Boston Conservatory Orchestra: Telling the Story
This event has passed.
Please see the events listing for upcoming events.
Please see the events listing for upcoming events.
Event Dates
(EDT)
Boston Conservatory Orchestra begins its season with a program that celebrates the art of great storytelling through music, featuring Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, the storytelling sultana who saves her own life by recounting a thousand and one tales; the orchestral suite from Richard Strauss’s comic opera Der Rosenkavalier (Cavalier of the Rose), which begins its action-packed story with a ceremonial silver rose; and Quinn Mason’s fun and festive “Toast of Town” Overture.
Bruce Hangen, Conductor
This performance has been selected as part of Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s fall 2024 Center Stage collection.
Berklee students, faculty, and staff can claim two comp tickets in person at the Symphony Hall Box Office by presenting their Berklee ID.
Program Information
Repertoire
QUINN MASON (b. 1996): “Toast of the Town” Overture
RICHARD STRAUSS: Orchestral suite from Der Rosenkavalier (Cavalier of the Rose) (1910)
NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Scheherazade (1888)
I. The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship
II. The Story of the Kalendar Prince
III. The Young Prince and the Young Princess
IV. Festival at Baghdad. The Sea. The Ship Breaks Against a Cliff Surmounted by a Bronze Horseman.
Bruce Hangen, conductor
RICHARD STRAUSS: Orchestral suite from Der Rosenkavalier (Cavalier of the Rose) (1910)
NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Scheherazade (1888)
I. The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship
II. The Story of the Kalendar Prince
III. The Young Prince and the Young Princess
IV. Festival at Baghdad. The Sea. The Ship Breaks Against a Cliff Surmounted by a Bronze Horseman.
Bruce Hangen, conductor
Program Notes
QUINN MASON: “Toast of the Town” Overture
Quinn Mason (b. 1996) is a Dallas-based composer whose willingness to push the limits of musical conventions has led him to be commissioned and performed by more than 170 ensembles across the country and in Europe. This impressive list includes San Francisco Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra. In addition to works for large ensembles, Mason also composes chamber music and works for solo instruments, as well as vocal music. He studied composition at the Southern Methodist University Meadows School of the Arts and with Dr. Winston Stone at the University of Texas at Dallas. In addition to composing, Mason is also an active conductor, having worked with ensembles such as the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Houston Ballet Orchestra, and West Virginia Symphony. Mason studied conducting at the National Orchestral Institute with Marin Alsop and James Ross, as well as at the Eastern Music Festival with Gerard Schwarz, José-Luis Novo, and Grant Cooper.
“Toast of the Town” is a vibrantly rhythmic and exciting piece that is described by Mason as “a festive and fun overture to an operetta that doesn’t exist.” The piece is a celebratory-sounding work that is rhythmically driven and traverses through many colors of orchestral sound. There is especially exciting interplay between the strings and winds. The strings create an exhilarating atmosphere playing sixteenth notes, while the winds interject with bursts of color on top. With fanfare-like sections contrasting with occasional sweeping melodies, it is truly a thrilling and lively journey. In a note about the piece, Mason describes its character as follows: “It is designed in the style of light operetta, comparable to Gilbert and Sullivan or Offenbach overtures. It has no story, so I often invite audiences to make up their own story while they are listening. I’ve gotten some fascinating results that way.” The influence of the comic opera tradition is distinctly present and part of what makes the piece so entertaining, uplifting, and charming.
—Emily Scicchitano, MM '25
RICHARD STRAUSS: Orchestral suite from Der Rosenkavalier (Cavalier of the Rose) (1910)
Richard Strauss (1864–1949) composed the opera Der Rosenkavalier between 1909 and 1910. By that point in Strauss’s career, his tone poems were already a staple of German repertoire, and he was in demand as a conductor and composer. Der Rosenkavalier was his first official collaboration with poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal, and they became close collaborators for a number of subsequent productions. Strauss remarked that von Hofmannsthal’s libretto practically set itself to music—still, Strauss’s musical setting is known to elevate the libretto to new heights. The opera is set in Vienna in the 1740s, well before the Viennese waltz tradition was born. Strauss’s use of the waltz as a central element of this work was an intentional anachronism on his part, as a musical tip of his hat to Vienna’s vanishing golden era.
