families can join in the holiday festivities
with a special Interactive Series
Concert of Peter and the Wolf, on Dec.
16 at 2:30 p.m. at Trinity University's Laurie
Auditorium. Symphony resident conductor
Ken-David Masur will lead the orchestra
and audience through composer
Sergei Prokofiev’s beloved classic that
has entertained parents and children for
generations. The Interactive Series also
features musical arts and crafts and an
instrument petting zoo for children and
the young at heart one hour before
the performance.
“We had our first Interactive Concert
in September, and it was such an exciting
atmosphere,” Masur says.“To see children
and parents enjoying not only the story
being told, but understanding how symphonic
music plays a role in shaping a
story, was energizing. I am really looking
forward to this next concert.”
The Symphony kicks off the second
half of the season with the return of
maestro Larry Rachleff conducting an
evening of piano concertos. The Jan. 18
and 19 concerts will feature pianist Peter
Serkin, and the Symphony will perform
Igor Stravinsky’s Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra and Johann Sebastian Bach’s
Keyboard Concerto No. 1.The Symphony
will also perform the boisterous Fifth
Symphony by Sergei Prokofiev.
Whether to introduce the joy of classical
music to children or to enjoy more
introspective holiday sounds, the
Symphony has much to offer this season.
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