Experience the heroic grandeur of Beethoven’s immortal Emperor Piano Concerto with noted Pianist Rodolfo Leone, and take in the colorful musical journey of Mussorgsky’s epic Pictures at an Exhibition.
Closing Night is sponsored by
Helena Home Team, Touchmark, Smitty’s Fireplace Shop, & Joe Mitchell State Farm
When: Saturday 3 May 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Helena Civic Center
What: Closing Night: Beethoven’s Emperor & Pictures at an Exhibition
Tickets: $25 – $70 – GET TICKETS
“The Helena Symphony will close our 70th Season with two immortal works of symphonic music, Beethoven’s Emperor and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition,” explains Director of Development & Communications Cameron Betchey. “Whether you have joined us for a Season 70 performance yet or not, this is the one to catch before we take a break for the summer!”
Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition
“Pictures at an Exhibition, like so much of Mussorgsky’s music, was rarely performed during the composer’s lifetime,” explains Maestro Allan R. Scott. “Mussorgsky’s then radically advanced harmonies and strange melodic twists were scarcely appreciated in his native Russia, and even less so in the West. The work was not published until five years after Mussorgsky’s death, and while it received little attention from pianists for some time, its orchestral possibilities were noticed immediately. Mussorgsky’s piano writing is as picturesque as can be, achieving mystery, frenzy, humor, and grandeur – it is a work that cries out for orchestral color.”
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4
“Part of Beethoven’s rarely seen sense of humor was a love of creating false expectations,” says Maestro Scott. “The opening of the Symphony is just that – a seemingly heavy, gloomy opening that seems to want to lead to another intense work; yet, the upbeat tempo will convey a light-hearted composition, full of joy. Throughout the movement Beethoven offers musical quirks using displaced accents, and sudden dynamic shifts to convey a light-hearted and lively mood. The traditional slower second movement tends to possess an inner glow with a steady rhythmic pulse and is one of the most beautifully constructed melodies that Beethoven ever wrote.”