Passion & Tragedy

Passion & Tragedy

Sep 27, 2025 7:30 PM

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In Eckart’s words:

Welcome to the new season of Long Beach Symphony!

Our opening concert begins with a work by Haitian American composer Sydney Guillaume. Titled Lavil Okap, or “the city of Cap-Haïtien” in Haitian Creole, the piece was composed in 2020. The music draws inspiration from the African rhythms that enslaved people brought to Haiti, and from the very first notes, it projects a jubilant atmosphere driven by catchy rhythms throughout. He really brings Haitian street music to the concert hall. It’s a piece that is a lot of fun to play, and I know you’ll love listening to it. As a special treat, the composer himself will join us for the performance.

In contrast, our next piece features the mesmerizing music of Frédéric Chopin. We will be performing his Piano Concerto No. 2, welcoming back the brilliant Fei-Fei Dong, who became one of Long Beach’s favorite pianists when she performed Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto in 2018. Chopin wrote mostly piano music—mazurkas, waltzes, polonaises—and very little for piano and orchestra. He was just 19 when he composed this concerto and its premiere at the Warsaw National Theatre marked his first major concert success. The press hailed him as the “Paganini of the piano.” And yet, his music requires “fast fingers,” but it is so much more: he really finds the soul of the piano and his music comes not only virtuosic, but also very intimate and personal–almost fragile at the same time. The most memorable parts, for me, are not the fast, brilliant parts, but the slow and heavenly middle movement. In a letter, he writes that this middle movement was inspired by his love for a fellow student at the conservatoire, a young singer. If music can express love and vulnerability, this is the music.

For the second half of the program, big contrast again, as we end the concert with a bang with Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story Symphonic Dances. Bernstein was not only the greatest American conductor, but also one of the greatest American composers. The piece that earned him his widest popular acclaim is West Side Story. It was written in the 1950s and is a remake of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but this time this tale is a tale of young love against a backdrop of gang warfare in New York City. The music is so fantastic and brilliant. You will recognize a lot of the famous songs and dances, including America, Maria, and the Mambo. The Long Beach Symphony is going to knock it out of the park—and you’ll be part of the performance as well! So warm up your voices, and we’ll see you there!

Audiences will enjoy the Classical ‎Series fun and elegant evening surrounded by the Terrace Theater’s dazzling fountains and fire pits, prelude ensemble in the lobby, 6:30 PM Pre-Concert Talk to gain greater knowledge regarding the evening programming, and the ability to “Sip & Enjoy” in the concert hall.  Doors open at 6PM.

Eckart Preu

Eckart Preu, Conductor

Eckart Preu (Eck-art Proy) began his tenure as Music Director of Long Beach Symphony in 2017. Critics, the orchestra, and audiences alike have celebrated his ability to combine well-loved masterworks with rare or newer works in programs offering dimension, sophistication, and spirit. Preu also currently serves as …

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Fei-Fei Dong

Fei-Fei Dong, Piano

Infusing “intoxicating grace” with “exceptional musicality” and “inconceivable virtuosity,” pianist Fei-Fei conjures a special and undeniable connectivity with her audiences that brings joy, passion, and deep musical understanding (Badische Neueste Nachrichten). Her engaging and endearing personality shines through in every note, word, and expression—whether performing …

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