Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra set to perform ‘beast of a piece’

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - March 12, 2014 - PRLog -- Portsmouth, NH- The Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra is poised to perform Beethoven Symphony No 6 "Pastoral" and Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 with Arlene Kies, piano on Sunday, March 23, 3 p.m., at The Music Hall in Portsmouth.

John Page, music director for the PSO, holds nothing back when describing Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3. “It’s a monstrous beast of a piece. The Everest of piano concertos,” he says.

And taking on this mighty concerto climb will be none other than Arlene Kies, who teaches piano at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, and  performs widely as recitalist, concerto soloist and as chamber pianist.

Kies says, “Rachmaninoff 3 is every pianist's dream. Whereas the 1st is a little bit backward looking, the 4th is somewhat eccentric, the Rhapsody really a set of variations, and the 2nd a most gorgeous dream-piece, the 3rd is pretty hard to beat. From its very opening haunting melody, through its many gorgeous and lyrical moments, the third concerto of Rachmaninoff is simply breathtaking.”

The concert will be presented at The Music Hall, a historic 900-seat theater in the heart of downtown Portsmouth. Built in 1878, The Music Hall is the oldest theater in New Hampshire and has been designated an "American Treasure" by the U.S. Senate. Recent restoration, from the Beaux Arts lobby to the ornate gilded proscenium arch, has transformed this Victorian era gem into one of the most attractive and comfortable historic venues north of Boston.

Tickets are $24 for adults, $20 for seniors, and $16 for students.
For tickets and further information visit: www.themusichall.org, and http://portsmouthsymphony.org/season/tickets/.

About Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra:
Founded in 1997, the orchestra is comprised of more than 65 local professionals, educators, dedicated amateurs and advanced students drawing audiences and members along the Seacoast from Newburyport, Mass., to York, Maine, and west to Bedford. The Orchestra presents four main concerts each season at The Music Hall in Portsmouth, along with numerous chamber music and school concerts throughout the year. In November 2012 the orchestra performed at Carnegie Hall with Jane Seymour in the premiere of a new production by composer Tim Janis. In August 2013 the orchestra was honored to accompany Grammy award-winning clarinetist Richard Stoltzman in the premiere of a work by Lukas Foss at the PARMA Music Festival.

For more information visit: www.portsmouthsymphony.org, and find it on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PortsSymphOrch and follow it on Twitter at https://twitter.com/PortsSymphOrch.