2023/24 Popejoy Classics Archives - New Mexico Philharmonic

Celebrating Rachmaninoff / September 30, 2023

Happy birthday, Rachmaninoff! The New Mexico Philharmonic celebrates the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth with two of the Russian master’s most stellar compositions. First up, the Second Piano Concerto—a perennial audience favorite—with 2022 Olga Kern International Piano Competition winner Jonathan Mamora. Closing out the evening is the striking and dramatic Symphony No. 1, whose disastrous premiere almost caused Rachmaninoff to swear off composing all together! Music Director Roberto Minczuk leads the orchestra in the 2023/24 Popejoy Hall Classics opening concert.

May 7, 2023

Symphonie Fantastique / November 18, 2023

Returning to the NMPhil stage is 2019 Olga Kern International Piano Competition winner Tetiana Shafran, performing Mozart’s tuneful Concerto No. 23. Drama abounds in French composer Édouard Lalo’s Overture from his opera Le roi d’Ys. The evening ends with the storied and programmatic Symphonie fantastique of Hector Berlioz—a tale of unrequited love and one of the most important works in the orchestral rep. Fabio Mechetti conducts.

May 7, 2023

Capricious Capriccios / January 20, 2024

Lively, brilliant, whimsical. The New Mexico Philharmonic presents an evening of capriccios! NMPhil concertmaster Cármelo de los Santos performs the virtuosic Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso of Saint-Saëns. Also on the program, two Russian composers’ takes on the folk tunes of Spain and Italy: the brightly orchestrated Capriccio espagnol of Rimsky-Korsakov and the Capriccio Italien of Tchaikovsky, inspired by a soul-healing trip the composer took to Rome. Music Director Roberto Minczuk leads the evening, which ends with Puccini’s, Capriccio Sinfonica as a 100 year tribute to the composer’s death.

May 7, 2023

Mahler’s Resurrection / February 17, 2024

Violin virtuoso Jennifer Frautschi is soloist in Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5, one of the most loved violin concertos in the repertoire and nicknamed “Turkish.” Then, from gallantry to misfortune—austerity to intricacy—misery to serenity, experience the many ways that massive chunks of sound transform in Gustav Mahler’s exceptional Symphony No. 1. Hear and see your NMPhil play “The Titan” in all of its glory!

May 7, 2023

Song Plays Beethoven / March 9, 2024

The New Mexico Philharmonic welcomes back renowned star violinist Yoonshin Song for a stunning performance of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. Also on the program is a new work for strings by Diné-American composer and Pulitzer Prize winner Raven Chacon. Rounding out the evening is the tortured Brahms Symphony No. 1, a work that took the composer more than 21 years to finalize! Music Director Roberto Minczuk conducts.

May 7, 2023

The Wizard of Oz Ballet / April 6, 2024

The New Mexico Ballet Company joins the NMPhil for a colorful, fully staged production of L. Frank Baum’s cherished story of Dorothy’s journey to the Emerald City! Follow the yellow brick road as she encounters amazing characters—and finds that quick wits, compassion, courage—and just a touch of magic—are inside of us all. Join us for a wondrous night of enchanting music and dance!

May 7, 2023

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini & The Rite of Spring / April 20, 2024

Tonight, we celebrate the dance! The NMPhil opens the concert with the Scythian Suite of Prokofiev, whose music was written and, notably, rejected for a Diaghilev-commissioned ballet. Next up, we welcome back 2016 Olga Kern International Piano Competition second-prize winner Anna Dmytrenko for an exciting performance of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, a work used in many 20th-century ballets. And then, music from the ballet to end all ballets: The Rite of Spring. Music Director Roberto Minczuk conducts.

May 7, 2023

Roman Echoes / May 18, 2024

As we draw the 2023/24 season to a close, we are delighted to welcome Italian violinist Anna Tifu to the Popejoy Hall stage in a fiery interpretation of Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto. Opening the show is the bombastic Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila followed by more music by Khachaturian, his Spartacus Suite No. 2. Ending the night is Respighi’s colorful and evocative Pines of Rome. Music Director Roberto Minczuk conducts.

May 7, 2023