Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra with Peter Oundjian

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Program

J. STRAUSS JR.  Die Fledermaus: Overture
STRAUSS  Four Last Songs
J. STRAUSS JR.  Kaiser-Walzer, Op. 437
STRAUSS  Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30

Featured Artists

Peter Oundjian, conductor
Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, soprano

Description

Our season finale is unapologetically grand, pairing music that once filled Viennese ballrooms with works meant to challenge our understanding of life and our place in the universe. Led by Music Director Peter Oundjian, experience four pieces spanning two composers named Strauss who could not be more different in spirit or scale. Johann Strauss Jr., the “Waltz King,” composed music that set 19^th-century Vienna spinning. His Die Fledermaus Overture bursts with theatrical flair, while the Kaiser-Walzer transforms the familiar waltz into something symphonic in scope. At the emotional heart of the program stands Richard Strauss’ Four Last Songs, among the most luminous farewells in the orchestral repertoire. Written at the end of the composer’s life and brought to new heights by the transcendent voice of Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, this piece offers a sublime meditation on love, loss, and the peaceful close of life.

Our farewell to the season concludes with Also sprach Zarathustra, Strauss’ vast tone poem inspired by Nietzsche’s novel of the same name, and instantly recognizable from its use in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. From its iconic opening fanfare to its unresolved final question, the piece challenges listeners to consider the limits of understanding amid humanity’s search for meaning, offering a bold and unforgettable close to a season.

Prelude & Talkback: Join us before and after select concerts to dive deeper into the music or take a peak behind the curtain. Check back for exact details about this concert.