Quad City Symphony Orchestra Masterworks I: “Bruckner at 200,” October 5 and 6

Saturday, October 5, 7:30 p.m.

Adler Theatre, 136 East Third Street, Davenport IA

Sunday, October 6, 2 p.m.

Augustana College's Centennial Hall, 3703 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island IL

Held in celebration of Austrian composer Joseph Anton Bruckner's 1824 birth, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra's Bruckner at 2000 will open the ensemble's 2024-25 season with performances at Davenport's Adler Theatre on October 5 and Augustana College's Centennial Hall on October 6, the thrilling repertoire also boasting a special showcase for the QCSO's principal oboe player Dr. Andrew Parker.

Bruckner was a composer and organist best known for his symphonies and sacred music, which includes Masses, Te Deum, and motets. The symphonies are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their rich harmonic language, strongly polyphonic character, and considerable length. Bruckner's compositions helped to define contemporary musical radicalism, owing to their dissonances, unprepared modulations, and roving harmonies. Unlike other musical radicals such as Hugo Wolf, Bruckner showed respect, even humility, before other famous musicians, and Richard Wagner in particular. This apparent dichotomy between Bruckner the man and Bruckner the composer hampers efforts to describe his life in a way that gives a straightforward context for his music. Hans von Bülow described him as "half genius, half simpleton." Bruckner, who was critical of his own work, also frequently reworked his compositions, and there are several existing versions of many of his works.

With the Bruckner at 200 repertoire featuring Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, K.620 (The Magic Flute): Overture, Ruth Gipps' Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra in D minor, Op. 20, and Bruckner's own Symphony No.7, in E Major, the concerts will additionally highlight the talents of the symphony orchestra's principal oboe Dr. Andrew Parker. who is currently Assistant Professor of Oboe at the Butler School of Music, and was previously Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Iowa. Parker has provided master classes throughout the country at such institutions as the University of Michigan, Temple University, Rice University, the University of Florida, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Luther College, Mannes Preparatory Division, and the University of Virginia, to name a few. He has been the guest artist at several double reed events around the country, in addition to co-hosting a Double Reed Clinics and Competition for five years at the University of Iowa. He also served as an adjudicator for the National Youth Orchestra, hosted by Carnegie Hall.

Parker maintains a rich career as an orchestral musician, soloist, and chamber player and addition to his experience as a teacher. He recently performed the world premiere of an oboe concerto, Pillars or Creation, with the University of Texas Wind Ensemble. Parker has also played in many orchestras in North America, including: the National Arts Centre Orchestra; the Florida Orchestra; the Fort Wayne Philharmonic; the Richmond Symphony; Orquesta Sinfonica de Mineria; the Ann Arbor Symphony; the Flint Symphony; the New Mexico Symphony; the Santa Fe Symphony; the Great Falls Symphony; and the Plymouth Symphony.

Masterworks I: Bruckner at 200 performances will be held at Davenport's Adler Theatre on October 5 at 7:30 p.m., and, in Rock Island, at Augustana College's Centennial Hall on October 6 at 2 p.m. One hour prior to each performance, concert-goers are invited to attend informational "Concert Conversations" to learn about the works on the program, and on Saturday, "Afterglow" attendees can mingle with Maestro Mark Russell Smith, guest artists, and members of the QCSO in the lobby of the Hotel Blackhawk immediately following the performance. Admission to the concerts is $8-70, and more information and tickets are available by contacting the Quad City Symphony Orchestra at (563)322-0931 and visit QCSO.org, and also by calling (800)745-3000 and visiting DavenportLive.com/the-adler-theatre.