Posted February 14, 2023
Dayton Philharmonic’s Tchaikovsky’s “Polish” Symphony with Spencer Myer, piano
Part of the 2022-2023 Masterworks Series
Overture, Grażyna Bacewicz
Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21, Frederic Chopin featuring Spencer Myer (piano)
Symphony No. 3 in D Major, Op. 29,” Polish,” Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Patrick Reynolds, conductor
DAYTON, OH (Feb. 14, 2023) – Dayton Performing Arts Alliance continues Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2022-2023 Masterworks Series with Tchaikovsky’s “Polish” Symphony and pianist Spencer Myer, performing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, February 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center. Tickets are on sale now and start at $5. For tickets, call 937-228-3630 or visit daytonperformingarts.org/tickets.
Acting conductor Patrick Reynold leads the Philharmonic in a Polish-themed orchestral composition, including music from Polish composers Grażyna Bacewicz and Frederic Chopin. Bacewicz, a Polish composer and violinist, is the second Polish female composer to achieve national and international recognition. Chopin’s piano concerto was written before he was 20 years old. He performed and premiered the concerto in Warsaw, Poland 1830.
Critically acclaimed pianist Spencer Myer joins the Philharmonic for Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor. Known for his “musical intelligence…” and “…giving “the impression he is playing music, not a piano” (Washington Post), Myer replaces Janina Fialkowska. Fialkowska was scheduled to perform Paderewski’s Piano Concerto No. 2 for this Masterworks performance but is unable to appear due to surgery that prohibits her from traveling from Europe.
“Chopin’s 2nd Piano Concerto is a perfect blending of virtuosity and introspection, full of beauty and magic,” says Myer. “Chopin at his finest! Performing this piece with the DPO will be a dream come true for me.”
The final piece of the evening is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 3 in D Major. Nicknamed “Polish” because of the recurrence of many Polish dance rhythms throughout the final movement, the symphony premiered in Moscow in 1835. The symphony made its Western debut in London in 1899, where conductor, Sir August Manns, penned the nickname “Polish.”
Conductor, Patrick Reynolds will host a “Take Note Talk,’ live in the Mead Theater of the Schuster Center from 6:30 – 7:00 p.m. before each evening’s concert. Reynolds provides an in-depth perspective of the evening’s programming. For additional information on the concert and to hear why Artistic Director and Conductor Neal Gittleman chose this repertoire and read the digital program, visit daytonperformingarts.org/tchaikovskys-polish-symphony
Tchaikovsky’s “Polish” Symphony is part of DPAA’s 2022-2023 Masterworks Series, sponsored by AES Ohio Foundation, Dayton Philharmonic Volunteer Association, and The Schiewetz Foundation. This Masterworks performance is a William S. Anderson Endowed Concert. DPAA’s Masterworks Series continues through the 2022- 2023 concert season with Perspectives: War and Peace (March 10-11, 2023) and Beethoven’s Second Symphony (May 19-20, 2023). All performances are held at the Schuster Center and begin at 7:30 pm.
Tickets start at $5 and are on sale now by phone at 937.228.3630, online at daytonperformingarts.org/tickets in person at the Box Office in the Wintergarden of the Schuster Center downtown Dayton.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Spencer Myer, piano
Lauded for “superb playing” and “poised, alert musicianship” by the Boston Globe, and labeled “definitely a man to watch” by London’s The Independent, American pianist SPENCER MYER is one of the most respected and sought-after artists on today’s concert stage.
Spencer Myer’s orchestral, recital, and chamber music performances have been heard throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Spencer Myer’s recital appearances have been presented in New York City’s Weill Recital Hall, 92nd Street Y and Steinway Hall, Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, and London’s Wigmore Hall.
Spencer Myer’s career was launched with three important prizes: First Prize in the 2004 UNISA International Piano Competition in South Africa, the 2006 Christel DeHaan Classical Fellowship from the American Pianists Association, and the Gold Medal from the 2008 New Orleans International Piano Competition.
An enthusiastic supporter of the education of young musicians, Spencer Myer has served as a guest faculty at the Oberlin and Baldwin-Wallace Conservatories of Music and was a member of the piano faculty at Boston’s Longy School of Music of Bard College from 2016 to 2022. He is currently an Associate Professor of Piano at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
Since 2017, Mr. Myer has released four recordings on the Steinway & Sons label: Piano Rags of William Bolcom and three discs with cellist Brian Thornton encompassing repertoire of Brahms, Debussy, and Schumann.
Spencer Myer is a Steinway Artist.