The concert opens with Franco-Brazilian composer Elodie Bouny’s striking homage to the Amazon rainforest and the destruction it has faced in the form of Ignis—meaning “fire.” The piece serves as a contemporary complement to Mendelssohn’s exquisite and romantic Violin Concerto, which features a turning-point cadenza as a center jewel. Award-winning soloist Amaryn Olmeda brings Mendelssohn’s virtuosic and vivacious melodies to the stage. Countering the sparkling energy of the concerto, but no less joyful, Dvořák’s pastoral Symphony No. 8 vividly depicts Czech songs and dances through rich, pleasing melodies and harmonies. The symphony reflects the composer’s musings on the implications of nature, as well as his own experience enjoying its benefits.

Roberto Minczuk, conductor
Amaryn Olmeda, violin

ELODIE BOUNY   Ignis
MENDELSSOHN  Violin Concerto in E minor
DVOŘAK  Symphony No. 8 in G major