Classics I: Rhapsody!

Sarah Ioannides, conductor

MacKenzie Melemed, piano

Boulanger: D’un Matin du Printemps
Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Ravel: La Valse
Strauss: Suite from Der Rosenkavalier

D’un Matin De Printemps (Of a Spring Morning) is joyful and vibrant, much like a breath of fresh air, ironically written the year preceding Boulanger’s untimely death. Inspired by Paganini, Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody incorporates 24 variations and vaulted him back to popular acclaim. “A choreographic poem for orchestra,” Ravel’s La Valse was originally conceived as a ballet and evokes images of waltzing couples. Strauss composed Der Rosenkavalier during the sunset of the golden age of the Vienna Waltz, recalling the elegance and grace of a bygone era.