Symphonic Dances

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Take a break from the noisy world to bathe your spirit in the warm, vibrant sounds of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and round your evening out with the energetic Symphonic Dances of Rachmaninoff. A not-to-be-missed evening with Giancarlo Guerrero, the new music director of your Sarasota Orchestra.

Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances was the master’s final orchestral composition. A virtuoso showpiece for the orchestra, it bursts with the fierce energy and Romantic melodies that are Rachmaninoff’s trademarks. Italian pianist Alessio Bax, “among the most remarkable young pianists now before the public” (Gramophone), performs Tchaikovsky’s glorious Piano Concerto No. 1, perhaps the most beloved piano concerto of all time, which was called “unplayable” prior to its 1875 premiere. You’ll also experience a short appetizer with Jennifer Higdon’s blue cathedral, which premiered in 2000 and is one of the most frequently performed new works for orchestra. Its ethereal orchestration features water-tuned glasses as an instrument as the flute and clarinet dialog.