Violin Virtuoso

Rachel Barton Pine, violin soloist Camille Saint-Saëns -Violin Concerto No. 3, op. 61, in B minor Anton Bruckner – Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major Warmly welcomed back to Flagstaff after her triumphant debut with FSO in 2015, Rachel Barton Pine performs the virtuosic Saint-Saëns violin concerto. The tone of the Chicago violinist, playing a prized 1742 Guarneri instrument that is on permanent loan to her, is described as an “excellent glass of red wine—full-bodied, rich and complex.” Renowned German organist and composer, Anton Bruckner (1824-1896), nicknamed his fourth the “Romantic” symphony. It is one of Bruckner’s most popular works since its first performance in 1881, when the composer was called out to take a bow after each movement. The work opens with a simple horn solo meant to announce the day from a town hall, and rapidly grows into a melodically complex composition redolent of medieval romance.