If you go
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
(with special guest Time for Three)
Where: The Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda
When: 8 p.m. Sept. 26
Info: $28 to $90; 877-276-1444; bsomusic.org
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of music director Marin Alsop, ushers in its 2009-10 symphonic season at the Music Center at Strathmore in authentic hoedown style with their special guests, Time for Three. The talented trio — Zach De Pue and Nick Kendall on violins and Ranaan Meyer on double bass — will perform with the BSO in a piece written exclusively for them by composer Jennifer Higdon titled “Concerto 4-3,” an obvious play on the group’s name.
While students at the Curtis Institute of Music, Time for Three’s De Pue and Kendall shared a love of fiddling in the country-western and bluegrass styles. Bassist Meyer incorporated his deep roots in jazz and improvisation. After considerable experimentation, the three officially formed a trio.
“The Time for Three trio has crafted a very unique sound: They apply the precision of their classical training to the electric energy of bluegrass style for a sound that is truly unique and brings down the house every time,” BSO spokesman Jeff Counts said. “Jennifer Higdon knows them personally and really understands their style. She has composed a work for them that is as much a showcase of their talents as it is of their personalities.”
” ‘Concerto 4-3’ is a hybrid mix between classical and bluegrass,” composer Higdon said. “It is different from other things I have written in that I had to combine two languages from two different worlds.”
Adjusting her compositions according to the musicians she writes for and deciding if it all works out, Higdon maintains the answer to a successful piece is always in the ear of the beholder.
The evening’s program also includes Brahms’ “Hungarian Dances” and Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 4.”
