Mozart & Ravel

Originally written for the Last Night of the Proms, English composer Anna Clyne conveys a sense of “occasion and celebration.” Or, as the Berkshire Eagle put it, “Masquerade has the style and sound of an old English music hall, a little like the nostalgic sounds on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

At just 19 years old, Mozart wrote this virtuosic and sparkling concerto for himself to play (even though it wasn’t his primary instrument!). Canadian phenom Blake Pouliot brings his signature stage presence to this equally thrilling and elegant masterpiece.

The New York Times recently said “Ravel wrote nothing more magical, and perhaps nothing so moving” as the final movement of this extraordinary suite—ostensibly for children, but with a complexity and emotional depth as profound as any work of art.

In just 20 minutes and one movement, Barber’s First Symphony packs a punch well beyond its relatively short length. The first American symphony to be played at the Salzburg Festival, Barber’s singular emotional voice, which would later produce Adagio for Strings, shines through every bar.