Just days after its 1911 premiere in Dresden, Der Rosenkavalier became a national hit. It reached Vienna within three months, and by 1913 had made its way to London and New York. Since then, it has seen numerous renditions for various kinds of ensembles, and was even turned into a film score in 1925–1926. The orchestral suite, however, did not come to life until 1944, over three decades after the opera was composed. This arrangement of the suite is the most famous version and is often attributed to conductor Artur Rodziński and his assistant at the time, Leonard Bernstein. The publication of this arrangement was supported by Strauss himself, who at that point was in desperate need of income. To this day, some conductors continue to develop their own approaches to the suite, adding or removing waltzes from the opera to suit their artistic vision.
The suite lasts approximately 22 minutes, recalling the episodes that dismantle the extramarital affair between young Count Octavian and the Marschallin, wife of a field marshall. When the unrefined Baron Ochs asks the Marschallin to recommend a rose-bearing knight for his wedding to the young noble Sophie, the Marschallin recommends her lover, Octavian. As fate would have it, Octavian and Sophie fall head over heels for each other the moment they meet, disrupting the baron’s unwelcome engagement and the Marschallin’s amorous escapade. Eventually, the young couple’s affectionate relationship is discovered, and both Baron Ochs and the Marschallin abandon their love interests, leaving Octavian and Sophie available for each other. From the luxurious moments of passion to the lilting orchestral waltzes, the suite from Der Rosenkavalier is a classic that gushes with romance.
—Harold Rivas Perdomo, MM '25
NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Scheherazade (1888)
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1908) was a Russian composer of the Romantic era known for his visually descriptive orchestral works. Born in 1844 near Novgorod, Russia, Rimsky-Korsakov joined the naval academy at age 12, and started piano lessons at age 15, where he met influential composer Mily Balakirev (1837–1910), who became his teacher. However, instead of pursuing composition, Rimsky-Korsakov graduated from the Russian Naval Academy and traveled the world by sea, which inspired many scenes in his works. After his time in the Russian navy, Rimsky-Korsakov became dedicated to composition, finally taking formal composition studies. It was first because of his operatic works, then later because of his orchestral works like Scheherazade, that Rimsky-Korsakov earned acclaim.
Inspired by the folk tales from One Thousand and One Nights, Scheherazade was composed in 1888. Scheherazade tells the story of Sultan Shahriar and his storytelling wife, Scheherazade. Loathsome of all women after his first wife was unfaithful, the sultan plans to kill a new wife each day. To save her own life, Scheherazade fends off Shahriar’s wrath by telling stories each night, leaving them unfinished and promising to finish them the next night. Her tales conjure iconic characters such as Aladdin, Ali Baba, and Sinbad the sailor, enrapturing the sultan each night until he forgets about his original plan and spares her.
The suite opens with the formidable voice of Shahriar in the winds and strings, beckoning his wife Scheherazade to come entertain him. She enters in the form of a solo violin with an enchanting melody that returns throughout the entire suite. As Scheherazade’s theme fades out, the violins usher in the image of Sinbad sailing on a stirring sea of low strings. The second movement, noted as “The Story of the Kalendar Prince,” once again starts with a variation of Scheherazade’s theme. Following this introduction, the bassoon introduces the central musical theme of the movement that highlights the mischief of the prince’s escapades. Contrasting the high energy of the first two movements comes an intimate waltz—illustrating the alluring romance of a young prince and princess—first introduced by the strings, setting the stage for the woodwinds to enhance the romance. The finale quotes the sultan’s theme once more as Scheherazade’s theme retorts in its most fiery iteration. This shift in intensity sets the tone for the final story, as described in the score: “The Festival at Baghdad. The Sea. The Ship Breaks Against a Cliff Surmounted by a Bronze Horseman.” Combining themes from throughout the work, this finale music is a testament to the incredibly vivid imagery of Rimsky-Korsakov. Yet, instead of ending the piece with a morbid shipwreck, the suite closes with final recollection from Scheherazade and how her stories saved her life.
