Winter’s browns and grays turn to spring’s blooms and greens in our March concert, all about transitions. Michael Torke’s Ash is a sonic ode to the color gray. Rachmaninov’s Isle of the Dead takes us on a ferry ride to the land of the “not living.” The composer was inspired by a black and white reproduction of Böcklin’s painting of the same title, which he saw at an exhibition in Paris. You’ll recognize the famous Dies irae chant throughout this reflective work. After intermission, spring is just around the corner with Lili Boulanger’s Ode to spring evening, D’un matin de printemps and Respighi’s monumental Pines of Rome, complete with the sounds of children playing, birdsong, Roman legions marching, and a reminder of those we’ve left behind in life’s winter.

Program:

• Michael Torke: Ash
• Sergei Rachmaninov: The isle of the Dead, op. 29
• Lili Boulanger: D’un matin de printemps
• Ottorino Respighi: The PInes of Rome – with side-by-side players