ASO: Two Romantics - Brahms & Prokofiev

Masterworks V

Friday & Saturday, March 31 & April 1 at 8:00 PM at Maryland Hall

Sunday, April 2 at 3:00 PM at Strathmore Music Center

ASO Chat Available starting March 16th, 2023 at 8:00 PM

Program:

Behzad Ranjbaran Esther

Sergei Prokofiev Concerto for Violin No. 1 in D major, op. 19

Sayaka Shoji, violin

Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 2 in D major, op. 73

The biblical story of Esther, who uses bravery and cunning to save the Jews of Persia, is the inspiration for this piece by Behzad Ranjbaran exploring the connections between music and mysticism of the Persian mythology of his native Iran. Simply too romantic for Paris audiences looking for riots like The Rite of Spring, the premiere of Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 didn’t inspire. Happily, Russian audiences found it delightfully lyrical and “too romantic” is hardly an offense to modern ears. The D major Symphony by Brahms seems to reflect the composer’s relaxed state of mind during

the happy summer of 1877. The lyrical character of the work—sometimes referred to as Brahms’s “Pastoral” Symphony—is remarkably intricate and unified, resulting in a composition that radiates energy and optimism from start to finish.

*Single tickets for the Strathmore performance on April 2, 2023 are on sale through Strathmore’s website. Click here to purchase.