Sunday, October 5, 2025

3:00pm
Pre-concert talk 2:00pm

Arizona Philharmonic
Peter Bay, conductor

Maestro Peter Bay returns to conduct Arizona Philharmonic’s string orchestra in a program that reimagines memory, motion, and light. From W. A. Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik to Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings and Béla Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances, each piece transforms tradition into something fresh and alive. Javier Álvarez’s Metro Chabacano captures the rhythms of a Mexico City subway station with vibrant pulse. Augusta Read Thomas’s luminous Of Paradise and Light draws inspiration from poetry, offering a radiant reflection. Benjamin Britten’s Simple Symphony, crafted from childhood melodies, brims with playful charm. This concert celebrates how composers reshape familiar forms—whether classical, folk, or personal—into music that speaks to the present.

Barber and Thomas offer two deeply American reflections—one mournful, one luminous—as part of our season-long celebration of American composers.

JAVIER ÁLVAREZ Metro Chabacano (1991) 🇲🇽

SAMUEL BARBER Adagio for Strings (1936/1938) 🇺🇸

W. A. MOZART Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525 (1787) 🇩🇪

BÉLA BARTÓK Romanian Folk Dances (1915, arr. for strings) 🇭🇺

AUGUSTA READ THOMAS Of Paradise and Light (2010) 🇺🇸

BENJAMIN BRITTEN Simple Symphony, Op. 4 (1934) 🇬🇧

Program subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances.