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Arcadia Weekly Jun 23, 2011
Photos by Terry Miller
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This Saturday with Beethoven and the Beatles
Featuring Mastro Victor Vener
Maestro Victor Vener
An artist’s heart. A composer’s soul. An inquisitive mind.
California Philharmonic Founder and Music Director Maestro Victor Vener has many talents, but a single vision…to balance the greatest formal classical music with the greatest popular music and share it with an ever-expanding audience.
Quite a feat, but one that the Maestro has been doing successfully for more than four decades.
An accomplished artist, conductor, student and teacher, who is currently preparing for Cal Phil’s 2011 summer series which kicks off this weekend on June 25 at the Arboretum and June 26 at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Vener is an extremely busy man and he would not have it any other way.
“Each season is like a child I give birth to,” said Vener who founded the acclaimed orchestra more than 15 years ago. “I conceive the concept, nurture it and watch with immense pride as it thrives and develops into its own unique being.”
Whereas most conductors bring deeply personal interpretations to the classical works they perform, Vener believes his job is not to put a spin on the works of legendary composers such as Beethoven, but to carefully examine what the masters put on paper and recreate it while making the original music his own.
“It is important to both understand and feel the music,” continued Vener who earned his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Conducting and traveled the world studying with some of the greatest conductors of all time such as Arturo Toscanini, Herbert Van Karajan and Karl Orff. “The super-traditional training I received studying in Europe and at USC cemented my academic side. My soul is that of a composer. The trick is to discover the missing pieces of the music and meld the two sides together to create an amazing performance that is both academically correct and emotionally fulfilling.”
And that is exactly what the Maestro will be doing this summer-and more-starting with this weekend’s exciting opening at the Arboretum and Walt Disney Concert Hall. With a Beatles meets Beethoven theme and special guests The Fab Four-the ultimate tribute-performing alongside Cal Phil, it is guaranteed to be a sensational show.
“We are so fortunate to have phenomenal artists joining us this season beginning with The Fab Four,” said Vener who credits the Beatles with changing pop music forever and Beethoven with changing the world of classical music. “These are history making composers who live on forever through their music. It is a thrill to perform their works in a contemporary and original way.”
With ticket going fast, Beethoven & The Beatles is sure to be an audience favorite. The show features classics from the Beatles including immortal songs created in recording studios in a way that could sound the same in live performance, such as classics from the albums Magical Mystery Tour and Revolver. The Fab Four has garnered a reputation as the number one Beatles Tribute band, not only recreating the sound and artistry of the famed group, but their looks and personages, with recreations of the band’s authentic costumes.
Cal Phil will also be performing Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, one of the most played classical works in history.
After more than 15 highly successful years at this venue, this summer marks the final season of concerts at the Arboretum…and tickets are selling fast. It may be the final chance to enjoy the acclaimed Maestro Victor Vener and Cal Phil at the Arboretum but it is certainly not the last time they will be performing during the summer months; details about their exciting new summer home for 2012 and beyond will be announced shortly. What’s more, their popular Sunday matinees will continue to take place at the Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall.
In its fifteen years of existence, the California Philharmonic has expanded awareness of classical music, increasing the interest and support for great music throughout the region. Along the way, Maestro Vener and Cal Phil have garnered numerous accolades and awards for their unique musical vision.
A Pasadena native born at Huntington Memorial Hospital, Maestro Vener has electrified audiences in the United States, Europe and Asia, conducting exciting performances of a wide range of repertoire with his unique blend of outstanding musicianship and personalized audience engagement for 44 years in Pasadena. He has founded numerous beloved musical institutions and concert series in Pasadena, including founding Cal Phil, the Pasadena POPS and the Pasadena Chamber Orchestra, as well as establishing music venues in local destinations including the Arboretum, Descanso Gardens and the steps of Pasadena’s City Hall.
To purchase tickets call 626.300.8200 or visit www.calphil.org.
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