—Stella Feliberti, BM '27
Quinn Mason (b. 1996) is a Dallas-based composer whose willingness to push the limits of musical conventions has led him to be commissioned and performed by more than 170 ensembles across the country and in Europe. This impressive list includes San Francisco Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra. In addition to works for large ensembles, Mason also composes chamber music and works for solo instruments, as well as vocal music. He studied composition at the Southern Methodist University Meadows School of the Arts and with Dr. Winston Stone at the University of Texas at Dallas. In addition to composing, Mason is also an active conductor, having worked with ensembles such as the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Houston Ballet Orchestra, and West Virginia Symphony. Mason studied conducting at the National Orchestral Institute with Marin Alsop and James Ross, as well as at the Eastern Music Festival with Gerard Schwarz, José-Luis Novo, and Grant Cooper.
“Toast of the Town” is a vibrantly rhythmic and exciting piece that is described by Mason as “a festive and fun overture to an operetta that doesn’t exist.” The piece is a celebratory-sounding work that is rhythmically driven and traverses through many colors of orchestral sound. There is especially exciting interplay between the strings and winds. The strings create an exhilarating atmosphere playing sixteenth notes, while the winds interject with bursts of color on top. With fanfare-like sections contrasting with occasional sweeping melodies, it is truly a thrilling and lively journey. In a note about the piece, Mason describes its character as follows: “It is designed in the style of light operetta, comparable to Gilbert and Sullivan or Offenbach overtures. It has no story, so I often invite audiences to make up their own story while they are listening. I’ve gotten some fascinating results that way.” The influence of the comic opera tradition is distinctly present and part of what makes the piece so entertaining, uplifting, and charming.
—Emily Scicchitano, MM '25
RICHARD STRAUSS: Orchestral suite from Der Rosenkavalier (Cavalier of the Rose) (1910)
Richard Strauss (1864–1949) composed the opera Der Rosenkavalier between 1909 and 1910. By that point in Strauss’s career, his tone poems were already a staple of German repertoire, and he was in demand as a conductor and composer. Der Rosenkavalier was his first official collaboration with poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal, and they became close collaborators for a number of subsequent productions. Strauss remarked that von Hofmannsthal’s libretto practically set itself to music—still, Strauss’s musical setting is known to elevate the libretto to new heights. The opera is set in Vienna in the 1740s, well before the Viennese waltz tradition was born. Strauss’s use of the waltz as a central element of this work was an intentional anachronism on his part, as a musical tip of his hat to Vienna’s vanishing golden era.
Just days after its 1911 premiere in Dresden, Der Rosenkavalier became a national hit. It reached Vienna within three months, and by 1913 had made its way to London and New York. Since then, it has seen numerous renditions for various kinds of ensembles, and was even turned into a film score in 1925–1926. The orchestral suite, however, did not come to life until 1944, over three decades after the opera was composed. This arrangement of the suite is the most famous version and is often attributed to conductor Artur Rodziński and his assistant at the time, Leonard Bernstein. The publication of this arrangement was supported by Strauss himself, who at that point was in desperate need of income. To this day, some conductors continue to develop their own approaches to the suite, adding or removing waltzes from the opera to suit their artistic vision.
The suite lasts approximately 22 minutes, recalling the episodes that dismantle the extramarital affair between young Count Octavian and the Marschallin, wife of a field marshall. When the unrefined Baron Ochs asks the Marschallin to recommend a rose-bearing knight for his wedding to the young noble Sophie, the Marschallin recommends her lover, Octavian. As fate would have it, Octavian and Sophie fall head over heels for each other the moment they meet, disrupting the baron’s unwelcome engagement and the Marschallin’s amorous escapade. Eventually, the young couple’s affectionate relationship is discovered, and both Baron Ochs and the Marschallin abandon their love interests, leaving Octavian and Sophie available for each other. From the luxurious moments of passion to the lilting orchestral waltzes, the suite from Der Rosenkavalier is a classic that gushes with romance.
