Scheherazade by Smetana, Williams, John, Rimsky-Korsakov, šeš 20 bal 2024, Nuo (2024/2024), Dirigentas Martin MacDonald, Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto, Toronto, Canada

Vivid imagery is on full display on this program of orchestral blockbusters. Smetana’s The Moldau, taken from his larger work Ma Vlast, is an aural description of the river of the same name in a symphonic poem that celebrates the composer’s love and inspiration of his homeland. Rarely heard as a solo instrument, John Williams’ delightful and exhilarating Tuba Concerto shows off the agility and impressive velocity of the tuba, performed by the dynamic and wonderfully talented new Principal Tuba of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Jennifer Stephen. Rounding out the program is the ever-popular Scheherazade, based on One Thousand and One Nights, an orchestral showcase shimmering with intrigue and storytelling featuring most prominently our concertmaster, Alexander Gangurean.