Concert to provide musical survey of European history

The show

What: Benefit concert by the Kansas City Symphony

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Lied Center, 1600 Stewart Drive

Tickets: $10

Ticket info: 864-2787 or www.lied.ku.edu

¢ All proceeds will benefit music education in Lawrence Public Schools.

Giuseppe Verdi’s Overture to Nabucco is an introduction to the four-act opera based on the biblical stories of Nebuchadnezzar, a Babylonian king who banished the Jews from their homeland. It was first performed in 1842 in Milan to captivated audiences.

Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 in A Major, commonly referred to as the “Italian,” consists of four movements, two of which will be performed by the symphony (I. Allegro Vivace and IV. Saltarello: Presto). Mendelssohn was a famous Romantic composer who studied Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Sebastian Bach’s works as inspiration throughout his life.

Overture to Il Signor Bruschino was composed by Gioachino Antonio Rossini, who wrote 39 operas during his life. Il Signor Bruschino is based on a play written by Alissan de Chazet and E.T.M. Ourry named “Le fils par hasard, ou ruse et folie.” The overture is filled with visual comedic tidbits performed by the orchestra.

Cavalleria rusticana’s Intermezzo, written by Pietro Mascagni, is meant to provide a comical break and a dramatic scene during an opera and can be performed separate from the opera itself, as is being done in the Kansas City Symphony’s case. The opera is set on Easter morning in a Sicillian village, and was first performed in 1890 in Rome.

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien op. 45 is inspired by a trip Tchaikovsky took to Italy early in his life. The piece is indicative of Italian carnivals and folk music that Tchaikovsky witnessed first hand, and even incorporates a bugle call during the introduction.

Performance etiquette

Countless times, audience members have cheered, clapped and even whooped after hearing a music piece being performed by an orchestra. There are times, however, when it’s not really appropriate to applaud.

Here are some concert etiquette tips:

¢ Some variation of formal attire is necessary. Despite the recent lowering of standards for concert wear, audience members are encouraged to wear “dressy” attire.

¢ Clapping is encouraged by all, but it is important to know when to do so. A conductor will lower his hands to his sides or turn to the audience to signal the end of a performance of a particular piece. That is a sure bet that the piece – not just a single movement – has come to an end and it is the audience’s turn to burst into affectionate applause.

¢ Leave your cell phone in the car or turn it off.

¢ Most importantly, arrive on time. If you are late, you are expected to take a seat in the back of the auditorium.

– Mila Mimica