—Harold Rivas Perdomo, MM '25
NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Scheherazade (1888)
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1908) was a Russian composer of the Romantic era known for his visually descriptive orchestral works. Born in 1844 near Novgorod, Russia, Rimsky-Korsakov joined the naval academy at age 12, and started piano lessons at age 15, where he met influential composer Mily Balakirev (1837–1910), who became his teacher. However, instead of pursuing composition, Rimsky-Korsakov graduated from the Russian Naval Academy and traveled the world by sea, which inspired many scenes in his works. After his time in the Russian navy, Rimsky-Korsakov became dedicated to composition, finally taking formal composition studies. It was first because of his operatic works, then later because of his orchestral works like Scheherazade, that Rimsky-Korsakov earned acclaim.
Inspired by the folk tales from One Thousand and One Nights, Scheherazade was composed in 1888. Scheherazade tells the story of Sultan Shahriar and his storytelling wife, Scheherazade. Loathsome of all women after his first wife was unfaithful, the sultan plans to kill a new wife each day. To save her own life, Scheherazade fends off Shahriar’s wrath by telling stories each night, leaving them unfinished and promising to finish them the next night. Her tales conjure iconic characters such as Aladdin, Ali Baba, and Sinbad the sailor, enrapturing the sultan each night until he forgets about his original plan and spares her.
The suite opens with the formidable voice of Shahriar in the winds and strings, beckoning his wife Scheherazade to come entertain him. She enters in the form of a solo violin with an enchanting melody that returns throughout the entire suite. As Scheherazade’s theme fades out, the violins usher in the image of Sinbad sailing on a stirring sea of low strings. The second movement, noted as “The Story of the Kalendar Prince,” once again starts with a variation of Scheherazade’s theme. Following this introduction, the bassoon introduces the central musical theme of the movement that highlights the mischief of the prince’s escapades. Contrasting the high energy of the first two movements comes an intimate waltz—illustrating the alluring romance of a young prince and princess—first introduced by the strings, setting the stage for the woodwinds to enhance the romance. The finale quotes the sultan’s theme once more as Scheherazade’s theme retorts in its most fiery iteration. This shift in intensity sets the tone for the final story, as described in the score: “The Festival at Baghdad. The Sea. The Ship Breaks Against a Cliff Surmounted by a Bronze Horseman.” Combining themes from throughout the work, this finale music is a testament to the incredibly vivid imagery of Rimsky-Korsakov. Yet, instead of ending the piece with a morbid shipwreck, the suite closes with final recollection from Scheherazade and how her stories saved her life.
—Stella Feliberti, BM '27
About the Artist
Bruce Hangen, conductor, is artistic director and conductor of the Vista Philharmonic Orchestra (formerly Orchestra of Indian Hill) and director of orchestral activities and professor of conducting at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Formerly music director of the Portland (Maine) and Omaha symphony orchestras, Hangen also was the founder and conductor of the Portland Opera Repertory Theatre, and has held titled positions with the orchestras of Denver, Kansas City, Utah, Syracuse, and Buffalo. Guest conducting has taken him throughout North America as well as Taiwan and Japan. Known for his organizational leadership, musical versatility, and creative programming, Hangen also has conducted pops concerts extensively, including a 20-year relationship with the Boston Pops Orchestra. A student of Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa, Hangen brings depth and joy to all his music-making. Learn more about Hangen.
