Lohengrin’s Prelude paints a picture of the descent of the Holy Grail, “radiating fiery beams and shaking the soul with emotion,” in Wagner’s own words. No symphonies surpass those of Bruckner for sheer magnificence of sound. He called the Fourth his
“Romantic” Symphony, for its connection to the spirit of medieval legends. The melodies resound with echoes of Schubert, but the magisterial drama comes from Wagner.

Composer Clarice Assad and trumpeter Mary Elizabeth Bowden introduce a work co-commissioned by the ASO, based on paintings by surrealist Gertrude Abercrombie. The evening takes inspiration from folk song and popular music, in Higdon’s "Reel Time" to American folk traditions at the heart of Montgomery’s "Strum." Tchaikovsky echoes of Mozart and Brahms in "Souvenir de Florence" but in his own deeply personal voice.