Lexington Symphony presents Haydn’s Symphony No. 43 “Mercury” and Nielsen Clarinet Concerto

The following is a press release from Lexington Symphony.

In the first concert of the new year, Lexington Symphony presents Haydn’s Symphony No. 43 “Mercury” and the Nielsen Clarinet Concerto featuring Lexington Symphony’s principal clarinet William Kirkley. The concert is on Feb. 4, 2012 at 8 p.m. in .

William Kirkley is the principal clarinet player, as well as a founding member and current member of the Board of Directors of the Lexington Symphony. Kirkley is also the Principal Clarinetist for the Cape Ann Symphony, Boston Musica Viva, and the Gordon Symphony. He is a member of the Orchestra of Indian Hill, and is a substitute clarinetist for the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops.

Kirkley has has performed with the Boston Symphony, the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, the Bolshoi Ballet, the Santa Fe Opera, and the Chicago Civic Orchestra under Sir Georg Solti. And his playing has been called “emotional, committed, and intensely exciting” by the Boston Globe. 

Kirkley will be performing Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto with the Lexington Symphony. Carl Nielsen (1865 – 1931) is widely considered to be Denmark’s greatest composer. In particular his clarinet concerto, which is presented in one, continuous movement and is a major work has become a staple of the clarinet repertoire.

One of Haydn’s 104 symphonies, Symphony No. 43, called “Mercury,” will be performed. The symphony, composed between the years of 1766 and 1772, has been called “one of Haydn’s wittiest works.”  Lyrical and playful, this is one of Haydn’s “chamber” symphonies; it is a lively and accessible work with a lighter texture.

The program will also include a short piece by Nielsen entitled The Artist’s Bier and Respighi’s Trittico Botticelliano, which translates as Botticelli’s triptych, and is a three-movement piece based on three famous Botticelli paintings that hang in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

Lexington Symphony is a group of dedicated professional musicians who share a passion for music and for exacting standards of performance. The symphony is directed by Maestro Jonathan McPhee, one of the leading musical figures in New England. The symphony season runs from September through June with six ticketed concerts, community outreach programs, and a dedicated education program for the next generation of musicians, including the acclaimed program Orchestrating Kids Through Classics™.

Tickets available online at http://www.lexingtonsymphony.org, by phone at 781-523-9009, with your check payable to Lexington Symphony, P.O. Box 194, Lexington MA 02420, or in person at , 1838 Mass Ave., Lexington (cash/check only). Individual ticket prices are $50, $40, $30, $20 (student). Will-call tickets must be picked up at least 15 minutes prior to concert.