Symphony Picnic at Boscobel
The Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra Performs Music Celebrating the Hudson Valley on May 26
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Garrison, NY – May 2018) – Two Hudson Valley cultural giants will join forces on May 26 when Boscobel House and Gardens presents its Symphony Picnic, with a special performance of the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra (GNSO) on the Great Lawn overlooking the Hudson River in Garrison, New York. The program, under the direction of Maestro Russell Ger, will include Jean Sibelius’ Finlandia, Percy Grainger’s Country Gardens, Johann Strauss’ On the Beautiful Blue Danube, and Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.”
“The Symphony Picnic is an extraordinary chance to experience music specifically chosen to celebrate Boscobel’s beauty and history,” says Boscobel’s Acting Executive Director Jennifer Carlquist, “We are thrilled to be hosting the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra and hope to fill the Great Lawn with families from both sides of the Hudson.”
Describing the program, Mr. Ger says: “In designing the repertoire for this performance, I wanted to represent different aspects of the house and its history in music. Overlooking a majestic view of the Hudson River, from which rise steep cliffs carpeted with trees, I chose Sibelius’ Finlandia because it describes the rugged landscape – especially the forests and mountains – of the composer’s homeland. The house being constructed in the English style, I chose to incorporate Grainger’s cheeky adaptation of an English Morris dance, Country Gardens.”
Mr. Ger also notes that “in recognition of the remarkable view of the Hudson, I selected an ode to another great river in Strauss’ Blue Danube. Lastly, as happenstance would have it, Boscobel was completed in 1808, the very same year that Beethoven composed his mighty Fifth Symphony. As a fascinating reflection of what was happening across the world in Europe, this symphony rounds out our special presentation.”
Gates for the Symphony Picnic will open at Boscobel on Saturday, May 26 at 5:00pm. The music starts at 5:45 and will conclude around 7:30pm, including an intermission that will allow guests to mingle with musicians. Bring your own picnic and chairs, although refreshments are also available at Boscobel, which is located at 1601 Route #9D, Garrison, NY 10524. Tickets are available at boscobel.wpengine.com (845-265-3638). Ticket prices for Boscobel members are $22 for adults and $15 for children. The price for non-members is $28 for adults and $17 for children. Free admission for those under five-years-old. Rain date in Monday, May 28.
This project is made possible, in part, through the Putnam Arts Council’s Arts Link Grant Program, with public funds provided through the NY State Council on the Arts with support from Governor Andrew Cuomo and the NY State Legislature.
Many thanks to corporate sponsor, Central Hudson.
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