Ancient Burlesque: 86th Season Finale

The PVSO opens the night with the intricately fun Lollapalooza by John Adams. This short orchestral piece bursts with fascinating rhythms played against each other. It’s an energetic, feet-tapping piece with myriad variations on the melody passed back and forth around the orchestra, leading to a suspenseful ending.

Then the PVS Chorus joins the Orchestra for Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, a powerful and dramatic work instantly recognizable from its opening. The text from the 13th century explores some wonderfully secular themes: the fickleness of fortune and wealth; the pleasures and perils of drinking, gluttony, gambling, and lust; the ephemeral nature of life; and the joy of the return of spring. This iconic piece serves as a passionate finale to the PVS 86th season!

The PVS Ensembles will share the stage for Carmina Burana with singers from Illumine Vocal Arts Ensemble, and the Hampshire Young People’s Chorus, and guest soloists Maggie Finnegan (soprano), Patrick Dailey (countertenor), and Bradford Gleim (baritone).

Concert length is approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. Arrive early at 6PM for a pre-concert talk with PVS' resident musicologist, Dr. David Schneider, Georges Lurcy Professor of Music & History at Amherst College.

This concert is sponsored in part by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, New England Public Media, and Greenfield Cooperative Bank.