Gisele Ben-Dor begins her sixth and final season at the helm of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra in the fall, and the repertoire and soloists she has chosen will provide her an opportunity to go out with the proverbial bang.
Each of the five subscription programs places the ASO in the center of the mainstream repertoire with blockbuster masterworks lurking around every bend in the symphonic road.
On Oct. 4 and 5, Stanley Drucker, the principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic who has made more than 100 solo New York performances in his illustrious career, will appear. He performs Debussy's sensuous "Rhapsody" and the effervescent
"Introduction, Theme and Variations" of Rossini.
Violinist Margaret Batjer, who performed the Dvorak concerto so beautifully here two seasons ago, returns for the second Prokofiev concerto Nov. 8 and 9. The orchestra also presents Schumann's Symphony No. 2 in C major in that program.
The expansive phrases of Brahms' 4th Symphony will fill Maryland Hall on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, with the orchestra under the direction of its former music director, now a guest conductor, Leon Fleisher.
Before taking up his baton, Fleisher, who for years was sidelined by a debilitating injury to his right hand, will make a rare, two-handed solo appearance in Mozart's scintillating Piano Concerto No. 12 in A major.
Sibelius' ringing 5th Symphony will be the centerpiece of the Feb. 28 and March 1 concerts, which also feature violinist and ASO concertmaster Philip Spletzer performing the colorful "Symphonie Espagnole" of Lalo.
Ben-Dor ends her tenure with the 20th-century music closest to her heart: the intense Concerto for Orchestra by the Hungarian master Bela Bartok on April 18 and 19. The Peabody Conservatory's Ronald Thomas joins the orchestra that weekend play the Dvorak concerto.
Those interested in subscribing are invited to call 263-0907.
Pub Date: 5/26/96
