Violinist Joan Kwuan performs with State Symphony Orchestra

By Beverly Harvey

Published: January 20, 2008

You are invited on a symphonic musical journey that will take you through different centuries and cultures.

The State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico, featuring conductor Enrique Batiz and violin soloist Joan Kwuon, will bring its musical tour to the Opelika Center for the Performing Arts Thursday evening as part of The Arts Association of East Alabama 2007-2008 Performance Series.

The State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico was established in 1971 as a musical source of pride and unity for the people of the state of Mexico, according to the classical music management firm Columbia Artists Management Inc. The state orchestra soon began to perform across the country of Mexico and had its first United States tour in 1974. In 2002, the State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico began touring in Europe. Enrique Batiz served as the first conductor of the State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico, where he remained until 1983. Seven years later, Batiz, considered one of the top conductors in Latin America, returned to the state orchestra as conductor and music director, according to CAMI.

Batiz studied piano and conducting at The Juilliard School and has been guest conductor of more than 500 symphony orchestras worldwide, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Batiz has been described as an enthusiastic conductor who expresses a profound understanding of each piece, a rare talent even among the world’s finest conductors, according to the management firm.

Only a handful of stops on the State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico’s North American tour will include violin soloist Joan Kwuon, who has also performed with Batiz and the state orchestra several times in Mexico. Thursday’s performance in Opelika will be one of them.

Kwuon has been performing chamber music, concertos and solos since she was 10.

She holds advanced degrees in music, including ones from Indiana University and The Juilliard School where she is an assistant faculty member. Thursday, Kwuon will perform a violin solo during the State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico’s performance of Johannes Brahms’ Concerto in D Major, Opus 77, a piece that holds special memories for her.

“I’m very close to the Brahms concerto,” Kwuon said recently by telephone from her home in New York City. When she was about 14, Kwuon began working on the 19th century piece secretly without telling her violin teacher.

“I knew that I really wanted to play it,” Kwuon recalled. “It just grabbed my attention and took hold of me at a young age.”

Kwuon said she has “grown up” with the concerto, but is quick to note, “Each performance is always a little bit different.”

In the Opelika performance, Kwuon will be playing a Guarneri del Gesu violin crafted in Italy in 1735.

“It has a very rich sound,” Kwuon said. “It’s especially beautiful to listen to. It has power and delicacy.”

According to Phillip Preston, director of programs for The Arts Association of East Alabama, in addition to the Brahms concerto, the State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico program will include:

Chacona E Minor, composed by Dietrich Buxtehude and arranged by Carlos Chavez — the piece was originally written for organ in the 17th Century by German composer Buxtehude. In 1937, Mexican composer Chavez updated the classical piece, creating an arrangement for a large orchestra.

Symphony No. 3 in E Flat Major, “Rhenish,” Opus 97, composed by Robert Schumann — This piece was composedin 1850 by Schumann, who served as music director of Dusseldorf, Germany. The piece consists of five movements, the second of which was inspired by an Austrian folk dance.

“Sensemaya,” The Snake Killing Ritual, composed by Silvestre Revueltas — Preston described this work by Mexican composer Revueltas as “a lively showpiece for orchestra.”

The internationally known piece, one of Revueltas’ most popular works, is based on a Cuban poem with the same name. The rhythmic, powerful piece musically depicts the death of a snake.

“It’s like dessert for the evening,” Preston said of the rousing final piece for the evening, “Sensemaya.”

IF YOU GO ....

What: The Arts Association of East Alabama 2007-2008 Performance Series, State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico, featuring conductor Enrique Batiz and violin soloist Joan Kwuon

When: 7:30 p.m. CST, Thursday

Where: Opelika Center for the Performing Arts, 1700 LaFayette Parkway

Admission: $35 adults, $31 seniors, $23 students. Tickets for reserve seats can be purchased in advance at the Arts Association of East Alabama office, 1032 S. Railroad Ave., in Opelika from 10 a.m. to noon or 1 to 3 p.m., or over the telephone with a credit card by calling the Arts Association office at 334-749-8105. Tickets can also be purchased by cash, credit card or check the day of the event. The Opelika Center for the Performing Arts box office will open Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CST.