Who is the hero of Richard Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben — a historical figure, a mythic legend, or the composer himself? Though most agree that the work is a self-portrait of Strauss, this swashbuckling tone poem is nonetheless a feast for the ears, filled with bravado and derring-do. Guest conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali couples this orchestral workout with Billy Childs’s Diaspora, a vibrant saxophone concerto written for the wildly talented Steven Banks.
Note: Billy Childs’s Diaspora will not be performed on Friday’s matinee concert.
A free concert preview lecture with Michael Strasser, Professor of Musicology Emeritus at Baldwin Wallace University, will take place in Reinberger Chamber Hall one hour before the performance. Friday’s lecture will be in Mandel Concert Hall.
Santuu-Matias Rouvali's performance is generously sponsored by Astri Seidenfeld.