Alan Futterman
Music Director

Our June program is one of the most interesting collections of repertoire we have ever presented. After intermission we will present excerpts of orchestral hits to illustrate the development of the orchestra from the small instrumental ensembles that Johann Sebastian Bach put together in the early 18h Century, to the massive orchestral forces assembled by Igor Stravinsky to entertain and shock the Parisian audiences before World War One at Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe. Our Bremer

Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony is one of the great romantic orchestral blockbusters. It deals with themes of fate and the triumph of overcoming fate. The melodies are all memorable and the ending is huge, bombastic and over the top. Perhaps this is why it has been beloved by audiences since its premiere in 1888. Of course, the early critics were not convinced. In Russia, Valerian Bogdanov-Berezovsky wrote, "The Fifth Symphony is the weakest of Tchaikovsky's symphonies, but neve

Erich Wolfgang Korngold is well known as the composer of classic movie scores including The Sea Hawk, Captain Blood, and of course, The Adventures of Robin Hood. What American movie audiences did not know is that Korngold was one of the greatest child prodigies who ever lived and one of the most famous composers in Europe in the 1920’s and 30’s. After just a few piano lessons with a family friend, he became a phenomenal pianist. He wrote his first major work, The Snowman at