Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony to perform Feb. 11

class=”alignleft wp-image-20066″ style=”margin: 2px 4px;” alt=”Northwestern_State_University_of_Louisiana” src=”http://klax-tv.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Northwestern_State_University_of_Louisiana.png” width=”160″ height=”160″ />NATCHITOCHES – The Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Orchestra and Philharmonic will perform Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall.

Douglas Bakenhus will conduct the orchestra. Graduate assistant conductors are Mario Alejandro Torres and Lincoln Hall.

Tickets are $10. Northwestern State University, BPCC@NSU and Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts students are admitted free with a current student I.D.

The orchestra will perform “Water Music” by George Frederic Handel and “Symphony No. 88 in G Major” by Franz Joseph Hayden. The Philharmonic will play the suite from the opera “Tannhauser” by Richard Wagner.

Handel’s work is a collection of orchestral movements that premiered on July 17, 1717, after King George I of England had requested a concert on the River Thames.

“This is a joyful piece of music. For the premiere, Handel assembled an orchestra of about 50 pieces and they played for about four hours while the King and his court sailed down the Thames,” said Bakenhus. “They later played for about eight hours as they made their way upriver to London, making it a very long day for the musicians.”

According to Bakenhus, Handel was one of the most influential composers despite being overshadowed later.

“Handel is the ‘father of the symphony,’’’ said Bakenhus. “He was innovative and unique. Later composers expanded on what he did. First, there were overtures to operas, then symphonies became their own genre with three movements and later four movements.”

Wagner’s work is set in 13th century Germany, based on the two German legends of Tannhäuser and the song contest at Wartburg.

The next concert will be on March 13 featuring winners of the annual NSU Concert Competition.