Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra: Verdi / Dvorak / Stravinsky
Symphony Hall
Symphony Hall, Boston, MA
Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Benjamin Zander, Conductor
Verdi: La Forza Del Destino: Overture
Dvorak: "New World" Symphony No. 9
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The first concert of the season for the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra is a melange of styles from different countries, each as different from the other as could be. It's a rich feast for the players in the orchestra, and for the audience too! To start off there is Verdi's Overture to to La forza del destino, a work that is as bracing, dynamic and full of unexpected developments as the opera that follows it.
Second on the program, the "New World" Symphony of Dvorak, a paean to a country that was still growing and finding its way.
The final work on the program is probably the most famous piece of music composed in the entire twentieth century, Stravinsky's shockingly powerful The Rite of Spring. It's a kaleidoscope of vivid orchestral colors, powerful, complex rhythms, stunningly gorgeous harmonies and brief, powerful melodies that sear their way under your skin. The Rite caused a riot at its first performance; those days are over, and today its every performance is invariably greeted with pandemonium of quite another kind. Audiences can't seem to get enough of Stravinsky's masterpiece!
If you're wondering what concert to bring your children to, this is it!
