Sunday, October 26 – 3:00 p.m.
Goddard Auditorium, Earlham College
Coronation March from The Prophet
Giacomo Meyerbeer, 1794-1864
Meyerbeer was a German-born composer who wrote many well received operas. The Prophet premiered in 1849 and includes this march in act 4, scene 2.
Scherzo from Symphony No. 4
Johannes Brahms, 1833-97
Brahms, originally from Hamburg, Germany, is considered the successor of Beethoven in symphonic music. Because of this comparison, he waited many years before writing his first symphony in 1876 (although he started it 11 years earlier). Symphony No. 4 is his last and premiered in 1885. This third movement is a playful scherzo.
MARS: The Bringer of War from The Planets
Gustav Holst, 1874-1934
Holst wrote this suite in 1914, based not on the astronomical aspects of the planets but on their astrological characteristics. This “warlike” piece is in 5/4 time and aggressive in tone. If you watch any college football at all, you will probably hear this played by the band in the stands to pump up the fans.
Dance of the Tumblers from The Snow Maiden
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, 1844-1908; arr. by Dackow
Before devoting his time to music, Rimsky-Korsakov was an officer in the imperial Russian navy. He actually sailed to the U.S. in 1862 during the Civil War, visiting New York City, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. Among his several operas is The Snow Maiden, premiering in 1882. Act 3 has this energetic dance that depicts the skomorokhi street performers of Russia.
Overture to Ruy Blas
Felix Mendelssohn, 1809-47
This overture was completed in 1839–in three days! Mendelssohn was commissioned to compose an overture for Victor Hugo’s play Ruy Blas, a sociopolitical commentary twisted with elements of love, revenge, and death. Mendelssohn was not thrilled with the play but took on the challenge of writing the overture in the three days between its commission and the play’s premiere. The opening brass chorale may be a depiction of the court, and the remainder of the overture elicits the tempestuous and romantic aspects of the play. Mendelssohn’s ending strays from the play’s, depicting a heroic finale rather than evoking Hugo’s hostile conclusion.
Funeral March of the Marionette
Charles Gounod, 1818-93
French composer Charles Gounod wrote this piece while residing in England during 1871-72, later orchestrating it in 1879. A light piece, it depicts the funeral march for a marionette, starting furiously as the toy is broken. Then, regret for actions leading to the marionette’s demise is followed by the procession of the mourners, interrupted (in a major key) with a pause for refreshments. Alfred Hitchcock used this as the theme of his television show in the 1950s and ’60s.
Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah
Camille Saint-Saens, 1835-1921
This piece depicts a drunken revelry as the Philistines prepare a sacrifice to celebrate a victory. It occurs in act 3, scene 2 of Saint-Saens’s opera Samson and Delilah. It begins with an oboe solo and becomes more boisterous as it progresses.
Our full season
RCO Receives Grants
The RCO is grateful for generous grants recently received from the Kiwanis Club of Richmond Foundation and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group Foundation. The funds will be welcome support for the new fiscal year. Read more here.
Welcome, New Board Members!
Three new members have joined the RCO board of directors for the 2025-26 year: the RCO’s own Dana Thomas, from the flute section, and Bob Cook and Trudi Weyermann, Richmond residents and fellow musicians with an interest in supporting opportunities for music involvement. Board members serve three year terms with the option to serve a second term upon completion of the first. Our full board is listed here.
For a taste of the RCO, the link below takes you to our June 2023 concert in Glen Miller Park.