The Los Angeles Post

PASADENA SYMPHONY CELEBRATES RHAPSODY IN BLUE’S 100TH WITH A TOUR DE FORCE 20TH CENTURY PROGRAM

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With Debussy’s La Mer, Ravel’s Une barque sur l’océan and Mason Bates’ Sea-Blue Circuitry

Pasadena, CA – The Pasadena Symphony continues its 2024-25 season under the baton of newly appointed Music Director Brett Mitchell with Rhapsody in Blue/La Mer on Saturday, November 16, 2024 with performances at 2:00pm and 8:00pm at Ambassador Auditorium. This tour de force program commemorates the 100th anniversary of Gershwin’s iconic Jazz-Age treasure and brings together two of the most beloved works of the 20th century with Debussy’s La Mer closing out the program. The repertoire will excite the senses, kicking off with Mason Bates’ motherboard-inspired Sea-Blue Circuitry and the city sounds of Rhapsody in Blue. In the second half, audiences will float away on the emotional imagery of Ravel’s Une barque sur l’océan and La Mer will paint a majestic picture of the sea with a mosaic of orchestral colors.

Music Director Brett Mitchell will lead the orchestra hot off the heels of his October 26th debut conducting Mahler Symphony No. 1, which “under [his] baton… came across brilliantly in lush, orchestral Technicolor” (Classical Voice). Proclaimed “a phenomenon” by the Los Angeles Times and “one of the best pianists of his generation” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, acclaimed pianist and recording artist Stewart Goodyear will join the orchestra for Rhapsody in Blue, while the talented musicians of the orchestra will fill the stage to conclude the program with Debussy’s impressionist masterpiece.

The Pasadena Symphony provides a vibrant experience specially designed for the music lover, the social butterfly or a date night out. Arrive early for the pre-concert discussion Insights with KUSC host Brian Lauritzen and Music Director Brett Mitchell. Or enjoy a bite or a glass in the Symphony Lounge, a posh setting along Ambassador Auditorium’s beautiful outdoor plaza with a full-service beverage center serving coffee, spirits, and fine wines, plus sandwiches, soup, appetizers and dessert before the concert and during intermission.