Season Finale
Featured as part of the Classic Series
Friday May 15, 2009 8:00PM
Saturday May 16, 2009 8:00PM
Saturday May 16, 2009 8:00PM
The Toledo Museum of Art Peristyle
Learn more about this venue
Learn more about this venue
Description:
Two light-hearted pieces by French composers are paired with two of the most moving compositions in the orchestral literature.
After a mischievous and delightful overture by Hector Berlioz, guest conductor Larry Rachleff joins with soprano Susan Lorette-Dunn in an evocative tour of the Auvergne* region of France. These songs of the Auvergne, transcribed and orchestrated by Joseph Canteloube, are as well-known for their colorful depictions of the natural beauty of the region as they are for their cheeky sense of humor.
The Enigma Variations, by Edward Elgar, is his most often performed work. Its prevalence on concert stages is somewhat ironic in that these variations are some of Elgar's most intimate and personal compositions, dedicated to friends and family members. The Nimrod Variation, the heart of the piece, is a poignant and powerful lyric utterance. The piece is appropriately paired with Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings, one of the most performed works written in the twentieth century. Its sustained emotional intensity, heightened by the extraordinarily effective use of silence, has given it a prominent position within the American cultural consciousness.
Program:
Berlioz Overture to Beatrice and Benedict
Canteloube Songs of the Auvergne
INTERMISSION
Barber Adagio for Strings
Elgar Enigma Variations
* TSO Premiere
WGTE - FM 91 broadcasts the Toledo Symphony on FM 91 In Concert through the generosity of the Edward H. Schmidt Musical Arts Fund. Tonight's concert will be broadcast Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 8 p.m.