I thought the conductor did a really nice job of speaking in between pieces—I learned a few things about Mozart myself! It’s really a testament to Mozart’s genius that playing an entire program of his music can be engaging all the way to the end, [both for musicians and for the audience]. There was a great balance to the program.

It was a lot of fun to play the “Haffner” (No. 35) and “Jupiter” (No. 41) Symphonies. They’re really hard for string players, so they come up on audition lists all the time. We’ve all spent a lot of time practicing those parts in isolation, so it was great to play them in context, and to actually play the music instead of just working on technical execution.

RUSSIAN TALES 
Oct. 28–31
The ardent themes of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 come to life under the fingers of pianist Dudana Mazmanishvili, praised for her expressive and dynamic performances. Prokofiev’s popular Fifth Symphony pulses with energy; influential American composer Roger Sessions contributes an inventive suite.

BRAHMS PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1
Nov. 5 –7
George Gershwin was only 21 when he composed his tender lullaby, as was Kurt Weill when he wrote his bittersweet First Symphony. Both composers owed much to Brahms, and his incomparable talent.

ENIGMA VARIATIONS  
Nov. 27 & 28
Music to tantalize the mind as it delights the ears! Concertmaster Eric Wyrick solos in a colorful concerto by Edward T. Cone. Elgar sketched musical portraits of his friends in his Enigma Variations—the work’s puzzle has yet to be solved. Webern’s fascinating setting illuminates hidden facets of Bach’s The Musical Offering.