University Symphony Orchestra

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Kenneth Kiesler, conductor

PROGRAM

Beethoven, Symphony No. 1
Shostakovich, Chamber Symphony
Prokofiev, Classical Symphony

The University Symphony Orchestra, led by its music director Kenneth Kiesler, presents an evening of three contrasting firsts. In their first symphonies, Beethoven and Prokofiev each take the symphony of Mozart and Haydn through some new twists and turns, both with a sense of humor and playfulness. Shostakovich’s first chamber symphony, a string orchestra version of his Eighth String Quartet, was written in three days and dedicated to the victims of fascism and war. As it tells his own story in quotes from several of his previous pieces and by using his own initials as notes, it’s clear that he was one of them! This powerful and deeply personal music is quite a contrast from the witty and entertaining symphonies of Beethoven and Prokofiev.