Gateway Classical Music Society to Perform an Exciting Program of Rossini and Beethoven in New York and Connecticut Performance Series

Gateway's performances with full orchestra have received enthusiastic response by audiences in Connecticut and New York and have been described in reviews as "thrilling," "compelling," "a revelation," "unforgettable," and "amazing." Conducting the Gateway 50 plus piece orchestra will be Artistic Director Ida Angland who has been described as having "inner genius, flair, idealism and grit".

New York, NY (PRWEB) April 26, 2008 -- Gateway Classical Music Society will present the Rossini "Stabat Mater" and the Beethoven "Ninth Symphony" in performances in Old Greenwich, Connecticut on May 2, 2008 and in New York City on May 7 and May 9, 2008.

Both works will be featured on Friday, May 2 at 8:00 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, 108 Sound Beach Avenue in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. The New York performances will be held at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, 152 West 71st Street in Manhattan. The Wednesday, May 7th performance at 8:00 p.m. will feature the Rossini "Stabat Mater" preceded by the Brahms "Tragic Overture". The Friday, May 9th performance at 8:00 p.m. will feature the Beethoven "Ninth Symphony" preceded by Beethoven's "Coriolan Overture".

Conducting the orchestra of over 50 musicians and chorus of 70 singers will be Artistic Director Ida Angland. Featured in the "Stabat Mater" and fourth movement of the Beethoven "Ninth Symphony" will be sopranos Rosa D'Imperio and Jacqueline Goldgorin, mezzo-sopranos Barbara Burnham Fox and Gulnara Mitzanova, tenors Daniel Juarez, Armando Mora and Hamid Rodriguez, and basses Matthew Curran and Stephan Kirchgraber. The May 2 performance of the Beethoven "Ninth Symphony" will feature, in the fourth movement, four artists for whom it will be their first time singing the work.

In presenting these works, Gateway Classical Music Society is making a powerful statement: that great musical masterworks belong to everyone and provide a much needed antithesis to our fast paced lives. Ms. Angland expresses that "an intimate visit inside great works of art, within closer than conventional proximity to the orchestra and other performers, brings people together for a higher purpose -- fulfilling a need that cannot be articulated but must be felt. The Rossini 'Stabat Mater', with its beautiful, challenging, melodic and memorable melodies and harmonies, is reflective of a divine paradise, setting it apart from other such works. The 'Amen' finale seems to evoke a certain eeriness of uncertainty within its declamations of finality, creating a musical paradox that is both decisive yet questioning of whether indeed paradise, the soul's longed for state, so ingeniously achieved in the harmonies of the preceding quartet 'Quando Corpus', await us after death."

She adds: "the Beethoven Ninth is certainly outstanding due to its incredible complexity, power and beauty but also because of its simplicity. What could sound simpler than the unforgettable theme of the fourth movement? How incredible that the loss of Beethoven's most needed possession, his hearing, did not prevent him from perceiving the joyful noises that gave birth to his final symphony. His reflections toward the end of his life, through the Ninth Symphony, yielded a final revelation of brotherhood and happiness in spite of such monumental loss ... a joyful, albeit ironic, finish."

Tickets may be purchased at the door beginning one hour prior to the performance or online at www.gatewayclassical.org. Admission is $30 for adults, $25 for senior citizens and $15 for students.

Gateway Classical Music Society was founded in 2004 to increase public excitement, involvement and appreciation of classical music through high impact, intimate performances in city and suburban neighborhoods and to provide opportunities for artists. Through high quality performances of impact and intimacy, Gateway's objectives are to foster public involvement with great music masterworks and to provide opportunities for artists by cultivating the bridge between formal education and professional career and, in so doing, expanding artists' artistic development and potential.

Since its debut in 2004, Gateway has presented the "Great Works of Art Up Close and Personal" series, performing in smaller than conventional venues in Greenwich, Stamford and New York City. The large music masterworks presented in this series have included Aida (inaugural performance in 2004 and 2005 NY debut), Carmen, Rigoletto, the Verdi Requiem, Opera Highlights performances and symphonic works.

For additional information contact: Jo-Ann Zaccarelli, Publicity Coordinator, 646-264-8800 or visit us online at www.gatewayclassical.org.

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