SOUTHEAST ORCHESTRA TO KICK OFF INTERNATIONAL WEEK WITH CONCERT

The Southeast Missouri State University orchestra will help kick off International Week with a concert April 12 featuring music from Russia, Spain, China and Norway.

The symphony orchestra concert is scheduled for 8 p.m. in Academic Auditorium.

The program will begin with a composition by 20th century Chinese composers Mao and Liu titled "The Dance of the Yao Tribe." This piece combines the traditional sounds of the full symphony orchestra with tunes and rhythms drawn from oriental sources.

The orchestra will also perform Edvard Grieg's popular "Peer Gynt Suite No. 1."

Grieg, who lived from 1843 to 1901, was the most important Norwegian composer of his time and one of the first composers to incorporate a Norwegian folk idiom in his music.

First performed in 1876 as incidental music to Ibsen's play of the same name, the "Peer Gynt Suite" displays Grieg's dramatic and lyrical abilities.

After a brief intermission the University Orchestra will perform "Song of the Birds" by 20th century Spanish composer and cellist Pablo Casals.

Born in Spain in 1876, Casals had a remarkable international career that spanned several decades. Most noted for his achievements as a cellist, Casals also composed several works for other instruments.

The "Songs of the Birds" is based on a Spanish folk song and was scored for cello and string orchestra. It is one of the last compositions Casals performed publically. It was performed in 1972, when Casals was 96 years old, one year before his death.

The University Orchestra will conclude its international concert with a performance of Rachmaninoff's "Second Piano Concerto". Born in Russia in 1873, Sergei Rachmaninoff was a noted composer, conductor and pianist. His compositions are imbued with the rich melodic and harmonic inventiveness of the late Romantic Russian style.

First performed by the composer in 1901, the "Second Piano Concerto" explores the expressive, lyrical powers of the piano. Susan Ho, a senior at Southeast Missouri State University, will perform the piano solo in this concerto, accompanied by the orchestra.

The University Orchestra is under the direction of Dr. Sara Edgerton, assistant professor of music. Edgerton will conduct the concert.

The program is open to the public. Tickets, which will be available at the door, are $4 for adults and $2 for students and senior citizens. Admission to the concert is free with a university identification.

For more information call the Southeast Department of Music at 651-2141.