SUMMIT, NJ — Led by founder and artistic director George Marriner Maull, The Discovery Orchestra will return to the concert stage after a pandemic break for an exploration of French composer Camille Saint-Saëns’ epic masterwork Symphony No. 3 in C minor, sometimes called the Organ Symphony. The Summit-based orchestra is offering free tickets to individuals and groups to the Sunday, Sept. 18, concert, which will be taped for broadcast for the orchestra’s sixth national public television special. Featuring a 90-piece orchestra and taped at the Hauser Auditorium at the Pingry School in Basking Ridge, the concert will air on American Public Television in May 2023.
Comprising a diverse roster of virtuoso musicians, The Discovery Orchestra introduces classical music to the masses through entertaining and informative interactive performances. Its television specials are Emmy Award–nominated and Telly Award–winning, and include “Bach to the Future,” “Discover Beethoven’s 5th,” “Discover Vivaldi’s Four Seasons,” “Fall in Love with Music” and “Discover The Firebird.”
“Discover Saint-Saëns’ ‘Organ’ Symphony” will feature New Jersey–based organist Mark Miller and West Nyack–based concertmaster Peter Winograd. Composed in 1886 and premiered the same year in London, Saint-Saëns’ masterpiece was such an overwhelming success that the composer was quoted as saying, “I gave everything to it I was able to give. What I have here accomplished, I will never achieve again.” In this one-hour special led by Maull, The Discovery Orchestra will share an interactive exploration of the breathtaking finale of Symphony No. 3, which was musically adapted for use in the score for the 1995 family film “Babe” and its 1998 sequel “Babe: Pig in the City.”
“The Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 finale is one of the most uplifting compositions ever written by any composer, and we aim to transport audiences into the heart of this piece for a powerful boost to everyone navigating these most difficult times,” Maull said.
Free tickets — for individuals and groups of up to 25 — are available by visiting www.discoveryorchestra.org/discover-saint-saens or calling 973-379-2200. Only ages 8 and older will be admitted. Attendees are asked to arrive on time in their Sunday best for the taping, which runs from 2:45 to 4:30 p.m.
Pingry’s Hauser Auditorium is located at 131 Martinsville Road in Basking Ridge. Pingry is an accessible facility. Upon request and with two weeks’ notice, specific accommodations for large print programs, Braille materials and audio-description services will be made, subject to the group’s available resources.
Photo Courtesy of Rick Gomes