- By Chris Eaton
The Greensboro Symphony Presents Robert Moody, Conductor with Gabriel Martins, Cello
Greensboro, NC (09/05/23) – A monumental season begins at the Greensboro Symphony (GSO) with the opening concert of the Season of the Seven Masterworks Series! The final stage in GSO’s Music Director Search begins with candidate, Robert Moody taking the podium alongside Brazilian-American cellist, Gabriel Martins on October 7th, 2023, at 8:00pm in the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts! This thrilling concert pays tribute to Hispanic Heritage and opens with a set of works that each draw upon Hispanic sources, beginning with Arturo Márquez’s exceedingly popular Danzon No. 2, and continuing with Édouard Lalo’s Cello Concerto in D Minor. The evening will close with one of Beethoven’s towering achievements: his beloved Symphony No. 7.
Currently in his 6th season as Music Director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and 17th season as Music Director of Arizona Musicfest, GSO Music Director Candidate Robert Moody has formerly held positions as the music director of the Portland Symphony, as well as the nearby Winston Salem Symphony. Additionally, Mr. Moody has conducted many major orchestras including the Chicago Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic. A South Carolina native, Moody holds degrees from Furman University (voice and cello) and the Eastman School of Music, where he earned his conducting degree with Donald Neuen. Moody and his partner live in Memphis with their two dogs and cat.
Lauded for his “rich, warm” and “mesmerizing” sound, Cellist Gabriel Martins has established himself as one of the world’s most compelling young musicians. His artistry has already been recognized through an extensive list of accolades including the Concert Artists Guild/Young Classical Artists Trust Grand Prize, the Sphinx Competition Gold Medal, the David Popper International Cello Competition Gold Medal, and the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians Silver Medal to name a few. These successes have led to a number of high-profile debuts including Carnegie Hall, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, and the Arkansas, Houston, Indianapolis, Memphis, and São Paulo Symphony Orchestras. In 2022, The Strad Magazine declared his New York City recital debut to be “flawlessly played…a deeply moving experience”, and Classic FM named him one of their “30 under 30” Rising Stars.
Often hailed as “Mexico’s second national anthem”, one would be hard-pressed to find a piece of contemporary Mexican concert music that can match the popularity of Danzon No. 2. Mexican composer Arturo Márquez was inspired to write the 1994 piece after visiting the dance halls of Mexico City and wrote it to pay homage to the diverse heritage of his country. Édouard Lalo’s 1877 Cello Concerto in D Minor is much loved by cellists the world over, and despite not explicitly using Spanish folk melodies, the rhythmic and melodic characteristics of the piece evoke the spirit of that country. The concert will close with Beethoven’s timeless Seventh Symphony, a work which was written in 1811-12 during a period that saw the considerable worsening of the composer’s hearing. Despite this, the Symphony stands as one of Beethoven’s major successes. Even at its premiere in 1813, the audience was enraptured by the energetic work and demanded the immediate encore of the second movement.
The opening concert of GSO’s Season of the Seven Masterworks is sure to excite! Don’t miss out when Music Director Candidate, Robert Moody and cellist, Gabriel Martins bring down the house—purchase your tickets today!
