Classics IV: Romantic Connections

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Classics IV: Romantic Connections

April 25, 2026 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Johannes Müller Stosch, conductor   Mikhail Korzhev, piano  West Ottawa Performing Arts Center

Click here to view or download a PDF of the West Ottawa Performing Arts seating chart.

AUDIENCE CHOICE 2026  BONDS Montgomery Variations  MARX Romantic Piano Concerto  Audience Choice: Help us choose the opening piece for this concert!  Look for details in fall, 2025.  After studying piano and composition with Florence Price in Chicago, Margaret Bonds composed her variations in the wake of the 1963 firebombing of Birmingham, Alabama’s 16th Street Baptist Church. She describes them as “a group of freestyle variations based on the Negro Spiritual theme; I want Jesus to Walk with Me. The treatment suggests the manner in which Bach constructed his partitas – a bold statement of the theme, followed by variations of the theme.” A profound lyricist and yearning optimist, Austrian composer Joseph Marx considered himself a musical poet of happiness.  HSO Music Director Johannes Müller Stosch describes his 1919 Romantic Piano Concerto as “the Austrian counterpart of Rachmaninoff’s second piano concerto, with lush romantic melodies, harmonies, and plenty of technical fireworks for the soloist.”  The piece was resurrected and made popular by famed pianist Jorge Bolet, is a rarely performed gem melding orchestra with piano in a duet of energy and radiant lyricism.   Mikhail Korzzev is one of the few pianists of this generation who has the boldness, technique, and strength to take on Marx’s Romantic Piano Concerto.  He “projects strength, atmosphere and the ability to tangle even the knottiest passages…” (International Record Review) HSO Subscribers and donors will receive their season ticket renewal packets and brochures in mid-May 2025. Single tickets will go on-sale on August 1, 2025.    

Concert Sponsor:

Program

Audience Choice 2026!  Watch for more information.

The Montgomery Variations
Margaret Allison Bonds (1913-1972)
     
1. Decision
     2.
Prayer Meeting
     3. 
March
     4.
Dawn in Dixie
     5. One Sunday in the South
     6. Lament
     7. Benediction

Romantic Piano Concerto (Michigan premiere)
Joseph Marx 1882-1964
     
1. Lebhaft (Allegro moderato)
     2. Nicht zu langsam (Andante affettuoso)
     3. 
Sehr lebhaft (Allegro molto)

Mikhail Korzhev, piano

Sergei Rachmaninoff's grand Second Symphony is the centerpiece of the concert on Saturday, April 26, 2025, 7:30 p.m. at the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts, Hope College. Johannes Müller Stosch, will conduct the final concert of the 24-25 season.  A young cellist, Cameron Renshaw, will perform Max Bruch's emotional Kol Nidre.  The concert will open with a piece chosen by the HSO audience.  Look for ways to vote in Fall, 2024!

Tickets are $29 for adults and $10 for students through college.

Learn more about the music…

We will be hosting not only the Classical Chat series at Freedom Village, but also Pre-Concert Talks!  Details below:

Classical Chats at Freedom Village:  These informative and fun talks are led by Johannes Müller-Stosch and take place at 3:00pm on the Thursday before each Classics concert.  (Freedom Village, 6th Floor Auditorium, 145 Columbia Ave.)

Pre-Concert Talks:  These talks, led by Johannes Müller-Stosch and Amanda Dykhouse, are online under the "Pre-Concert Talk" Tab.  

New to the Symphony?  Check out the Frequently Asked Question page…

Parking Map at the Miller Center

Holland Symphony Orchestra will reserve and monitor Lot 40 for handicapped parking.  The faculty parking lots are available for parking after 5pm

Finlandia, Tone Poem for Orchestra, Op. 26
Jean Sibelius

Born: December 8, 1865, Hämeenlinna, Finland
Died: September 20, 1957, Järvenpää, Finland
Composed: 1899-1900
Approximate length: 8 minutes
Instrumentation: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (bass drum, cymbals, triangle), strings

Toward the end of the nineteenth century, the people of Finland became increasingly resistant to the oppressive rule of Czarist Russia.  Artists and composers such as Sibelius subtly joined this patriotic resistance by nurturing nationalism through their art.  For an 1899 festival, Sibelius composed music for a series of tableaux on themes of Finnish historical events.  Finlandia, which accompanied the final tableaux, was an instant success, bringing international attention to the composer and the cause of Finnish independence.

From its beginning, Finlandia establishes a mood of defiance with a snarling theme played in the brass.  This is answered by an organ-like response in the woodwinds and a prayerful passage in the strings, thought to reflect the earnestness of the Finnish people, even under the stress of national sorrow.  Trumpet calls seem designed to appeal to national emotion.  The piece closes with a chorale that has become almost a national anthem.

“There is a mistaken impression among the press abroad that my themes are often folk melodies” Sibelius wrote.  “So far I have never used a theme that was not of my own invention.  Thus the thematic material of Finlandia is entirely my own.”  There is good reason for these misconceptions, however; Siblelius’ identification with his people was so complete that even though he did not take his melodies from Finnish folk tunes, many of his melodies, including the chorale from Finlandia, have become folk melodies. 

