FORT BRAGG — New York concert pianist Richard Dowling will make his Mendocino County debut in the Symphony of the Redwoods’ November performances. The program, led by music director Dr. Allan Pollack, will include Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm” Variations, Smetana’s Overture from The Bartered Bride, and Dvorak’s Symphony No 8.
The performances will take place on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. at Cotton Auditorium in Fort Bragg. Dowling will perform two piano concertos with the Symphony of the Redwoods, Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm” Variations, which is rare for a featured soloist. Both pieces have the same form and structure – theme and variations – and while Rachmaninoff’s piece is traditional classical music, it incorporates jazz harmonies, which are iconic components of Gershwin’s works.
Rachmaninoff and Gershwin were contemporaries, and both pieces were composed in 1934. In fact, when Gershwin debuted Rhapsody in Blue, Rachmaninoff was in attendance. “Featuring both of these pieces in the same program is the perfect marriage. They’re fun, familiar, and romantic,” said Dowling. “They’re two sides of the same coin.”
Dowling started playing piano at age five. “My mother signed me up for piano, little league and swimming. Piano was the only thing I was good at and I became a concert pianist,” he explained. “That’s what happens when you do what your mother says!” he added, laughing. At age nine, like many other piano students, he was inspired by Scott Joplin’s ragtime tunes used in the Academy Award winning film, The Sting. 2018 marks Joplin’s 150th birthday, and as a tribute, Dowling has been touring and performing Joplin’s entire catalog nationwide.
This endeavor led to his three disc boxed set, The Complete Piano Works of Scott Joplin, which was nominated for a Grammy earlier this
year. Copies will be available at both Symphony of the Redwoods performances.
All Symphony of the Redwoods concerts will be at Cotton Auditorium, 500 N. Harold St, Fort Bragg. Season tickets are available now for $55. Advance single concert tickets are available for $22 online at symphonyoftheredwoods.org, at Harvest Market in Fort Bragg and Out of This World in Mendocino. Tickets at the
door are $25. Attendees ages 18 and under are always free. For more information, please contact our general manager, Ellen Persa, at 707-946-0898 or symphony@mcn.org. Like the Symphony of the Redwoods on Facebook at www.facebook.com/symphonyoftheredwoods.
