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The Mid-Texas Symphony is starting out its new season Sunday with a concert in Seguin. Music Director Akiko Fujimoto said they’re performing pieces by composers Mozart, Stravinsky and Rachmaninoff.
“And the Rachmaninoff, selfishly, I really wanted to do this piece with a Russian pianist that really gets Rachmaninoff. And Daria Rabotkina ... I found out the other day that Rachmaninoff is her favorite composer,” Fujimoto said.
That soloist doesn’t just like playing Rachmaninoff’s music. Over time, Rabotkina found new ways to bond with him.
“She wanted to get to know him so much, so well, that she often takes his portraits, and she copies them by hand with a pencil on paper to get to know every wrinkle on his face,” she said.
There is also an appreciation for Rachmaninoff which transcends genres of music.
“For Rachmaninoff, we have so many great melodies and lush harmonies in this piece. So great that there are several pop songs that listed melodies right out of this concerto,” Fujimoto said.
“The most famous one is Eric Carmen, "All by Myself," made famous by Celine Dion, most recently. And there are a couple of Sinatra tunes as well in the first and third movements.”
The rock band Yes also pulled from Rachmaninoff.
“The Stravinsky is very exciting. It has elements of supernatural sounds created by extended techniques from the orchestra, as well as traditional folk music from Russia,” Fujimoto said. “So it's a very great mixture of the old and the new. He was just 27 years old when he wrote this, it launched his career.”
The Mid-Texas Symphony will perform the Firebird Suite, a piece that’s heavy on solos.
“There are many great solos from the bassoon, French horn, and the woodwind section is highly featured, so it'll just be a great, you know, orchestral spectacular,” she said.
She added that Sunday afternoon will be a wide-ranging performance that everyone who attends, will enjoy.
“I think this concert is an embarrassment of riches,” Fujimoto said.