To listen to Finlandia, click here

Kol Nidre, Op. 47
Max Bruch

Born: January 6, 1836, Cologne
Died: October 2, 1920, Berlin
Composed: 1880
Published: 1881, Berlin
Approximate length: 10 minutes
Instrumentation: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, harp, strings

Max Bruch was a German Romantic composer, violinist, teacher, and conductor.  He began composing at an early age and continued to pursue a life of music with a lot of support from his parents and community.  He was a well known musical figure during his lifetime though today he is known for only a few works, mostly solos for violin or cello and orchestra.  Bruch had a gift for writing captivating melodies.  Like many other Romantic composers of his day, he was fascinated by “foreign” music.  His Scottish Fantasy was one exploration of music from a different culture.  Another one of those pieces is his Kol Nidrei for cello and orchestra.  

Bruch wrote Kol Nidrei at the urging of cellist Robert Hausmann, who was envious of the pieces Bruch had written for violin and orchestra.  Bruch got the idea to write this piece from a melody given to him by a member of the Stern Choral Society, of which he was director from 1878-1880.  The melody was an old Hebrew song of atonement traditionally sung toward the beginning of a worship service on the eve of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.  This is the most solemn day of the Jewish calendar and the culmination of the Jewish High Holy Days that begin with Rosh Hashanah.  This day is traditionally observed by praying and fasting, and is an opportunity for reflection on the past year, repentance, and setting intentions for the coming year.  

Kol Nidrei, an Aramaic phrase meaning “all vows,” is a long, wandering liturgical chant that invites worshippers into this reflective mineset.  Bruch treats the traditional, meditative melody with a lot of freedom, breaking it up into groups of three pleading and sorrowful notes, each separated by a musical “sigh.”  Eventually Bruch departs from the “Jewish” atmosphere and moves in the direction of German Romantic music, becoming much more flowing in his melodies and even visiting major keys.  

Kol Nidre has become one of Bruch’s most beloved and widely performed pieces, and is in the repertoire of every cellist.  Bruch became so well known through this piece that the German National Socialist Party assumed he was of Jewish origin when they came to power in the 1930s, and banned all his music.  Fortunately the music by this German Lutheran composer survived the ban, and is cherished by soloists and audiences today.

To watch a video of Kol Nidrei, click here.

Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27
Sergei Rachmaninoff

Born: March 20/April 1 1873, Oneg, Russia
Died: March 28, 1943, Beverly Hills, California
Composed: 1906-7
Premiere: January 26, 1908, Saint Petersburg, Russia 
Approximate length: 60 minutes
Instrumentation: 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (bass drum, cymbals, glockenspiel, snare drum), strings

Rachmaninoff’s second symphony almost never happened!  The premiere of his first symphonic work–his first symphony–in 1897 was a disaster.  Alexander Glazunov, who was allegedly drunk, conducted a very poor performance of the piece.  Critics and the public responded harshly, including composer César Cui, who suggested the piece would only be appreciated by the “inmates” of a conservatory in hell.  Rachmaninoff described the experience as “the most agonizing hour of [his] life.”  This disaster led to one of the most legendary breakdowns in the history of classical music–a bout of depression and writer’s block that lasted three years.  He still performed as a pianist and composed some piano pieces, but threatened never to write again for orchestra.

In 1900 some of his relatives convinced him to seek psychotherapy with Nikolai Dahl, who specialized in hypnosis.  (Among other treatment approaches, Dahl had Rachmaninoff repeat to himself that he would write again “with great facility.”)  This therapy proved to be highly successful, and Rachmaninoff began to compose again.  In 1901 he completed his second piano concerto, his best known piece, and performed as soloist at its celebrated premiere.  He was so grateful that he dedicated the piece to Dahl.

In the wake of this success Rachmaninoff quickly became a celebrity and was often recognized and crowded by fans.  He longed for a quieter life that would enable him to compose, and he wanted to avoid the growing political turmoil in Russia, so in 1906 he and his family moved to Dresden, a city he had previously visited.  There he composed many piano pieces and a symphonic poem.  That fall he even found the courage to compose his second symphony, even writing to friends, “I have composed a symphony. It’s true! . . . I finished it a month ago and immediately put it aside. It was a severe worry to me and I’m not going to think about it anymore.” He finished the piece quickly, completing his first draft on New Year’s Day, 1907.  He continued to revise it and conducted the premiere himself in St. Petersburg on February 8, 1908.  This symphony was received with acclaim and was extremely popular throughout Rachmaninoff’s life and beyond.  With this piece Rachmoninoff won his second Glinka Prize.  

Rachmaninoff’s second symphony is considered his orchestral masterpiece.  In this piece listeners experience a mature Rachmaninoff, who succeeds in expanding everything good about Tchaikovsky and Russian romanticism–orchestral colors, rich harmonies, and heartfelt melodies.  His language is unabashedly romantic at a time when his contemporaries were moving beyond tonality.  Rachmaninoff’s musical phrases are expansive, surging between tender moments and passionate outbursts.  The massive scope of the entire symphony (the violin part is twenty-nine pages!) takes listeners on an incredible musical and emotional journey. 

