SoundWaves with The Florida Orchestra

Antonin Dvorak’s Ninth Symphony is as big a deal today as it was in 1893, when it premiered with huge fanfare at Carnegie Hall in New York. The Ninth was special. Major composer. Written in America. Inspired by African-American spirituals. No wonder it prompted one of the most elaborate music reviews in the history of newspapers, a 3,000-word essay. In Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola, the sublime middle movement is dipped in grief, but all sadness vanishes in the presto finale. The concert begins with Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture – full-throttled music, virtuosic and splashy – from a colorful composer who would make a delightful dinner party guest.
These program notes include music excerpts.

Masterworks 10 of the 23/24 Season
Performances April 12-14, 2024

This is the symphony that changed all symphonies, Beethoven’s monumental Third. No one had heard anything like it before. The work was originally called “Bonaparte” after Napoleon, but a disgruntled Beethoven hastily changed the title to “Eroica,” meaning heroic. Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 breaks free from oppression after the death of Stalin. The program starts with the evocative Chairman Dances: Foxtrot for Orchestra, composed by John Adams, one of the most performed American composers. A common thread links the three works on the program, each in some way stimulated by the politics of its time.
These program notes include music excerpts.
Masterworks 9 of the 23/24 Season
April 5-7, 2024

Cellist, conductor, Robin Hood of Fried Chicken

For TFO Associate Principal Cello Victor Minke Huls, his life in music started way before he was born. And it keeps getting better. From homework in the concert hall to conducting, salsa dancing, an Irish family band and his secret career as a counter tenor, the Florida native keeps adding to an amazing life. Dare we mention that unfortunate job in the school cafeteria? With. All. That. Food. There’s a lot to look forward to in his new role with The Florida Orchestra, but a big moment will be performing Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben. He’ll share the stage with someone very special. 

 A heroic concert indeed. Beethoven’s famed Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor,” composed when he was deaf, is a stunning example of Beethoven’s stubborn nature. He overcame his liability to create a work of unprecedented depth and expression. The adagio is simply sublime. “The concerto encapsulates the heroic struggle of the individual,’’ says TFO Music Director Michael Francis, “and how one determined soul can influence the world around him to a magnificent degree.’’ Rounding out the program is Richard Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben, or A Hero’s Life. In this case the hero is, well, Strauss. He was an enormous talent with an ego to match. The muscular work also is a great showcase for the orchestra. These program notes include music excerpts.

Masterworks 8 of the 23/24 Season
Performances Feb. 23-25, 2024

This program is packed with American greats in honor of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, a smash hit since its debut 100 years ago. “I wanted to put it on a pedestal because it deserves to be there,” says TFO Music Director Michael Francis. The concert starts with jazzy fanfare Herald, Holler & Hallelujah composed by Wynton Marsalis before launching into Mason Bates’ Alternative Energy, which goes techno with a conductor’s laptop and monitors for the musicians, among other surprises. Bernstein’s Three Dance Episodes from On the Town follows three sailors on a one-day shore leave in New York. And serious Russian master Stravinsky shows his quirky American side with his jazzy, bluesy Ebony clarinet concerto, featuring Natalie Hoe. These program notes include music excerpts.

Masterworks 7 of the 23/24 Season
Performances Feb. 17 & 18, 2024

Tchaikovsky packs a lot of emotion into his Sixth: “Without exaggeration, I have put my entire soul into this symphony.” Less than 10 days after its premiere, Tchaikovsky died. This symphony would become his requiem, a last will and testament of a composer whose music comes so directly from the heart. Barber’s Violin Concerto starts out lush and lyrical before finishing with a ride wild at breakneck speed. The program begins with an orchestral version of Valentin Silvestrov’s meditative Prayer for Ukraine. These program notes include music excerpts.

Masterworks 6 of the 23/24 Season
Performances: Jan. 19 & 20, 2024

The word of the day is hurdy-gurdy. Which, in case you don’t know, is a medieval stringed instrument with an attached keyboard. And an inspiration for two pieces on this program written 200 years apart – Missy Mazzoli’s contemporary Sinfonia (For Orbiting Spheres) and Mozart’s charming Violin Concerto No. 4 – though in very different styles. The concert also takes audiences to the famous Fountains of Rome by Respighi and On the Waterfront Symphonic Suite by Leonard Bernstein. These program notes include music excerpts.
Masterworks 5 of the 23/24 Season
Performances: Jan. 6 & 7, 2024

Brahms was incredibly hard on himself. Plus, he couldn’t seem to shake the shadow of Beethoven and his incredible success. That’s why Brahms struggled for more than 14 years to complete his first symphony, which premiered when he was 43 years old. It was worth the wait –widely considered to be one of the most significant symphonies ever written. In contrast, Chopin composed his Piano Concerto No. 2 when he was just 19, yet delivered some of his most heartfelt melodies. Starting off the concert is Wagner’s Flying Dutchman Overture, which perfectly captures the turmoil of a roiling ocean and the fear of the travelers. These program notes include music excerpts.
Masterworks 4 of the 23/24 Season 
Performances: Nov. 17-19, 2023

The concert that takes off “faster than a speeding bullet” with Michael Daugherty’s Metropolis Symphony, inspired by the adventures of Superman. Music Director Michael Francis calls it “Dvorak with a dash of Marvel comics thrown in.” Then you’ll instantly recognize Rachmaninoff’s painfully beautiful Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, often featured in romantic films and pop culture. The program concludes with Ravel’s La Valse, a passionate waltz that Ravel himself described as “a dancing, whirling, almost hallucinatory ecstasy.” These program notes include music excerpts.
Masterworks 3 of the 23/24 Season 
Performances: Oct. 28 & 29, 2023

Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring was a breakthrough for its time. The music resonated across America like few works of its day, and not surprisingly, won Copland the Pulitzer Prize a year after its premiere. Also on the program are Dvorak’s Slavonic Dances, Op. 72, a continuation of his wildly popular earlier dances, which made him a household name overnight and helped pay the bills. Starting off the concert is a selection of American spirituals such as Were You There and Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child, with baritone Jubilant Sykes. These program notes include music excerpts.
Masterworks 2 of the 23/24 Season 
Performances: Oct. 21 & 22, 2023