Artistic Director and Conductor for the Cape Symphony Jung-Ho Pak has worked with world class artists like Yo-Yo Ma and James Taylor, and has conducted orchestras around the world.
He thinks that every person deserves a chance at experiencing beauty and joy. He thinks that a symphony can be as loved as a pennant winning baseball team, as customer oriented as a first class hotel, as fun as a giant amusement park, and as entrepreneurial as a high tech, start-up company. And he thinks that audiences want one thing: to experience something unforgettable.
Have you ever wondered what a Maestro listens to to prepare for upcoming performances? Jung-Ho Pak has shared some of his picks for his upcoming performances!
Maestro Pick:
Sonata No 1 by J.S. Bach, performed by mandolist Chris Thile
This is terribly disingenuous of me. I should be sharing Chris’s work with his famous band, Nickel Creek, or one of his famous collaborations with artists like Yo-Yo Ma with you. But here’s the story. About 15 years ago, when Chris was at the beginning of his amazing career (he recently won a MacArthur Genius Award), we were offstage ready to perform the Vivaldi Mandolin Concerto, along with some bluegrass pieces. In the dressing room, Chris started jamming on some Bach, and I look at him incredulously and asked him if he would do the same that evening for the audience. He agreed, and it was magical. He was playing Bach only because he recognized the sheer beauty of it. I’ve discovered this with many great musicians from all sorts of backgrounds. Great music is universal. Chris has become a phenomenal composer and is ever-hungry to push this seemingly humble instrument into the lofty leagues of the world’s greatest.
Maestro Pick:
Star Wars Main Theme
It’s hard to remember how film music was on its last legs in the mid-70’s. Pop and electronic music had become the quicker and cheaper alternative to the big, lavish scores that represented the Golden Era of Hollywood composers from the 1930s-1950’s. Orchestral music was primarily known as classical music. Then in 1977, all that changed with a score that brought back all the psychological and compositional complexity of the great masters, including the operatic idea of assigning themes to characters and emotions. Here composer John Williams conducts the Boston Pops.
Don’t miss the Cape Sympony’s Vienna to Hollywood concert on November 14 & 15, 2015. We’ll have a little fun showing you which early Hollywood composer influenced the great John Williams.
Maestro Pick:
For Your Eyes Only by Bill Conti and Mick Leeson
Nominated for an Academy Award in 1982, this song was written by “Rocky” composer Bill Conti. It reflects a more romantic approach to a Bond title song. The music’s mood and subject are not as dramatically driven as some of the John Barry classics or even Paul McCartney’s Live and Let Die or Adele’s Skyfall. Sheena Easton was one of the few singers of the era that actually had a versatile and strong voice. Since she was the only lead singer to be featured in a Bond film title sequence, technically she might be considered a “Bond girl.” However her musical interests are broader than pop music, including Broadway and folk music. Bill Conti’s simple and techno-inspired accompaniment gives the song an atmospheric and expansive feel.
For More Information on the Cape Symphony
For more information, please visit the Cape Symphony’s page for upcoming performances, tickets and additional information!
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