One of the Chelsea Symphony's many goals is to provide an enriching source of music for the Chelsea Community.
One way we achieve this goal is by programming an entire season of music around a specific theme or composer.
Throughout the course of the year our listeners become intimately familiar with a particular genre or composer.
The 2006-2007 focused on the orchestral works of Johannes Brahms, a patriarch of absolute music (simply defined as music without a subtext).
This season we focus on something quite different: programmatic music.
Programmatic music is a style of composition in which the composer aims to depict a scene, image or describe a mood.
At times a programmatic work will tell a narrative through sound, often inspired by poetry or an existing story.
The symphonic or tone poem, a genre that was greatly explored and developed by composers of the romantic era (ca. 1815 - 1910),
is a prime example of programmatic music. Well-known works include Richard Strauss's Thus Spoke Zarathustra
(which was prominently featured in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey), Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherezade or the
different tributes to Romeo and Juliet (by Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky and Bernstein, to name a few).
On each concert this year, the Chelsea Symphony is presenting at least one work with programmatic content.
The underlying stories or images serve very well as a gateway to imagination. Great music does not need a
program to be great, but having one makes it more accessible and exciting for many listeners.
We hope you enjoy the concerts and look forward to seeing you at our orchestra's performances!