Photo by James Orthmann, ThinkCogo.com
(SUMMIT, NJ) -- The Discovery Orchestra, the Emmy®-nominated New Jersey ensemble that has introduced millions around the world to the pleasures of listening to classical music, will release its sixth national television special this spring. Discover Saint-Saëns’ “Organ” Symphony, an aural journey through the Finale of French composer Camille Saint-Saëns’ tour de force Symphony No. 3, will have its television premiere on Saturday, April 22, 2023 at 11:00am, on The WNET Group’s ALL ARTS.
The one-hour program, hosted by The Discovery Orchestra Founder and Artistic Director George Marriner Maull, will also be distributed nationally by American Public Television (APT) on May 1 for broadcast on U.S. public television stations (check local listings).
The interactive special features the 91-piece symphony orchestra and Plainfield, New Jersey-based organist Mark Miller. Peter Winograd of West Nyack, New York, serves as concertmaster. Viewers will be able to gain a better understanding of the “Organ” Symphony Finale by engaging with Maestro Maull’s insights and questions on aspects such as tempo, instrumentation and other musical elements, in order to learn how to “listen better” — which is the guiding mission of the orchestra.
Commissioned by England’s Royal Philharmonic Society and composed by Saint-Saëns in 1886 at the height of his career, the masterpiece combines the majestic power of a full symphony orchestra with the expansive sound of the pipe organ. The composer’s third and final symphony was musically adapted for the 1995 family film Babe as well as for its 1998 sequel. Following the musical work’s completion, Saint-Saëns commented, “I gave everything to it I was able to give. What I have here accomplished, I will never achieve again.”
The Discovery Orchestra — which features a diverse roster of highly accomplished musicians who also perform with several of New York’s top orchestras — is known for its live, interactive Discovery Concerts, and its Emmy® Award-nominated and Telly Award-winning television specials. Its past nationally broadcast shows include Bach to the Future, Discover Beethoven’s 5th, Discover Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Fall in Love with Music and Discover The Firebird, some of which have also aired internationally.
“Audiences are deeply moved by the soaring Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 Finale, which inspires a sense of simultaneous awe and joy within the listener,” said Maull, who breaks the fourth wall during the special, addressing the television audience and inviting viewers to listen deeply and attentively to the music.
Digitally recorded in September at The Pingry School in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, Discover Saint-Saëns’ “Organ” Symphony is written, hosted and conducted by Maestro Maull. Virginia Johnston and Rick Kaller are the executive producers, and Dave Emmerling and Walter Schoenknecht are the director-producers.
Viewers nationwide can stream the program from May 1 on AllArts.org; the free ALL ARTS app on all major streaming platforms, including Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV; and @AllArtsTV on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Those in the New York area may watch ALL ARTS’s 24/7 broadcast channel on Optimum 144, Verizon Fios SD 497/HD 498, Comcast 958/1156, Spectrum 1276 and Digital Antenna 21.4.
The show was made possible with the generous support of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as Elliot and MaryJeanette Dee, Bob and Cynthia Hamburger, Michael Johnston, The F.M. Kirby Foundation, The Kosloski Family Foundation, Robert Scott of Main Street Wealth Management, The Bill and Patricia O’Connor Charitable Fund, David and Ellen Williams, Lee and Jennifer Pierson, The V.A. Johnston Charitable Fund, Daniel and Gail Kopp, and Rachel Weinberger and Ed McGann.
Viewers can download copies of the listening guide for the concert here.
The Discovery Orchestra® (the Orchestra) is a 501(c)(3) music education organization based in Summit, New Jersey, which teaches the attentive listening skills that help people of all backgrounds better experience and emotionally connect with classical music. Founded in 1987 by Artistic Director George Marriner Maull, the Orchestra uses a welcoming, lighthearted approach to classical music listening education for the general public. It engages audiences through its live interactive Discovery Concerts, community outreach events, television productions and online digital content and its twice-monthly public radio show, Inside Music, broadcast on WWFM 89.1 The Classical Network and heard worldwide at wwfm.org. Its Emmy-nominated programs Bach to the Future, Discover Beethoven’s 5th and Discover Vivaldi’s Four Seasons; Telly Award-winning Discover The Firebird; and Telly Award-winning series Fall in Love with Music are all available on Amazon Prime Video. Fall in Love with Music, Discover Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Discover The Firebird can also be viewed on PBS Passport free of charge to PBS station members.
American Public Television (APT) is the leading syndicator of high-quality, top-rated programming to the nation’s public television stations. Founded in 1961, APT distributes 250 new program titles per year and more than one-third of the top 100 highest-rated public television titles in the U.S. APT’s diverse catalog includes prominent documentaries, performance, dramas, how-to programs, classic movies, children’s series and news and current affairs programs. Doc Martin, Midsomer Murders, America’s Test Kitchen, AfroPoP, Rick Steves’ Europe, Pacific Heartbeat, Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Television, Legacy List with Matt Paxton, Lidia’s Kitchen, Kevin Belton’s New Orleans Kitchen, Simply Ming, The Best of the Joy of Painting with Bob Ross, Live From the Artists Den, James Patterson’s Kid Stew and NHK Newsline are a sampling of APT’s programs, considered some of the most popular on public television. APT also licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service and distributes Create®TV — featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming — and WORLD™, public television’s premier news, science and documentary channel.
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