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The concert will open with “Danse Macabre” by 19th Century French composer Camille Saint Saëns. The composition is based upon a poem by Henri Cazalis, which recounts an ancient folktale of Death appearing at midnight each year on Halloween and calling the dead from their graves to dance. First performed in 1874, the piece left some audiences unsettled with its innovative sounds.
The Orchestra will also present “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Opus 43” a work by Sergei Rachmaninoff, the Russian composer regarded as one of the most influential pianists of the 20th Century. Rachmaninoff is also remembered as one of the last champions of the Romantic style of European classical music. Written in 1934 for solo piano and symphony orchestra, “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Opus 43,” resembles a piano concerto.
The third piece is representative of the early Romantic period as the orchestra presents “Symphonie Fantastique,” an 1830 composition by French composer Hector Berlioz. Written in five movements, “Symphonie Fantastique” is considered by some as one of the best representations of the early Romantic period and its popularity has endured over the years.
A pre-concert talk will be held at 3 p.m. in the lobby of the Rockefeller Art Gallery. Tickets are available at the SUNY Fredonia Ticket Office in the Williams Center or by phone at 716-673-3501 or 1-866-441-4928.
