From the bohemian Moldau to the beautiful blue Danube, rivers have inspired composers for centuries. Join your Aurora Symphony Orchestra for a musical journey on the waters of the world: “Into the Beautiful Blue.”

Program Repertoire:

Smetana, Vysehrad from Ma Vlast

Debussy, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

Ingrid Stölzel, Into the Blue

Mendelssohn, The Hebrides

J. Strauss Jr., By the Beautiful Blue Danube

Smetana, The Moldau from Ma Vlast

Music from Bedřich Smetana’s – My Homeland celebrates the natural beauty of the Czech Republic. The grand melody of the Vysehrad Castle opens the concert. Then, the “Moldau” river’s flowing melody takes us on a trip through the countryside: passing springs and meadows, the celebration of a farmer’s wedding, mermaids dancing in the moonlight, swirling rapids, and finally the Vysehrad Castle at the end of the river.

Debussy’s – Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun brings to life impressionistic poems and paintings with harmonies and rhythms that echo the flowing brushstrokes of Monet and bring out the unique colors of the orchestra.

Ingrid Stölzel’s – Into the Blue evokes “a journey into the unknown, an openness toward new possibilities, all accompanied by a playful, adventurous spirit and a big dose of spontaneity.” It captures the moment-to-moment excitement of exploration.

Felix Mendelssohn’s – Hebrides Overture captures the composer’s awe-filled experience the first time he visited the striking Fingal’s Cave in the Hebrides Islands of Scotland.

Finally, you will experience a live performance of the world’s most popular classical dance number: By the Beautiful Blue Danube, by the Waltz King, Johann Strauss Jr. You will surely know this piece and its melody from the docking scene in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, from the 2021 Netflix Series Squid Game, or in many other movies, series, and cartoons.

Meet us where musical rivers converge in “Into the Beautiful Blue.”