Calendar of events

It is a seamless blend of orchestra with electronic and digital sounds and beats and it is riveting. The program opens with Smetana’s beloved Vltava, named for the mighty river that courses through the Czech Republic, while the second half will include some of the most irresistible orchestral selections from Wagner's Ring Cycle, beginning with the hero Siegfried's Rhine River Journey.

Baron Carpelan wrote to Sibelius in 1901 and said, "Mr. Sibelius, it is high time for you to travel. You will spend the late autumn and the winter in Italy… You remember what Italy meant for Tchaikovsky’s development and for Richard Strauss." And indeed, Italy is where the first sketches of Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 appear. Along with this delightful work, we will perform Tchaikovsky’s Cappriccio Italien, which the composer based on folk-tunes he heard wandering the streets of Rome. And circling back to the other composer in the baron’s letter, we begin the program with Richard Strauss’ impishly playful Till Eulenspeigel’s Merry Pranks. It tells the puckish story of a medieval trickster and mischief-maker who gets his deserved comeuppance in the end.