Heavenly Harmonies

Symphony of the Lakes presents Heavenly Harmonies. Immerse yourself in an evening of beauty with Heavenly Harmonies, a Symphony of the Lakes concert that lifts the spirit and soothes the soul. Featuring Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin and Handel’s Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day, this program reflects on the transformative power of music, capturing joy, serenity, peace, and hope through the transformative storytelling of live instruments. Maurice Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess), 1910. Ravel described this as “an evocation of a pavane that a little princess might, in former times, have danced at the Spanish court.” It is a hauntingly beautiful piece that features the French horn. Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin (The Tomb of Couperin), 1919. The musical term “tombeau” was used in the 17th century to indicate a piece written as a memorial to someone. In this case, Ravel wrote this set of baroque dances in the style of French composer François Couperin (1668-1733). Both Le Tombeau and the Pavane were originally written for piano and later orchestrated by the composer. George Frideric Handel: Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day (1739). This is a cantata for orchestra, two vocal soloists, and choir in twelve movements. St. Cecilia is the patron saint of music, and the text by John Dryden is about the ancient theory that music was a central force in Earth’s creation. Many of the movements celebrate the qualities of specific instruments, like “The Trumpet’s Loud Clangor,” “The Soft Complaining Flute,” and “Sharp Violins.” This will feature the Wagon Wheel Symphony Choir.