Christian Baldini, Music Director & Conductor of the UB Symphony Orchestra for the State University of New York at Buffalo is one more treasure we can add to our list of attributes.
The Argentinian with Italian and Lebanese parentage, much like the music he puts forth, is a study in classics melded with passion, and his leadership of the UB orchestra and ensemble are a boon to UB and Buffalo as a whole.
Just back from guest conducting Britten's opera "The Rape of Lucretia" for the Aldeburgh Festival in England, Baldini is ready to conduct UB's Symphony Orchestra this Sunday at 8PM, for a free concert at Slee Hall. Baldini has been with UB for 1 1/2 years.
"The most exciting thing about this first concert of the season with the UB Symphony Orchestra is that we'll be performing the Buffalo Premiere of Rimsky-Korsakov's Symphony No.1, and 2008 is also Rimsky's 100th Anniversary," Baldini said. "It is truly a masterpiece that for some reason very rarely gets performed, so I am very proud of announcing this premiere in the area."
Baldini, a conductor, composer, teacher and musician himself, went on to explain that Rimsky began this piece as a student and completed it during his three-year stint in the Russian Navy.
"Rimsky wrote some very important orchestration treastises as a Master, and it's interesting to see what he did as a student," Baldini says of the symphony.
One of the lesser know and interesting facts about the UB musicians is that they come from many different majors of study. "It's wonderful to see the music majors working with medical, engineering, chemical engineering, literature, history and law students," Baldini said. "They're all incredibly passionate about the music, and watching them interact is great."