From the mind of Kevin Puts, one of today’s brightest composers, comes the Denver premiere of the pandemic-era inspired Contact, a triple concerto tailored to the unique talents of the dynamic trio Time for Three — violinists Nick Kendall and Charles Yang and double bassist Ranaan Meyer. The group performs with a breathtaking mix of virtuosity, a funky jazz and pop sensibility, and an exuberant stage presence that owes as much to hip-hop as to classical music. Whether heard as an expression of yearning for human connection or a message being broadcast into the unknown, Contact is a thrilling work that will spark your imagination.
The program concludes with Saint-Saëns’ career-defining Organ Symphony, brimming with virtuosic piano passages and brilliant orchestral writing that blends the orchestra and organ in a tapestry of unending sonic color. Its most famous melody, the radiant theme of the finale, has even entered into popular culture, having been featured in the 1995 film Babe. With Time for Three in town and ever-energetic Resident Conductor Christopher Dragon at the helm, this is Classical at its most current.