Redlands Symphony

Notes

Of the many composers who helped to bring the Italian Baroque style to its zenith at the beginning of the 18th century, Antonio Vivaldi stands out as perhaps the most creative. Like Bach, his energy was primarily directed toward perfecting existing forms rather than creating new ones. Within the works of Vivaldi, we see a perfection of the 17th century Italian concerto and opera forms. He and Scarlatti were to be the last important Italian composers until Rossini and Verdi.

Notes

At the conclusion of the first rehearsal of the Adagio for Strings, conductor Arturo Toscanini summed up the work in three words: “semplice e bella.”

Simple and beautiful.

Notes

Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings in C Major was written with an ear towards one of his idols, a certain 18th century composer by the name of Mozart. The title and structure of the piece are taken from the serenades of the latter, though this is certainly Tchaikovsky's own particularly 19th century rendering of these older ideas. The work was completed in 1880 and premiered in St. Petersburg in 1881.