We attended the San Bernardino Symphony the other night and I have to say that we were thrilled for the experience. We had never been to a symphony of this caliber before and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Maestro Carlo Ponti Jr.
A little history about the San Bernardino Symphony; they are celebrating 80 years of bringing fine music to this region. It was founded in 1929 by Maestro James K. Guthrie, an internationally renowned conductor and community leader. The Orchestra, one of the oldest and most prestigious in the Inland Empire, is composed of some of Southern California's finest professional musicians.
The San Bernardino Symphony performs in the beautiful and historic California Theatre which was built in 1928. The magnificent performing arts venue we attended was designed specifically to accommodate orchestral performances. Will Rogers gave his last public performance at the California Theatre. Less than two months later, on August 15, 1935, Rogers perished in a plane crash in Alaska. In 1997, a large mural of Will Rogers was painted by Ken Twitchell on the east facade of the Theatre to commemorate the final performance of America's finest humorist.
Back to the symphony! Maestro Carlo Ponti Jr. is the Music Director and Conductor during this 80th season. Maestro Ponti is the son of Sophia Loren. Maestro Ponti began his studies at the Conductor's Institute in Hartford Connecticut under the direction of Maestro Harold Farberman. He has also privately studied with Maestros Zubin Mehta and Mehli Mehta, Maestro Andrey Boreyko and specialized at the Vienna Musikhochschule under Maestro L
Leopolde Hager and Karel Ancerl. Ponti's debut with the Russian National Orchestra in Moscow met with critical praise and led to his appointment in 2000 as the Russian National Orchestra's Associate Conductor. In 2001 Ponti was named Music Director and Principal conductor of the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra in the United States, a position recently extended through 2015. Following his 2005 Italian debut with the Orchestra Del Maggio Musicale in Florence Maestro Ponti was chosen as recipient of Italy's prestigious "Premio Galileo" Award for exceptional musical achievement. Carlo Ponti is in great demand as guest conductor and has appeared with orchestras in France, Spain, Venezuela, Viena, Moscow and many, many others throughout the world.
We were told that they were going to have a pre-concert lecture and were invited to attend. We had no idea what to expect but were glad that we attended. San Bernardino Symphony pianist Michael Tacchia gave an informative lecture on the particular pieces that we were going to hear. It was interesting to learn the background of the the pieces and what to look for as the music was presented.
The program for the evening was as follows: Beethoven's "Leonore Overture no.3, op72b"; Mozart's "Piano Concerto no.27 in B-flat Major, K.595"; and Schumann's "Symphony no.2 in C Major, op.61". Each of these was broken up into different parts and we could easily distinguish as we listened carefully. Michal Tacchia taught us what to listen for and what it would mean to the piece of music.
Also on the program was Ms. Janina Failkowska who was a master on the piano in Mozart's piano concerto. We loved her apparel which consisted of black tux pants with a brightly flowered jacket. She was brilliant on the piano. As the program unfolded you could just close your eyes and let the music take you away to peaceful places.
It was a wonderful evening of musical delight as we learned, listened and felt all that was happening in the theater. Another piece of information we learned was the many ways the symphony is involved in the community. Third grade students in San Bernardino City Schools learn about a symphony orchestra and its instruments when docents visit each classroom. High school youth are introduced to the joys of classical music also. Their duties include ushering at the concerts and assisting with special Guild events.
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