War and Peace by Stravinsky, Lutosławski, Honegger, De (2023/2023), Director musical Kristian Alexander, Flato Markham Theatre, Markham, Canada

Inspired by Maurice Maeterlinck’s essay “The Life of Bees,” Stravinsky’s Scherzo fantastique uses extensive chromatic constructs to depict life and activity in a hive of bees. For the 110th anniversary of the composer’s birth, Member of the Order of Canada and of the Order of Ontario Christina Petrowska Quilico performs Witold Lutosławski’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra—praised as one of the finest piano concertos of the twentieth century. Arthur Honegger’s Symphony No. 3, “Liturgique” was composed shortly after the Second World War; with movements titled after liturgical topics, Honegger’s extensive commentary describes the work as a reflection on the horrors of war and the desire for peace.