TEXARKANA, Texas - The gifts musicians give, such are the selections on tap for the next Texarkana Symphony Orchestra concert, "Simple Gifts," at the Perot Theatre on Saturday, Feb. 13.
"Simple Gifts" features an up-and-coming clarinetist, Alexander Bedenko, and a diverse repertoire that evening: Richard Wagner's "Siegfried Idyll," Mozart's "Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622" and Aaron Copland's "Appalachian Spring."
The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. with a concert preview at 6:40 p.m. Philip Mann conducts.
"The title 'Simple Gifts' comes from the Shaker melody and the hymn 'Simple Gifts,' which forms the finale, the big theme from Aaron Copland's 'Appalachian Spring,'" Mann said.
That's the direct source, but the larger connection refers to the "simple intimacy and specialness" to the repertoire, the conductor said.
"All three works in this program, they're the kind of works that musicians share with each other. In some cases they were gifts of musicians. All three works essentially are smaller, chamber orchestra works that speak with great love, simplicity and intimacy," Mann said.
With the Wagner piece, the music was never intended to be played publicly, the conductor said.
"He wrote it just as a personal statement of his love as a birthday present for his second wife, Cosima," Mann said. "The premiere of it is quite famous because it was premiered on Christmas morning, which was her birthday, Dec. 25, and it was with some of the finest musicians in the world from the Tonhalle Orchestra."
Wagner brought them to his country estate, and the "exquisite gift" of music was performed with musicians lined up on the stairway, Mann said. It was intended to be a personal expression, but financial need inspired Wagner to publish it.
"And now it has become one of the most famous and requested works of the chamber music repertoire," Mann said, adding that Copland's work is one of his favorite works in the American repertoire.
"Appalachian Spring" concludes the program, a work that sounds quintessentially American.
"This piece is one of the places where he in some ways codified what we consider the American sound. When you hear Aaron Copland's music, we all immediately recognize it as 'that's American,'" Mann said.
Additionally, says Mann, the work includes a vast range of energy and emotion.
"It has some of the most simple, sublime, quiet, contemplative moments, but it also has moments of great verve and energy and dance," Mann said, noting the work ends in a prayerful way.
"That I find with audiences can be deeply moving and really stick with people," Mann said.
Bedenko, who will perform on the Mozart selection, has performed with a variety of acclaimed orchestras and ensembles all over the world, and now he comes to Texarkana.
He's also been a top winner at competitions like the Moscow International Young Artist's Competition, Interlochen Center for the Arts "Concerto Competition" and International Selmer Clarinet Competition in Kiev.
Born in Ukraine, Bedenko studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and his playing has received praise from publications like Gramophone Magazine and ArtsJournal.
"Among my very favorite concertos of the classical repertoire is the Mozart clarinet concerto," Mann said, noting it was written for one of the greatest clarinetists of all time, a collaborator with Mozart.
"The second movement is just utter beauty. It is unbelievably gorgeous, and when you have a poet on the instrument as a soloist the work can speak with almost a supernatural power. It's just a joy to collaborate with a clarinetist in this work," Mann said, "And speaking from a musician's standpoint, it's one of these works that musicians love and like to share with each other."
All three works, he said, bring a smile to the face of musicians. And there's something of a connection between them.
"We have three different works from three different centuries, and they complement each other really, really well," Mann said. "They have similar sensibilities, in a way."
(Tickets: $48, $37 and $26 with student prices available with a student ID. To purchase tickets, visit or call the Perot Theatre Box Office at 903-792-4992. Seating will be arranged with social distancing protocols in place. The Perot Theatre is located at 221 Main St. in Texarkana, Texas.)