SoundWaves with The Florida Orchestra

Variations on a Rococo Theme is the closest Tchaikovsky ever came to writing a cello concerto. Scored for a reduced orchestra, the Variations assume a chamber-like texture and balance the sweetness of the classical style with a romantic warmth, the soloist never leaving the spotlight − much less having a moment to rest. The program opens with the tone poem Elegia Andina by Gabriele Lena Frank. She was born hearing impaired, yet the Washington Post recently named her one of the 35 most significant women composers in history. Kodaly’s began collecting tunes for his Dances of Galánta while living in the town of Galánta, and the music captures the boisterous nature of the dances that came from them. Rounding out the program is Bizet’s Carmen Suites Nos. 1 & 2. The tunes are played in reverse order of the opera, but no matter − their infectious charm works in any arrangement.

These audio program notes include music excerpts.

Masterworks 6 of the 24/25 Season
Performances Jan 24 & 25, 2025

Felix Mendelssohn’s best-loved work has to be his radiant Violin Concerto. It is loaded with good tunes. In particular is the finale, a puckish movement full of sparkle and bravado. One of the most significant African-American composers of the 20th century, William Dawson seamlessly wove folksong into works such as the Negro Folk Symphony. Quotes from American spirituals simmer throughout the work, which ends in an explosion of rhythms inspired by the composer’s trip to Africa. Composer Georges Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody is an amazing orchestral showpiece. What makes it so exciting is the ever-increasing tempo, the orchestra gaining speed and momentum in an exhilarating crescendo that ends with a knock-out punch designed to bring an audience to its feet.

These audio program notes include music excerpts.

Masterworks 5 of the 24/25 Season
Performances Jan 11 & 12, 2024

Brahms’ idyllic Symphony No. 2 radiates warmth – until an explosion of brass announces one of the most exciting endings in music. In Grieg’s impassioned Piano Concerto, the opening rumble of timpani sends the piano on a flourish of unforgettable melodies. This fragrant and impassioned work is among the most performed – and recorded – of any music in the repertoire. Rounding out the program is Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s fresh and energetic Ballade for Orchestra, composed when was just 23.

These audio program notes include music excerpts.

Masterworks 4 of the 24/25 Season
Performances Nov 22 & 23, 2024

The concert pairs two of the most famous openings in music: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Richard Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra (Theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey). In Beethoven’s Fifth, it’s up to you, the listener, to interpret those four iconic bursts of sound – da da da dum! Fate knocking at the door? Victory over tyranny? A deaf composer shaking his fist at his lot in life? In Zarathustra, you’ll get a true feel for Strauss’ flair for dramatic beginnings in his “Mountain Sunrise.”

These audio program notes include music excerpts.

Masterworks 3 of the 24/25 Season
Performances Nov 1-3, 2024

Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 3 may be his most intriguing – and underrated – symphony. Four decades separate Rachmaninoff’s First and Third symphonies, both neglected compared to the celebrated Second. Written in America, his Third Symphony radiates lush romantic melodies, drenched in his trademark orchestral colors. The program starts off with Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, an unquestioned masterpiece revered by concert violinists for more than a century. It got off to a slow start in popularity, but today, the concerto takes its rightful place alongside those of Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Brahms and Bruch.


Masterworks 2 of the 24/25 Season
Performances Oct 19 & 20, 2024

Ravel’s Bolero begins quietly and ends demonically. The repetition – a maddening rat-a-tat-tat of the snare drum – may sound simple, but the gradual crescendo builds into a frenzy of intensity and brilliant color. Ravel himself underestimated the appeal of the piece, calling it “orchestration without music.” Instead of sliding into oblivion, Bolero enjoys unflagging popularity still today. Also on the program: De Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain is full of mystery, perfumed by the Alhambra. Chabrier’s flamboyant España builds to a fiery climax. Villa-Lobos’ exotic Choros No. 10 reflects the atmosphere of a rainforest. Rounding out the concert is Borodin’s rousing Polovtsian Dances.

Masterworks 1 of the 24/25 Season
Performances Oct 5 & 6, 2024

Mahler knew how to think big. For his Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection,” he stuffed the stage with 270 musicians, including 10 trumpets and 10 horns in the original score. It took Mahler five years to complete the symphony, which stretches more than 80 minutes and holds a special place among musicians and audiences. Today, millions of people have heard the Resurrection for the first time not in the concert hall, but in the movie Maestro, the 2023 biopic on Leonard Bernstein, as portrayed by Bradley Cooper. The work is a journey from darkness to light, and follows a similar path of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. “It’s probably the most impressive piece of music you can hear in concert, and the most glorious climax ever written,” says Florida Orchestra Music Director Michael Francis.
These program notes include music excerpts.

Masterworks 13 of the 23/24 Season
Performances May 25 & 26, 2024

The power of friendship. Edward Elgar’s most popular work, Enigma Variations, was dedicated to 14 friends portrayed in the pieces – from his wife to an Oxford professor, a bulldog and even Elgar himself. Like the Elgar, each section of Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin (The Grave of Couperin) is dedicated to someone the composer knew, but this time they are friends who died on the battlefield. The music is far from gloomy. The composer once said, “the dead are sad enough, in their eternal silence.’’ In Brahms Double Concerto, the violin and cello are partners in a conversation with the orchestra, ending with a spirited rondo that harkens back to the composer’s own Hungarian Dances.
These program notes include music excerpts.

Masterworks 12 of the 23/24 Season
Performances May 17-19, 2024

All in the family. From a tiny apartment around the world to a chance audition at The Florida Orchestra, family has been a driving force for Principal Cellist Yoni Draiblate. Is he bringing up the next Yo-Yo Ma? Time will tell. Even Brahms’ Double Concerto, which Yoni performs this weekend, cannot escape family drama.  

We’re taking a tour of France in the spring. Magnifique! Saint-Saens’ Organ Symphony – used so effectively in the 1995 movie Babe – is a lush masterpiece that builds and builds until … wait for it … the organ is let loose in the finale. Fauré’s Requiem creates a place of peace and serenity with rich, soulful melodies, featuring The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay. The vibrant energy of Lili Boulanger’s Of a Spring Morning begins the concert.
These program notes include music excerpts.

Masterworks 11 of the 23/24 Season
Performances April 26-28, 2024