Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra With Simon Tedeschi

Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra completes its 2024 season with a concert featuring Rimsky-Korsakov’s sensuous Scheherazade, Gershwin’s spectacular Rhapsody in Blue and Peter Sculthorpe’s iconic Australian masterpiece Kakadu. KPO artistic director Paul Terracini, leads the orchestra in this fabulous concert that spotlights the popular Australian pianist Simon Tedeschi interpreting one of his iconic works.

Peter Sculthorpe’s Kakadu, one his most well-known works, was composed in 1988. It draws inspiration from the Kakadu National Park and the composer’s lifelong interest in Aboriginal music.

Rhapsody in Blue was written by George Gershwin in 1924. This landmark work, which combines classical and jazz influences, was commissioned by bandleader, Paul Whiteman. In the first performance at Aeolian Hall, New York, Gershwin himself dazzled as the soloist.

The symphonic suite, Scheherazade, was composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1888 and finds its inspiration in the paintings, ‘One Thousand and One Nights’, by Leon Bakst. Concerning his intentions, Rimsky-Korsakov wrote: ”All I desire is for the hearer, if they like the piece, to carry away the impression that is beyond a doubt an oriental narrative of numerous fairytale wonders of Arabian nights”. The work, in four movements, is a prime example of late 19th century romanticism in music. Characterised by soaring melodies, rich harmonies, and brilliant orchestration, it amply fulfils the hopes of the composer and concludes what is set to be a glorious finale to the afternoon’s music-making and an extraordinary year for the KPO!

The program: Sculthorpe: Kakadu/ Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue/ Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade

Conductor: Paul Terracini | Soloist: Simon Tedeschi, piano
Tickets: $20-$55. Bookings www.kpo.org.au or Concourse Box Office 8075 8111