Artistic Director's Notes This symphony, also known at the "Pastoral" Symphony was completed in 1808, and first performed in Vienna, along with his 5th Symphony, on the 22nd December 1808. I have some sympathy for the audience for this concert, as the reports show that it went for 4 hours... This Symphony is a rarity in Beethoven's output as it follows a well defined program. The movements are labeled (originally in German, of course): I Awakenings of cheerful feelings on arrival in the...

About the Composer Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881) was a Russian composer renowned for his raw, innovative style and a key member of “The Five,” a group dedicated to forging a distinct national identity in Russian music. Born into a wealthy landowning family, he was groomed for a military career, joining the prestigious Preobrazhensky Regiment. However, a growing passion for music led him to resign his commission in 1858 to pursue composition, despite having no formal training. His life was...

Composer's Notes Our family moved to White Rock in 2022 (it seems so much longer than that - in a good way!) and we were very happy to move closer to the water after years in the snow hardened prairies. I tell people that I was born on a beach - this is literally true as the Brighton Community Hospital (in Melbourne) where I was born, was built on the beach. We were also very lucky to move to an apartment building just up the hill from the beach, and we can see the pier if we go to the top...