Bard Music Festival
Program Nine • An Evening with the Orchestra
August 17
Program Nine offers the chance to hear two little-known Romantic symphonies, both overdue for restoration to the canon.
After studying with Reicha at the Paris Conservatoire, Louise Farrenc went on to become the only female professor hired there in the 19th century. Like Berlioz, who admired her orchestration, she was one of the few to write symphonies in Paris when they were far from fashionable. Unlike his contributions to the genre, however, her masterly Third Symphony is traditional in design and Germanic in its influences. So, too, are the works of German-Swiss composer Joseph Joachim Raff, heralded as one of the leading symphonists of his day.
Forming the third part of his “seasons” cycle, Raff’s Tenth Symphony, “In Autumn,” follows a program inspired by nature and folklore, and has prompted comparisons with Schumann and Mendelssohn. These substantive Romantic rarities share the program with Rossini’s programmatic William Tell Overture, a longtime audience favorite and one of the few examples of his work to impress Berlioz, and the French composer’s own Waverley Overture, an early composition inspired by the novels of Walter Scott.
Program
6 pm • Preconcert Talk with Christopher H. Gibbs
7 pm • Performance: American Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leon Botstein, music director
Hector Berlioz (1803–69)
Waverley Overture, Op. 1 (1827)
Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868)
Overture to William Tell (1829)
Louise Farrenc (1804–75)
Symphony No. 3 in G Minor, Op. 36 (1847)
Joachim Raff (1822–82)
Symphony No. 10 in F Minor, “In Autumn,” Op. 213 (1879)
Plan Your Visit
Eat & Stay
Nearby villages and towns in the Hudson Valley boast a large selection of restaurants, as well as a variety of hotels, motels, inns, and bed & breakfasts.
Eat & StayDirections
Bard College’s main campus is located in Annandale-on-Hudson (a hamlet of Red Hook), New York, on the east bank of the Hudson River, about 90 miles north of New York City and 220 miles southwest of Boston. The Taconic State Parkway and the New York State Thruway provide the most direct routes to our campus. Click the Google map below, or get directions by entering the following address into your GPS: 60 Manor Avenue, Red Hook, NY 12571.
From the East
If you are traveling from east of the Hudson River in New York State, take the Taconic State Parkway to the Red Hook / Route 199 exit, drive west on Route 199 through the village of Red Hook to Route 9G, turn right onto Route 9G, drive north 1.9 miles, turn left onto Annandale Road, then turn right onto Manor Ave.
From the West
If you are traveling from west of the Hudson River, take the New York State Thruway (I-87) to exit 19 (Kingston), take Route 209 (changes to Route 199 at the Hudson River) over the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge to Route 9G, turn left onto Route 9G, drive north 3.5 miles, turn left onto Annandale Road, then turn right onto Manor Ave.
About the Venue
Sosnoff Theater
Accessible Seating
Wheelchair-accessible seating is available in all seating areas for patrons in wheelchairs and their companions. There is an elevator to all levels of the Sosnoff Theater and a wheelchair lift is used to access front-row wheelchair seating.
Wheelchair-Accessible Restrooms
Restrooms at all locations are wheelchair accessible. Single-use restrooms are available at most locations.
All-Gender Restrooms
Bard College and the Fisher Center support guests of any gender identity/expression in using the restroom of their choice. Additionally, all-gender restrooms are available at all venues.
More Info
Our driving principle is to operate with a duty of care for all our community—artists, audiences, and staff alike.
In order to share performances with as many audience members as possible, we ask that you read our Health and Safety Protocols on the FAQs page and commit to participating in our community of care.
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