Let's Get ROMANTIC

When we think of the word “Romantic”, the first word that might come to mind is love.  The definition of Romanticism has changed and evolved overtime, but it is an ideal that every human can relate to in some way.  Each piece on the this program provides a different perspective of Romanticism which will offer fresh interpretations to how we think of this word. 

Opening with Romeo and Juliet embraces to the idea of romantic love, which is the most familiar form of Romanticism.  While it opens with a calm chorale, it’s not hard to sense the tragedy that will come.  Soon the piece burst into fast allegro section where the sword fight will be depicted.  The most famous portion of the pieces is the love theme which you will surely recognize.  Lyric for Strings by George Walker will be a piece unfamiliar to most but offers a more individualistic approach to Romanticism.  It is written only for strings and in the colorful key of F# major. Walker wrote this piece for and in the memory of his grandmother.  The last piece on this program will be Howard Hanson’s Symphony No. 2 “Romantic”.  This piece is most famous for its interlochen theme, and John Williams used music from this Symphony for the movie score E.T.  Hanson was considered a Neo-Romantic composer and this piece reflects on 19th Century Romantic Era.