Our last concert of the Season
April 12, 2025, 3 pm
We conclude the 2025 Season with music of Fauré, Bruch and Sibelius. The concert features Chicago Symphony Orchestra violinist, David Taylor, who will be performing Bruch's "Scottish Fantasy." Don't miss it! Our concert takes place at Moorings Presbyterian Church (791 Harbour Drive, Naples) and a reception follows the concert.
Program
• Fauré: Pavanne, Op. 50
• Bruch: Scottish Fantasy, Op. 46, for Violin & Orchestra
Soloist: David Taylor, Violin
• Sibelius: Symphony No. 7, Op. 105
Evoking spirituality and emotion through music.
Music and mysticism are intertwined through their shared ability to evoke spiritual and emotional experiences that transcend ordinary perception. Many cultures recognize music as a medium for mystical experiences, serving as a bridge to the divine or the ultimate reality, often described as ineffable and deeply personal. We intend to explore all these areas in the final concert of our 2025 Season with works by • Fauré, Bruch & Sibelius.
David Taylor
Since joining the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as assistant concertmaster in 1979, David has established himself as a distinguished performer, chamber musician, and educator with numerous orchestral roles and performances across the United States.
David Taylor, born in Canton, Ohio in 1949, is a distinguished violinist who joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) as assistant concertmaster in 1979. He began studying violin at age four with his father and later trained at the Cleveland Institute of Music and then pursued his bachelor's and master's degrees at the Juilliard School. Taylor's career includes roles as a first violinist with the Cleveland Orchestra, acting concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony, and concertmaster of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. His many solo appearances with the CSO include performances under Sir Georg Solti. An active chamber musician, Taylor performs regularly in the Chicago area, including with the Pressenda Trio and at the Ravinia Festival.
David is committed to nurturing young talent. He teaches at the Moody Institute and Roosevelt University, and coaches violinists who have gone on to join orchestras across the United States and Japan. He is also involved with the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative (CMPI), a collaborative program aimed at identifying and developing the talents of gifted orchestral students from underrepresented backgrounds, where he assists in providing opportunities for these aspiring musicians.
Taylor resides in Chicago with his wife, violinist Michelle Wynton, and plays a 1744 J.B. Guadagnini violin.
Our Community Partnership with Artis-Naples and the Naples Philharmonic
We are grateful to Artis-Naples for the Community Partnership with the Naples Philharmonic. We are fortunate to have several musicians of the Naples Philharmonic be part of the Naples Community Orchestra. This is a partnership that we value and that enhances the Community. Thank you Artis-Naples!
Fauré's Pavanne
Speaking "directly to your heart"
Gabriel Fauré's Pavane is a short orchestral work composed in 1887 originally for piano, but it is more widely known in its orchestral version. The piece, inspired by the slow processional Spanish court dance, was first performed in Paris in 1888 and has since become one of Fauré's most popular works, celebrated for its delicate and airy orchestration and memorable flute theme.
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The piece is generally described as relaxing, melancholy, and graceful rather than mystical. However, a few aspects of the Pavane could potentially be interpreted as having mystical qualities. Pavanne is described as speaking "directly to your heart," perhaps evoking an emotional resonance touching on deeper, perhaps spiritual feelings, and the ever so small changes to the main theme. Reharmonizations make you think that there might be hidden depths or layers of meaning behind the work; the slow and deliberate tempo recalls a meditative or contemplative state of mind.
No matter the effect, it is a delightful work we are confident you will enjoy!
Bruch's Scottish Fantasy
Exploring the mysteries in nature
Max Bruch's Scottish Fantasy, Op. 46 is a composition for violin and orchestra that was completed in 1880 and dedicated to the virtuoso violinist Pablo de Sarasate. The work is structured as a four-movement fantasy based on Scottish folk melodies, including tunes such as "Through the Wood Laddie," "The Dusty Miller," "I'm A' Doun for Lack O' Johnnie," and "Hey Tuttie Tatie," which is associated with the patriotic anthem "Scots Wha Hae" with lyrics by Robert Burns. Despite Bruch's visiting Scotland only after the work's premiere, he had access to a collection of Scottish music at the Munich Library, which influenced his composition.
David Taylor, Soloist
Sibelius' Symphony No. 7
Fate knocking at the door
This unique single-movement symphony is notable for its innovative structure, which deviates from the traditional multi-movement symphonic form.
The 1924 premiere in Stockholm programmed the piece as Fantasia Sinfonica No. 1 but the symphony was later recognized by Sibelius as a “full symphony,” and it features a prominent trombone theme that contributes to its majestic and cohesive nature.
We have included this piece as one of our “mystical masterpieces” given its transcendent qualities in the strings and timeless nature of the piece.: The work is characterized as having "visions of light in the strings" that made it a cult composition among some composers. This suggests an ethereal, transcendent quality. Descriptions of the music evoking glaciers, mountains, and Arctic waves suggest a vast, cosmic scale to the work.