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SIUC professor to be featured at SISO concert

The Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra has planned something a little different for its final fall semester performance.

While the famous name of Ludwig van Beethoven, followed by the hardly less well-known name of Antonin Dvorak, graces the program, the music of SIUC's own guitar virtuoso Joseph Breznikar will be the showcase of the night.

As the concert title "Beethoven and Breznikar" suggests, the music of Beethoven's "Symphony No. 7 in A Major" will be featured in the second half. The second name may not be so familiar to those outside the realm of music, but Breznikar's "Cascade: A Rhapsody for Guitar and Chamber Orchestra," will join Dvorak's "Carnival Overture" in the first half.

In fact, the entire show, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16 in Shryock Auditorium, is built around the long-time professor's composition and performance. Tickets are $15 general admission and $9 for senior citizens and children under 15.

According to the press release, the Dvorak piece was chosen to continue commemoration of the 100th-year anniversary of his death. The other piece was chosen for a slightly less musical reason.

"I thought Beethoven was a nice pair with his name, just for the title," said Maestro Edward Benyas. "But also, I think it's important to do a Beethoven symphony pretty frequently."

Benyas, who has directed the orchestra for numerous years, said has wanted to do a concert with Breznikar for quite some time. He said he chose the piece because it demonstrated Breznikar's skill as both a composer and performer, as he will take over the music's guitar solo.

Breznikar said he composed "Cascade" in 1996 because he felt the need for more guitar and orchestra pieces. He said most classical guitar compositions include the same instruments and shy away from the voluminous brass and percussion sections.

Balance has always posed a problem for the guitar with a full orchestra, which Breznikar said is why there have been so few pieces written for that genre. However, he said he composed his music in such a way to equalize the instruments and will use amplification at the concert to further complete the musical balance.

"I wanted to do something a little bit different," he said. "It was more of a piece that I felt would be representative of a fusion of classical, blues and jazz."

Breznikar said he has received a good response to the piece, which premiered and was recorded in 1997. However, this will be the first time it has been performed with a full orchestra instead of just a string quartet. He said while he thought the recording was beautiful, he believed full strings would enhance the music and fulfill his original concept.

Breznikar has been playing guitar almost his entire life and is internationally recognized for his performance and compositions, including "Twelve American Etudes for Guitar." He began composing in the early 1990s, but said his main passion lies with teaching guitar skills to others.

"I love teaching, and I love fostering new young talent," Breznikar said. "And I think there's a special reward of continuing on the legacy of what you know."

A dinner and lecture will be held as part of the concert night. The $25 dinner will begin at 5:30 p.m. in Altgeld Hall. The free, pre-concert lecture will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Altgeld Hall, room 110.

To reserve dinner tickets, call 529-2693 or 549-5694. To order program tickets call 866-646-8849, or order tickets online at Ticketmaster.com

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