New Horizons

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Folk music, improvisation, and birdsong are the three main themes of this program. Guest artist Charles Yang breaks the boundaries between musical genres in a most natural way. A recent quote in the Boston Globe stated that Charles "plays classical violin with the charisma of a Rockstar." His arrangements in this concert are fresh and inventive: the Czardas includes a blues solo and breakdown; in Blackbird the orchestra "improvises" in cells creating a rainforest like effect; and House of the Rising Sun has equally impressive solo vocals and violin parts happening at the same time. The concert culminates with Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony, a cheerful work built from Bohemian folk music and inspired by the tranquil landscapes of the composer’s native land.