🎶 YOU'LL HEAR...
Scheherazade -- Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov
La Mer -- Claude Debussy
(thank you to our anonymous donor)
🎻 ABOUT THE MUSIC...
As of October 15th, 2025, this work celebrates its 120th birthday. Rascal alert: La Mer’s premiere received luke-warm reviews, perhaps in part because during its composition Debussy left his wife for his mistress, who was expecting his child. Talk about making waves…
But let’s have none of those big messy waves for Debussy. On a seaside vacation while taking time to correct proofs of his latest work, “La Mer”, Debussy described the coast along the English Channel as “a charming peaceful spot: the sea unfurls itself with an utterly British correctness”. La Mer evokes the feeling of swaying in the waves, bathed in gentle beads of ocean spray, perhaps portraying Debussy’s fond memories of the sea’s beauty from childhood visits. Over the years, La Mer has become a beloved work by an imaginative composer fascinated by seascapes and vast waters.
You might have heard the legends of the 1001 Arabian Nights. Hear tales like “The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship” come to life in Rimsky-Korsakov’s colourfully orchestrated legend of Scheherazade. Scheherazade became the wife of a sultan who spends one night with each of his royal brides before having them executed. Now, what kind of a wedding present is that? Scheherazade outwits the king with beguiling storytelling - she begins a new story every night, but pretends to fall asleep before the end, leaving the Sultan wanting more. After 1001 nights he has fallen in love with Scheherazade, spares her life, and makes her his queen. Happy sigh!
Doors open 30 minutes before showtime.
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