From imitating birds to composing symphonies, our March concert explores how composers are inspired to create orchestral music. The concert will open with Respighi’s charming suite of music dedicated to our flying friends, Gli ucelli (The Birds). Inspired by compositions from past centuries, imitating the calls and activity of birds, Respighi gives it a updated touch, using modern orchestral instruments. This delightful suite will be followed by Brahms’s powerful Symphony No. 1 in C Minor. Long haunted by Beethoven’s legacy, Brahms waited until age 41 to produce this masterpiece, the first of only four symphonies the composer would produce. It certainly is a work worth waiting for, with soaring melodies, tender moments, and glorious climaxes, and a perennial orchestra and audience favorite.

Program

• Ottorino Respighi: Gli ucelli (The Birds)
• Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68