The first movement begins with a quiet and simple melodic fragment in the cellos and basses.  Almost every melody in the piece can trace its origin to this brief stepwise theme, which provides a brilliant sense of cohesion to this massive symphony.   The lyrical opening leads to a mournful English horn solo before the faster main theme begins.  Scurrying triplet motives present a different version of the original theme and foreshadow the final movement.  Rachmaninoff’s expansive dialogue invites listeners into a musical exploration of tenderness, pathos, and melancholy, with moments that look toward triumph.  

The second movement, a scherzo, is the shortest movement.  It feels festive despite its minor key, and starts with bustling and sparkling energy.  He provides contrast with a broad secondary theme and a complicated fugue.  As the movement progresses, four unison horns play a majestic theme derived from the Dies irae, the ancient chant describing the day of judgment, adding a layer of ominous darkness to the emotional palette of the piece.  The movement ends quietly

The third movement is the most quintessentially “Rachmaninoff” movement of the symphony, with its rhapsodic and wandering melodies, rich harmonies, and slowly building climaxes.  It opens with a theme for clarinet which is repeated by the strings.  Pop singer Eric Carmen used this theme in his song, “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again.”  Throughout this movement Rachmaninoff wears his heart on his sleeve as he showcases his gift for taking a simple theme and making it expansive, rich, and heartfelt.  

The last movement bursts on the scene with enthusiastic joy.  It initially takes the form of a tarantella, with quickly moving triplet figures, but moves on to contrasting musical sections that are boisterous, march-like, and lyrical.  Toward the end the Dies irae theme from the scherzo returns as a brass chorale, and a grand romantic theme brings the piece to a close.  

To watch a video of Rachmaninoff's second symphony, click here.

Mikhail Korzhev, a pianist that “projects strength, atmosphere and the ability to tangle even the knottiest passages…” (International Record Review) is equally active as a solo recitalist, a performer with various chamber groups, a soloist with orchestras, and as a recording artist. His latest CD recordings, the two volumes of a Complete Piano Concertos by Ernst Krenek in collaboration with English Symphony Orchestra and Kenneth Woods were released by Toccata Classics in 2016 and 2017 to enthusiastic reviews in Gramophone, Diapason and other publications, made it to the “want list” of Fanfare magazine, became one of “10 Best Contemporary Records of the Year” by The Times (London), and in December 2017 made it to the list of “Top 10 Best Classical Records of the Year” by Forbes magazine. In September 2017 Korzhev became a recipient of a prestigious Anassilaos Prize, the annual award for the achievements in Arts and Sciences given by the local government of the province of Calabria (Italy).

Korzhev collaborated with several distinguished conductors: Sergiu Commissiona, Carlo Ponti Jr. and others, his chamber music collaborations include performing with soloists of Russian National Orchestra, Mladi Chamber Orchestra, Lyris String Quartet, and members of St. Petersburg and Tokyo String Quartets among others. His collaborative work was highly appreciated by Eugenia Zukerman, Richard Stolzman, Oleh Krysa and other noted musicians. Korzhev’s performances received a high critical acclaim from American and European press: ”The young Russian pianist… displayed a notable technical mastery which allowed for passionate moments of ardent lyricism as well as wonderful purity and fluency…” (Momento Sera, Rome).”Korzhev belongs to that exclusive club of super musicians…he already performs like a keyboard legend…he is a major talent.” (Salt Lake Tribune).

His particular interest in contemporary music has lead Korzhev to participate in the Virginia Waring International Piano Competition in 2005, which had the emphasis on the music of Ernst Krenek. As a winner of that competition Korzhev gave a recital in the Vienna’s Konzerthaus about which the Wiener Zeitung wrote: “Korzhev obviously has a lot of affection for Krenek’s style… brings out well the dramatic qualities of his music…” Following the success of his Vienna debut Korzhev recorded a CD of Krenek’s piano music, released by Phoenix Edition/Naxos in 2008 that became an instant top seller and received several very enthusiastic reviews in the press.

Korzhev’s discography also includes three CD recordings featuring compositions for solo piano and chamber works by a prominent English composer Gerard Schurmann (in collaboration with Alyssa Park and Lyris string quartet) and a compilation of 40 classical standards for the online music library Megatrax.com.  

Korzhev combines his performing career with teaching. He taught at University of Southern California. Currently he is on the faculty of California State University at Fullerton and Chapman University. Since 2008 Korzhev is the faculty member at Beverly Hills International Music Festival. In the summer of 2009 he taught a summer course at the Bosendorfer Piano Academy in Vienna, Austria.

Korzhev holds a doctorate in piano performance from University of Southern California, where he studied with Daniel Pollack. His previous teachers include Alexander Satz and Vera Khoroshina at Moscow Conservatory College.

To watch the pre-concert video, click here.

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Details

Date:
April 25, 2026
Time:
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Cost:
$30
Website:
www.hollandsymphony.org

Venue

West Ottawa Performing Arts Center
3685 Butternut Drive
Holland, MI 49424 United States
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Phone
(616) 786-1000
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Organizer

Holland Symphony Orchestra