You say you want a revolution? Well, the Altoona Symphony Orchestra and its featured artists will bring their audience just that with their "Revolution" program at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Mishler Theatre in Altoona.
The concert program was built entirely around this theme, said Maestra Teresa Cheung, and will feature some pieces inspired by the Revolutionary War and another written by a revolutionary thinker. The ASO will play Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10 in E minor, which Cheung described as an "epic piece" that demonstrated the composer's "personal revolution" that he went through while living in Soviet Russia.
Cheung added that she calls Shostako-vich the "Da-Vinci Code" of composers because he put a coded signature into his music in the same tradition as Johann Bach and others before his time.
"He put a lot of his identity and struggles into that piece," Cheung said.
From personal struggles to the struggles of a whole nation, Saturday's concert will also feature a performance by featured artists and educators Donna Wissinger, flute, and Joy Myers, piano. Their "Revolution" program uses both history and music to tell the tale of the Revolutionary War.
Wissinger said one piece called "Falling Down Doodle," is based on popular children's songs "London Bridge is Falling Down" and "Yankee Doodle," and pits her and Myers against the orchestra. The piece was written specifically for the two musicians by composer Jeremy Ribando.
"The sounds are really strained and convoluted," Myers said. "It's really a fabulous reflection of what's going on."
Performances of Robert Kerr's "The Ulster-Scots: Voyage of Hope" and "Johnny Appleseed Suite" and Aaron Copland's classic "Fanfare for the Common Man" will also be heard at the performance.
Wissinger said the ASO is "very dynamic and fabulous in its own light," but adding the drama and the costumes from their "Revolution" program will make for a great show.
"Joy and I both applaud the symphony and the directors for being advocates for the vibrant and colorful living that the arts bring to the community," Wissinger said.
Chrissey Wagner, executive director for the ASO, said Saturday's program is both diverse and suitable for all ages.
"All of our concerts are for everybody," she said. "But this one is probably more for youth and family."
