The Mobile Symphony Orchestra’s 2024-2025 season ends in a blaze of glory, highlighting three masterful French composers. Maurice Ravel’s La Valse opens the concert with its intoxicating whirl of waltzes, shimmering with kaleidoscopic colors. The music first draws us into a world of swirling dance and poignant nostalgia — and then devolves into a stunning depiction of the devastation of the early 20th century.

The ebullient pianist Charlie Albright returns for Camille Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2, showcasing his virtuosic pyrotechnics and lyrical sensitivity in this Romantic masterpiece.

The concert culminates with Hector Berlioz’s visionary Symphonie Fantastique, a symphonic odyssey that delves into the depths of the Romantic imagination. From the dreamlike reveries of the “Reveries – Passions” to the electrifying “March to the Scaffold” and “Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath,” Berlioz’s powerful and innovative symphony unfolds with theatricality and emotional intensity. A thrilling end to a thrilling season!

Scott Speck, conductor
Charlie Albright, piano

PROGRAM:

Maurice Ravel: La Valse

Camille Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto 2 (Charlie Albright, piano) 

Hector Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique