originally published: 09/13/2024
(WESTFIELD, NJ) -- Under the baton of Maestro David Wroe, acclaimed guest cellist Mo Mo joins NJ Festival Orchestra (NJFO) to perform the Crouching Tiger: Hidden Dragon Concerto, a concert work based on Tan Dun’s score for Ang Lee's Oscar-winning mystical martial arts film. Mo Mo, from Beijing, China, was specially selected by composer Tan as one of the few official performers of his Oscar-winning score, originally written for Yo Yo Ma. Mo Mo will perform with NJFO in Westfield on September 27th and September 29th in Basking Ridge.
“I’m sure many will remember the acclaimed movie Crouching Tiger: Hidden Dragon and its haunting film score, full of evocative melodies and rhythms, that took the movie industry by storm back in 2000,” commented NJFO Music Director David Wroe.
Celebrated by the Weekly Music magazine for his “impeccably logical and also vivid, emotional playing,” guest soloist Mo Mo has firmly established himself as one of the leading cellists of his generation. In recent years, Mo Mo’s performances have resonated with leading orchestras across the United States, China, and Europe at iconic venues such as Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., National Center for Performing Arts in Beijing, Jordan Hall in Boston, and the Fontainebleau Palace in Paris. His accolades include top prizes at international competitions such as the 2016 Schoenfeld International String Competition in Harbin, China, and the 2017 Koussevitzky Young Artist Award in New York.
“We are thrilled to welcome this young and brilliant cellist for our season opening festivities,” continued Wroe. “Mo Mo is one of the newest and brightest stars of the future. He has worked extensively with composer Tan Dun and we are deeply honored that he is travelling from Beijing to perform Tan’s masterpiece with us.”
There will be two performances of this extraordinary work for cello concerto and orchestra.
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On September 27, 2024 in Westfield, the orchestra presents “Faith Meets Fantasy,” where Tan’s concerto is deftly juxtaposed with the passion of Anton Bruckner’s seventh symphony to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Bruckner’s birth (which was September 4th). Widely regarded as one of the most extraordinary composers of his time, to this day his works continue to influence musical culture worldwide.
“Anton Bruckner is one of the greatest ‘unsung’ classical music composers of all time,” continued Wroe. “He could arguably claim to have foretold the sound of Hollywood. Come join with us as we unpack his innovative approach to composing and celebrate his life and influence with a performance of his renowned masterpiece – the magnificent Symphony No. 7.”
On Sunday, September 29, at Sieminski Theatre in Basking Ridge, NJFO presents “Picture This! Imagery in Music,” where Tan’s extraordinary cello concerto is paired dramatically with Modest Mussorgsky’s musical paintings Pictures at an Exhibition (orch. Yu.)
“Pictures at an Exhibition – Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky‘s most famous work – is a series of 10 sketches featuring gnomes, laborious oxen, ancient catacombs, castles and more. It is music so iconic that it has spurned countless orchestral arrangements,” continued Wroe. “Now we are thrilled to present Chinese/Australian composer Julian Yu’s take on Mussorgsky’s original, bringing the pictures to life with vibrant western and Chinese orchestral effects to create, perhaps, the most imaginative of all the arrangements.”
"Picture This! Imagery in Music" has been made possible, in part, through the generous support from the NJ State Council on the Arts and from The Angels of Fellowship, a group of dedicated music lovers from central New Jersey led by David Badertscher, Carole Banfield, Don and Barbara Berlin, Elta and James Johnston, Ron and Marylyn Straight and Gary and Helga Westerhoff.
If you go
Faith Meets Fantasy - Friday, September 27, 2024 at 7:00pm @ St. Helen's Church (1600 Rahway Avenue) in Westfield, New Jersey. TAN DUN Crouching Tiger: Hidden Dragon Concerto featuring Mo Mo, cello; ANTON BRUCKNER Symphony No. 7 in E major; David Wroe conductor; Mo Mo cello; New Jersey Festival Orchestra
Picture This! Imagery in Music - Sunday, September 29, 2024 at 2:30pm @ The Sieminski Theater (8000 Fellowship Road) in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. TAN DUN Crouching Tiger: Hidden Dragon Concerto featuring Mo Mo, cello; MUSSORGSKY (Arr. Yu) Pictures at an Exhibition; David Wroe conductor; Mo Mo cello; New Jersey Festival Orchestra
For tickets and information go to www.njfestivalorchestra.org or call 908-232-9400. Tickets start at $40 (children and students $25.)
The New Jersey Festival Orchestra (NJFO) is a premier, fully professional, symphony orchestra. Founded in Westfield in 1983, NJ Festival Orchestra has grown to become one of New Jersey’s largest professional orchestras, having a presence throughout many cultural communities of New Jersey, and appearing as far afield as Carnegie Hall on a regular basis.
The name New Jersey Festival Orchestra reflects an ongoing celebration of the diversity of music and the creation of experiences that stretch the boundaries of traditional classical performances.
NJFO programs include classics from the orchestral repertory as well as offerings that showcase the fusion of fine arts and popular culture. This unique and dynamic approach to programming further brings classical music to life and creates an ongoing 'festival' of compelling presentations worthy of our name.
In addition to an adventurous subscription season, popular concerts near and far, and a rousing New Year’s Eve celebration, the New Jersey Festival Orchestra sponsors educational and music therapy programs throughout the state of New Jersey.
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