Albany Symphony Orchestra premieres ‘Thronateeska’ with ‘Water’ concert

ALBANY — The Flint River played a critical role in the development of Albany, and when it has risen from its banks it has tested the community. On Saturday, the Albany Symphony Orchestra will debut a symphonic work inspired by the Flint River that also employs part of the river in its performance — “Thronateeska.”

Written by Steven Landis, a Gainesville, Fla., resident and long-time member of the orchestra, “Thronateeska” was commissioned for the golden anniversary of the Albany Symphony. Complementing works by Smetana and Beethoven that also were inspired by water bodies, it highlights the “Water” segment of the orchestra’s “Brave the Elements” series that already has focused on fire and air. The fourth subscription performance in April will incorporate earth, the final of the classic elements.

The concert also will feature the quartet enhake as guest performers during the “Thronateeska” segment, and the concert will be a more casual affair in keeping with the symphony’s annual “Beethoven in Blue Jeans” theme. Instead of their usual formal black attire, the orchestra members will be wearing jeans.

“We want people to come as they are,” Symphony Director Claire Fox Hillard said last week. “The purpose of going is to enjoy the music. It’s not what you’re wearing.”

The concert will open with “Vlatava,” or “The Moldau,” composed by Bedrich Smetana (1824-84) of Czechoslovakia. The second in Smetana’s cycle Ma Vlast (“My Country”), the piece is meant to portray the Moldau River that flows through the Bohemian countryside from the Sumava Forest, past Prague and finally joining the Elbe River.

“It fits the theme of water or, in this case, the river,” Hillard said.

The evening will conclude with a piece by the namesake of the blue jeans performance, Ludwig van Beethoven. The symphony will perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral.” Hillard said the piece is inspired by Beethoven’s wanderings in the countryside.

“He’s got scenes by the brooks and he has scenes from the thunderstorm,” the maestro noted. “It fits in with the theme of water very nicely.”

Between those, the orchestra will premiere Landis’ “Thronateeska.”

With each of the featured composers interpreting a water source important to him, Hillard said, “The juxtaposition is going to be very interesting.”

Landis wrote Thronateeska “for our 50th anniversary,” Hillard said. “He has been playing with the Albany Symphony for quite a few years.”

The Florida native has taught composition at Salem College in Winston-Salem, N.C., and has master’s degrees in both composition from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and in double bass performance from the University of Florida. He is pursuing a music doctorate at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory.

“A few years ago, we started looking at the 50th anniversary season of the Albany Symphony,” Landis said in a phone interview last week. “We started talking about things we could do to make the season really special. Claire (Hillard) said a piece might be a good idea, so we started there. But we’re talking years in the making (of) this project. We probably started talking about this over coffee in 2010.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE: For more on Steven Landis discussing his inspiration for writing “Thronateeska,” see SouthView this Wednesday.)

“He just loves going around Albany,” Hillard said of Landis. “He loves going down to the river and to the (Flint) RiverQuarium and over to the Thronateeska (Heritage Center).” When the chance to write an original concerto arose, “the river immediately came to mind,” Hillard said.

“It’s the continuation of a tradition,” Hillard said. “Smetana wrote about the Moldau and we have Steven writing about the river in the town where he performs. Beethoven wrote about the brook in the woods where he wandered.”

Part of the Flint River, in fact, will be incorporated into the concert. Pieces of flint from the river will be used by percussionists with the orchestra during part of the performance of “Thronateeska.”

The concerto by Lanis is cast in three continuous movements that first explore the geological features of the Flint River and its use in pre-Columbian history. That will be followed by a homage to spider lilies in bloom that are unique to the river. The final movement is meant to be a survey of events as perceived by the river.

“It’ll be the world premiere,” Hillard said. “He sent us the parts (of “Thronteeska”) fresh off the printer.”

Accompanying the orchestra as it performs “Thronateeska” will be a chamber music ensemble already familiar to Albany music lovers, enhake. The ensemble — Wonkak Kim, clarinet; M. Brent Williams, violin; Katherine Geeseman, ‘cello; and Eun-Hee Park, piano — has been featured at the Symphony @ the Museum Sunday afternoon concert series at the Albany Museum of Art and is the symphony’s “ensemble in residence.” “Thronateeska” was written with enhake in mind for prominent roles.

Hillard says he enjoys working with enhake, whose members “just love coming here. And it gives them a chance to practice together.”

The group performs works spanning from classical to contemporary and, with the young ages of the members, shows that concerts such as the symphony’s can appeal to younger audiences, Hillard said.

“They’re a neat group,” he said. “They’re young and with them young people can come to watch them and see other young people enjoying and doing this kind of music.”

The symphony performance is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Albany Municipal Auditorium, 200 N. Jackson St. Landis will join Hillard on stage at 6:30 p.m. for a pre-concert notes session with audience members who arrive early for that discussion. Ticket prices range from $10 to $30. For tickets, visit www.albanysymphony.org or call 9229) 430-8933.