Gettysburg College Orchestra concert to range from war to Mother Goose

Posted: Mon, 11 Nov 2002

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - For his debut as leader of the Gettysburg College Orchestra, nationally known conductor and violinist Ryan Brown has chosen a program ranging from a musical depiction of war to scenes from Mother Goose.

Brown will lead the orchestra in works that run the gamut from the 17th to the 20th centuries at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 24. The public is invited at no charge to the event in the Ballroom of the College Union Building, West Lincoln and College avenues.
Compositions on the program include:

o "Battalia" (1673) by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, which Brown described as "a 17th-century Austrian take on the vicissitudes of battle and military life, complete with multiple folk songs clashing at once." Brown will play his violin as he conducts.

o "Mother Goose Suite" (1908) by Maurice Ravel. "Ravel's rich tapestry of orchestral color paints a musical picture of various enchanting stories including a conversation between Beauty and the Beast," Brown said.

o Selections from "The Enigma Variations" (1899) by Edward Elgar. Each movement is labeled with initials or a name as tribute to the composer's friends.

o The overture to the opera "Nabucco" (1842), by Giuseppi Verdi, which Brown said will bring the concert to "a rousing close."

Brown is the founder and artistic director of Opera Lafayette in Washington, D.C., and Sonoma County, Calif. Alongside an extensive career as a chamber musician, most prominently as violinist with the Four Nations Ensemble in repertoire of the 18th century, Brown has also led and conducted larger works from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries with period instrument ensembles and symphony orchestras across the United States. Most recently, he has been acclaimed for his direction of 17th and 18th century French opera with Opera Lafayette, including its recording of Gluck's "Orphee et Euridice." The Four Nations Ensemble has released internationally acclaimed recordings of music by Handel, Vivaldi, Caldara, Porpora, Schobert, and Haydn, and has offered programs for students of Gettysburg College and nearby public schools during several residencies in recent years.

Brown holds degrees from Oberlin, Cincinnati, and the Juilliard School, and studied the violin there with Dorothy Delay. He is in Gustav Meier's conducting class at the Peabody Institute of Music.

Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences. With a student body of approximately 2,400, it is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to the Gettysburg National Military Park. The college was founded in 1832.

Issued 11/11/02

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