Masterworks IV

Description: Of all of the moments in classical music that have been elevated to cultural memes (Tchaikovsky’s magical Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy; the Dies Irae from Verdi’s Requiem; O Fortuna from Orff’s Carmina Burana) the opening of Beethoven’s 5th stands out as the most indelible. Those famous four notes have become a cultural touchstone, spawning countless reflections and reactions. But those notes also spawn an entire symphony whose inexorable dramatic arc became the gold standard for symphonic composers for more than a century.  We’ll begin the concert with Wagner’s heartfelt, and uncharacteristically modest Siegfried Idyll, and then feature a new concerto for harp by Brazilian composer João Luis performed by brilliant harpist Bridget Kibbey.