Season 8

1959-1960

Roster

Senior Bios

November 1959 Concert

The November 1959 concert features a thrilling and evocative program beginning with the dramatic storytelling of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, Symphonic Suite for Orchestra, Op. 35.

Inspired by The Thousand and One Nights, this masterpiece paints a vivid picture of the Sultana Scheherazade, whose captivating tales save her life. The solo violin represents the voice of Scheherazade, weaving her romantic and lovely motif throughout the work. The suite is divided into four movements: the tumultuous "The Sea and the Vessel of Sinbad"; the enchanting narrative of "The Tale of Prince Kalender"; the lyrical romance of "The Young Prince and the Young Princess"; and the grand finale, "Festival at Baghdad. The Sea. The Vessel is Wrecked," where the Sultan's stern theme and Scheherazade's melody ultimately bring the work to a peaceful close.

The second half of the program opens with the Concerto for French Horn and Orchestra in E flat major, K. V. No. 495 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. A prodigious genius, Mozart composed over 600 works in his brief life. This concerto is a splendid example of his elegant and joyful style.

Following this is "The Great Gate of Kiev" from Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. This movement, the last of a suite inspired by a memorial art gallery of paintings by Viktor Hartmann, is a majestic and impressive musical depiction of the massive, old-Russian style gate.

The concert concludes with a piece of lighthearted elegance, "King of Waltz," a perpetual motion work by Johann Strauss, Jr. Known as "The Waltz King," Strauss was a master of the Viennese waltz. This selection, through its undulating flow of interwoven melodic lines, perfectly captures the illusion of a never-ending dance.