Ensemble
PICCOLO
Aaron Dore, BM '25
Teo Mondiru, BM '27
Mia Mravle, BM '27
FLUTE
Dayna Dengler, BM '26
Abby Leary, BM '25
Teo Mondiru, BM '27
Maggie Stuteville, BM '27
OBOE
Christopher Mavrogian, MM '25
Coleton Morgan, BM '25
Jesse Myers, BM '26
John D. Uchal, MM '26
ENGLISH HORN
Coleton Morgan, BM '25
CLARINET
Andrew Coleman, MM '25
Elly (Hsuan-Hsun) Hsu, MM '25
Rose Lao, MM '26
Alainna Pack, BM '25
BASS CLARINET
Johnny Azpuru, MM '25
BASSOON
Max Li, MM '25
Kyle Sodman, GPD '26
Lizzie Sylves, BM '25
Alexander Weber, BM '27
CONTRABASSOON
Kyle Sodman, GPD '26
HORN
Yi-Hwa Chen, MM '25
Jack Krugman, GPD '26
Cameron McCarty, BM '25
Connor Strauss, BM '25
TRUMPET
Charlotte Berube-Gray, BM '26
Freddie Poor, BM '27
Cal Richards, BM '25
Chandler (CJ) Waldrop, MM '25
TROMBONE
Collin Hawkinson, BM '28
Kevin Smith, MM '26
Brooke Thomson, BM '26
Sum Ho Tsui, BM '27
BASS TROMBONE
Collin Good, BM '27
Cole MacEwen, BM '28
Ben Pilon, BM '26
TUBA
Clayton Frank, BM '27
Lowrider James, BM '27
PERCUSSION
Erin Burke, MM '25
Jin Cho, BM '26
Alexa Clawson, BM '25
John Hanchy, BM '27
Grant Mellone, BM '27
Yueyang (William) Shi, MM '25
Christian Weimer, BM '25
Ritvik Yaparpalvi, BM '25
HARP
Chanling Bai, MM '25
Claudia Moreno Fraile, MM '26
CELESTE
Sumi Kim, MM '26
VIOLIN I
Kristen Barrett, PSC '25, concertmaster
Anna Vittoria Furlanetto, GPD '26
Hsiang-Chieh Lin, MM '24
Emily Scicchitano, MM '25
Isabella Yee, BM '26
Lauren Oeser, BM '25
Spencer Lee, MM '26
Stella Feliberti, BM '27
Emily Tang, MM '26
Finnian Long, BM '26
Tian Tian, BM '26
Pippin Forrest, BM '27
Annali Wirtz, BM '26
Alexander Estrella, BM '25
Celeste di Meo, PSC '25
VIOLIN II
Youngmi Hwang, GPD '26
Sai (Selina)Tang, GPD '24
Joshua Rosenthal, BM '26
Leon Baker III, BM '25
Jocelyn Wang, MM '26
Shu-Yi Huang, MM '26
Serene Sung, BM '28
Caden Burston, BM '25
Luis Estrada, MM '25
Yinfei (Tony) Li, MM '26
Gloria Fortner, BM '25
Zhuoma Jiangyong, MM '26
YenYu Kuo, BM '26
Annabelle Lee, BM '27
VIOLA
Victoria Skinner, MM '25
Katy Rose Bennett, MM '26
Zeynep Yiğitoğlu, BM '25
Justin Williams, BM '26
Dylan Cohen, BM '27
Lydia Tan, BM '27
Si Daly, BM '26
Maya Hartglass, BM '27
Julian Bernal, BM '27
Webb Hiaasen, BM '27
Jocelyn Scully, BM '28
CELLO
Andres Celis Avila, BM '25
Ricardo Sardiñas, PSC '25
Milla Chitwood, BM '27
Lilya Arustamyan, BM '25
Arturo Romero, BM '25
Davis Mann, BM '27
Nadia Brooks, MM '26
Ting-Chen Chen, MM '25
Matt Williams II, BM '26
Hailey Brasser, BM '26
Xingyu (Charley) Wang, MM '25
Zi Zeng, MM '26
BASS
Leo Martinez, BM '25
Gabriel de los Reyes, BM '27
Zakar Basan, BM '27
Randall Zigler^
^Boston Conservatory faculty member
Aaron Dore, BM '25
Teo Mondiru, BM '27
Mia Mravle, BM '27
FLUTE
Dayna Dengler, BM '26
Abby Leary, BM '25
Teo Mondiru, BM '27
Maggie Stuteville, BM '27
OBOE
Christopher Mavrogian, MM '25
Coleton Morgan, BM '25
Jesse Myers, BM '26
John D. Uchal, MM '26
ENGLISH HORN
Coleton Morgan, BM '25
CLARINET
Andrew Coleman, MM '25
