Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank

Hedonistic, audacious; the piece that established Strauss as a brilliant orchestrator and master of orchestral storytelling.

Britten wrote this turbulent, yet melodic, concerto in Canada as the storm clouds of World War II gathered in his native England.

Tuneful and majestic. Get carried away on the flowing currents of Schumann’s Third, which evokes the resplendent Rhine River.

Languid and sensual, suggesting the erotic reveries of a faun, the half-man, half-goat of Greek mythology.

“A celebration of life … and an explosion of happiness.” – Ingrid Fliter

Moody, foreboding; it captures the ocean at dawn, on Sunday morning, under moonlight and during a storm.

Vivid and imaginative. As a young boy, Debussy’s parents had wanted him to join the French Navy; instead, he captured his impressions of the ever-changing sea in this work.

Whimsical, sparkling, emotional—was more joyous music ever put to paper? Closes with the famous Wedding March, which in its full orchestral form is a marvel.

The superlatives rack up when describing this glorious work: stunning, titanic, sweeping—even sweetly intimate in spots. A perfect conclusion to the season.