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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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Symphonies of Horror
The old pop music saw that the Devil has all the good tunes is truer than anyone realizes. While a great deal of classical music masterpieces have sprung from religious feeling, an equal part of Western music has derived inspiration from evil and the supernatural. With Halloween upon us, it’s only fitting that classical music contemplate the material that can scare us as well as any horror movie. (If you’re in the mood for lesser-known Halloween-themed classical music, try Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit, a piano suite that ranges from gently menacing to downright terrifying in depicting a fatally enticing mermaid, a hanged corpse, and a mischievous goblin. Or else track down Joseph Horovitz and Gerard Hoffnung’s Horrortorio, a delightful spoof on Handelian oratorios that tells the story of the wedding of Frankenstein’s monster and Dracula’s daughter.)
Our local classical music organizations have gotten into the spirit. The New Symphony of Arlington concert at UTA on Thursday will include such rarities as Dvorák’s The Noon Witch and Liadov’s Kikimora (based on a Russian folk tale about a witch), plus more familiar pieces such as John Williams’ music from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Meanwhile, Anshel Brusilow and UNT Symphony Orchestra give their own Halloween-themed pops concert the following evening. Between these evenings and Britten’s The Turn of the Screw next week, it’ll be a scary time at the concert hall.
New Symphony of Arlington plays at 8pm Thu at Rosebud Theater, 300 W 1st St, Arlington. Tickets are $15-35. Call 817-608-0323. UNT Symphony Orchestra plays at 8pm Fri at Winspear Hall, I-35E & Av D, Denton. Tickets are $10. Call 940-369-7802.
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