"Tales of Fantasy and Imagination"
The University of Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s midwinter concert evokes colorful images of exotic lands and fairy-tale adventures with two brilliantly orchestrated works. Charles Tomlinson Griffes’ "The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan", inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s dream-influenced poem of 1816, was originally written in 1912 for solo piano but recast for large orchestra in 1916. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s well-known "Scheherazade", a four-movement symphonic suite based on the literary collection One Thousand and One Nights, was crafted in 1888 and remains his most popular work. Its lush and radiant score represents the quintessence of 19th -century Orientalism, particularly popular amongst the Russian nationalist composers known as “The Mighty Five.” Camille Saint-Saëns' "Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila" rounds out the program.
Performed in the University of Chicago's Mandel Hall.
View the program notes and list of musicians at music.uchicago.edu.