FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 28, 2001
Contacts: Kim D. Gifford Jamie Hawkes
(214) 871-4082 (214) 871-4061
"YOU PICK IT, WE PLAY IT!"
THE DALLAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA BRINGS BACK POPULAR CHOOSE THE MUSIC CONCERTS
SPECIAL GUEST PAT SAJAK NARRATES WORLD PREMIERE OF
"CASEY AT THE BAT"
Dallas - The Dallas Symphony Orchestra lets the audience program this weekend’s repertoire as the JCPenney SuperPops Concert Series continues with the "Choose the Music" concerts. Principal Pops Conductor Richard Kaufman leads the orchestra in a weekend of pieces requested by audience and orchestra members and selected by the conductor. Kaufman also welcomes his close friend, WHEEL OF FORTUNE host Pat Sajak, who will be narrating the first work ever commissioned for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra SuperPops Series. The concerts take place April 13 and 14, 2001 at the Meyerson Symphony Center.
The "Choose the Music" concerts have been a favorite of Dallas Symphony audiences since they began in 1997 - a kind of "you ask for it, we’ll play it" approach to programming. Each year, Kaufman has gotten more than 800 varied requests. In a new twist, Kaufman submitted a request himself. His request resulted in an entirely new piece of music, "Casey at the Bat," by Dallas composer Randol Bass. Sajak’s narration of the piece is a result of a conversation with Kaufman about how, throughout their multi-year friendship, they have never collaborated professionally. "Pat’s talents extend far beyond his skill hosting WHEEL OF FORTUNE," says Kaufman. "He is a gifted communicator with great dramatic and comedic instincts. With his love of both the game and the history of baseball, Pat and ’Casey’ are a perfect match. We're going to have a great time."
The first half of the program includes movie music (Theme from James Bond), a Mozart overture (to The Marriage of Figaro), a work incorporating office equipment ("The Typewriter") and some classic ragtime ("Cataract Rag").
The highlight of the second half is Sajak’s narration of Casey at the Bat, a poem that originally appeared in the San Francisco Examiner in 1888 and has since become immortal. Dallasite Randol Bass, according to Kaufman, has "a great sense of musical storytelling and was a natural choice to write the first piece commissioned for the Dallas Symphony SuperPops." Bass has composed and arranged music for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, and for other prestigious ensembles throughout the United States, including the Cleveland Orchestra and the Boston Pops Orchestra. His works have also been performed by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Tanglewood Chorus and numerous other orchestras and choruses throughout the United States and Europe. In addition to the world premiere of Casey at the Bat, the second half also includes TV music (the world concert premiere of the Main Title from The Simpsons), Broadway music (Suite from The Phantom of the Opera), a patriotic piece ("Stars and Stripes Forever") and a piece featuring the magnificent Lay Family Organ and resident organist Mary Preston (Finale from Guillmant’s Sonata in D minor for Organ).
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for these performances range from $19 to $80. Tickets may be purchased from the Dallas Symphony Box Office or by logging on to www.dallassymphony.com. Box Office hours are from 10:00am to 6:00pm Monday through Saturday. For more information, call (214) 692-0203. The Dallas Symphony Box Office is located on the lower level of the Meyerson Symphony Center.
JCPenney is the sponsor of the 2000-2001 JCPenney SuperPops Series. Promotional support has been provided by The Dallas Morning News and NBC5. The concerts are supported in part by the City of Dallas.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
2000-2001 JCPenney SuperPops Series
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Richard Kaufman, conductor
Pat Sajak, narrator
Steven Harlos, piano
Douglas Howard, typewriter
Mary Preston, organ
Presented by the Dallas Symphony Association
Friday, April 13, 8:00pm
Saturday, April 14, 8:00pm
Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
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