The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra presents the second concert of the 2020-2021 Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series. Serenades will be streamed from the Robinson Center on February 27 at 7:30 p.m. and February 28 at 3:00 p.m. Due to health and safety precautions, the program will be presented virtually, available for a minimum donation of $10. Concert information and the stream are available at www.ArkansasSymphony.org/serenades. The Stella Boyle Smith Trust is the Masterworks Series sponsor.
The ASO will perform music from Romantic composers Richard Strauss and Antonin Dvorak. Strauss’s work for strings and Dvorak’s work for wind ensemble are “serenades,” a genre of orchestral writing that flourished during the Classic period, with the most famous example Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart. Serenades were originally written for outdoor special occasions, such as garden parties, and tend to be light and refreshing in nature. Interim Artistic Director Geoffrey Robson said, “If the first Masterworks program was a reintroduction to the sound of orchestra strings, this program does the same for wind instruments.”
The 2020-2021 Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks series was initially scheduled to start in September of 2020, but the season was postponed due to the pandemic. ASO will present Serenades virtually, and the orchestra will announce plans for the March, April, and May programs closer to the events.
The public release of Serenades has been rescheduled from February 20th and 21st to February 27th and 28th. This schedule change will allow more time for editing and producing the virtual concert for the best viewing experience.
