Overview

  CLASSICS

One-to-watch conductor Alexander Shelley — unanimous winner of the prestigious Leeds Conductors Competition in 2005 and Music Director for the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa — makes his Colorado Symphony debut leading a prodigious program of musical giants. The program begins with two cornerstone works by Tchaikovsky as up-and-coming cellist Cicely Parnas graces the stage to artfully present Variations on a Rococo Theme, a nostalgic look back at his eighteenth century musical influences. Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Overture is a magical fantasy based on Shakespeare’s famous tragedy and featuring the iconic love theme that has become one of the most recognizable melodies in the world. Dvořák’s Seventh Symphony offers a departure from his traditionally bright, folk theme-filled melodies, instead offering a sinister, emotional composition full of dark sonorities and biting rhythms, capping a night of energizing masterworks.