Something for every taste: Intermezzo offers 5 diverse concerts
"People will get the chance to hear something new that will stretch their musical boundaries," he told the Deseret News. "And they're also going to get the chance to get reacquainted with well known pieces."
Porter, a violinist with the Utah Symphony who founded and runs the festival with his wife, pianist Vedrana Subotic, likes to have a musical connection running through the series. Last year, it was the Brahms sonatas. This year, it's a little bit broader in scope.
"Each program has a great masterwork as its last piece," he said.
At the first concert, which takes place Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Vieve Gore Concert Hall at Westminster College, Ravel's neglected Piano Trio in A minor is the closing masterwork.
"It's a great piece, but the reason it's not played more often is because it's very challenging," Porter said. "It's very rich for the instruments, and there are a lot of difficulties in tackling it and playing it so each voice can be heard."
"We commissioned Tony to write a piece for us this year," Porter said. "Tony is a very, very talented guy. He's an Emmy Award-winning composer and an incredible trumpet player."
"Street Musicians" is scored for trumpet, trombone, violin, cello and accordion. When the Deseret News spoke with Porter, he had yet to see the score or get an overview from the composer. "Tony is keeping it very close to his chest," Porter said.
Contrary to what Porter might think, DiLorenzo isn't being purposefully secretive about his piece. "It's a work in progress, and there are still some kinks to work out," he said in a phone interview from Seattle, where he was subbing as principal trumpet for the Seattle Symphony.
DiLorenzo's piece is a musical fantasy. "It's about a boy who sees a painting of some street musicians at an art gallery. He imagines them coming to life and entertaining people in the streets of Paris."
"Tony's piece really ties in with the entire program," Porter said. "The Piazzolla and the Ravel go well together. There is Basque dance music in Ravel's trio that goes with Piazzolla's Argentinean music. And Tony has these same influences. I think it is a great combination."
One of Porter's goals for Intermezzo is to have at least one work from the Second Viennese School (personified in the music of Schoenberg, Berg and Webern) each year. The second concert, on July 14, ties into this perfectly and spotlights one of the great string quartets of the early 20th century: Schoenberg's Quartet No. 2 in F sharp minor.
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