Elly (Hsuan-Hsun) Hsu, MM '25
Rose Lao, MM '26
Alainna Pack, BM '25
BASS CLARINET
Johnny Azpuru, MM '25
BASSOON
Max Li, MM '25
Kyle Sodman, GPD '26
Lizzie Sylves, BM '25
Alexander Weber, BM '27
CONTRABASSOON
Kyle Sodman, GPD '26
HORN
Yi-Hwa Chen, MM '25
Jack Krugman, GPD '26
Cameron McCarty, BM '25
Connor Strauss, BM '25
TRUMPET
Charlotte Berube-Gray, BM '26
Freddie Poor, BM '27
Cal Richards, BM '25
Chandler (CJ) Waldrop, MM '25
TROMBONE
Collin Hawkinson, BM '28
Kevin Smith, MM '26
Brooke Thomson, BM '26
Sum Ho Tsui, BM '27
BASS TROMBONE
Collin Good, BM '27
Cole MacEwen, BM '28
Ben Pilon, BM '26
TUBA
Clayton Frank, BM '27
Lowrider James, BM '27
PERCUSSION
Erin Burke, MM '25
Jin Cho, BM '26
Alexa Clawson, BM '25
John Hanchy, BM '27
Grant Mellone, BM '27
Yueyang (William) Shi, MM '25
Christian Weimer, BM '25
Ritvik Yaparpalvi, BM '25
HARP
Chanling Bai, MM '25
Claudia Moreno Fraile, MM '26
CELESTE
Sumi Kim, MM '26
VIOLIN I
Kristen Barrett, PSC '25, concertmaster
Anna Vittoria Furlanetto, GPD '26
Hsiang-Chieh Lin, MM '24
Emily Scicchitano, MM '25
Isabella Yee, BM '26
Lauren Oeser, BM '25
Spencer Lee, MM '26
Stella Feliberti, BM '27
Emily Tang, MM '26
Finnian Long, BM '26
Tian Tian, BM '26
Pippin Forrest, BM '27
Annali Wirtz, BM '26
Alexander Estrella, BM '25
Celeste di Meo, PSC '25
VIOLIN II
Youngmi Hwang, GPD '26
Sai (Selina)Tang, GPD '24
Joshua Rosenthal, BM '26
Leon Baker III, BM '25
Jocelyn Wang, MM '26
Shu-Yi Huang, MM '26
Serene Sung, BM '28
Caden Burston, BM '25
Luis Estrada, MM '25
Yinfei (Tony) Li, MM '26
Gloria Fortner, BM '25
Zhuoma Jiangyong, MM '26
YenYu Kuo, BM '26
Annabelle Lee, BM '27
VIOLA
Victoria Skinner, MM '25
Katy Rose Bennett, MM '26
Zeynep Yiğitoğlu, BM '25
Justin Williams, BM '26
Dylan Cohen, BM '27
Lydia Tan, BM '27
Si Daly, BM '26
Maya Hartglass, BM '27
Julian Bernal, BM '27
Webb Hiaasen, BM '27
Jocelyn Scully, BM '28
CELLO
Andres Celis Avila, BM '25
Ricardo Sardiñas, PSC '25
Milla Chitwood, BM '27
Lilya Arustamyan, BM '25
Arturo Romero, BM '25
Davis Mann, BM '27
Nadia Brooks, MM '26
Ting-Chen Chen, MM '25
Matt Williams II, BM '26
Hailey Brasser, BM '26
Xingyu (Charley) Wang, MM '25
Zi Zeng, MM '26
BASS
Leo Martinez, BM '25
Gabriel de los Reyes, BM '27
Zakar Basan, BM '27
Randall Zigler^
^Boston Conservatory faculty member
Concert Services Staff
Senior Manager of Concert Services – Luis Herrera
Coordinator, Concert Services – Matthew Carey
Concert Production Manager – Kendall Floyd
Performance Technology Technicians – Sara Pagiaro, Goran Daskalov
Coordinator, Concert Services – Matthew Carey
Concert Production Manager – Kendall Floyd
Performance Technology Technicians – Sara Pagiaro, Goran Daskalov
Boston Conservatory thanks audience members for viewing this program information online. This paperless program saved 300 sheets of paper, 31 gallons of water, and 27 pounds of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions.
Related Categories:
Share To: