Explore three lush, evocative works that celebrate nature and the power of storytelling through music. Start with a day-long mountain hike in Richard Strauss’ An Alpine Symphony, a grand tone poem with a massive orchestra — including wind machine and thunder sheet — to portray everything from sunrise to a thunderstorm. Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending offers a serene contrast: a pastoral 13-minute piece where the solo violin soars like a lark in flight, reflecting a deep love of the English countryside. The program closes with Ottorino Respighi’s Pines of Rome, a colorful and cinematic four-movement tone poem that evokes Roman landscapes, from playful gardens to moonlit hills. It ends with a powerful march of ancient soldiers on the Appian Way — a thunderous finale with the orchestra at full tilt.

This podcast includes music excerpts to illustrate each piece.

Masterworks 1 of the 25/26 Season
Performances October 3 & 5, 2025