Pictures at an Exhibition

What a glorious beginning to our 2023-2024 Classics Series! Music Director Eric Jacobsen and the Orlando Philharmonic present the celebratory opening concert featuring Mussorgsky’s “gallery crawl” (in Ravel’s glittering orchestration). Come along as your “mind’s ears” conjure the ten pictures on exhibit—including baby chicks pecking their way out of their shells, eerie Parisian “Catacombs,” and “The Great Gate of Kiev” shaking you with the tumultuous pealing of bells in the grand finale. Bella Hristova (The New York Times praises her “expressive nuance and rich tone”) steps into the spotlight for Barber’s Violin Concerto, exploring its serenity, angularity, and shifting accents that demand formidable virtuosic abilities. Dai Wei’s The Dancing Moonlight dazzles with energetic verve and rhythmic flair to start the concert.