Rarely-Heard Gems

Redwood Symphony presents three unique musical visions, grand and intimate.

The evening begins with Witold Lutosławski’s Symphony No. 3, widely considered the Polish composer’s greatest orchestral achievement and one of the defining symphonic works of the mid 20th century. Powerful, dramatic, and strikingly original, the symphony combines moments of explosive energy, shimmering mystery and extended passages in which every member of the 100-piece orchestra becomes a soloist.  The result is a uniquely arresting soundworld unlike anything you’ve ever experienced.

The program continues with Gustav Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder(Songs on the Deaths of Children), a profoundly moving song cycle performed by acclaimed mezzo-soprano Kindra Scharich. Drawing on poems by Friedrich Rückert, Mahler confronts grief, love, and memory with extraordinary honesty and tenderness. The result is music of haunting beauty and deep emotional resonance.

The concert reaches its apex with J.S. Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in D, BWV 532, brilliantly orchestrated by Ottorino Respighi. Respighi’s colorful arrangement transforms Bach’s monumental organ work into a dazzling orchestral showpiece, revealing the grandeur and architectural brilliance of the original while illuminating it with vibrant symphonic color.

Kindra Scharich

Mezzo-soprano Kindra Scharich has been praised by The San Francisco Chronicle for her “exuberant vitality”, “fearless technical precision”, “deep-rooted pathos” and “irrepressible musical splendor.” Ms. Scharich has performed more than 250 art songs in 12 languages and 35 roles in the operatic repertoire.Read more →