The Paducah Symphony Orchestra will be performing their 2017-2018 season finale concert this Saturday, April 14th. The performance features powerful works from several composers, including William Walton and Jacques Offenbach. PSO conductor, Raffaele Ponti, visits WKMS to discuss the upcoming event.
The PSO will end their season on a powerful note this Saturday, featuring Jaques Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld (the origin of the famous 'can-can' theme), Leonard Bernstein's only suite he created for a feature film, On the Waterfront, and William Walton's Belshazzar's Feast.
Belshazzar's Feast, which will be performed in the second half of the concert, will feature the Paducah Symphony Chorus and choirs from Murray State University and UT Martin. It is a roughly 33 minute piece that tells the dramatic story of the fall of Babylon after the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar (and Belshazzar's father), loots the Jewish Temple. Belshazzar's princes, wives, and concubines use the sacred artifacts to worship "false gods, idols, and devils." As George puts it, Walton's Belshazzar's is a classic example of 'you mess with me, you'll get yours.'
The concert will be held at the Carson Center in Paducah, KY at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 14th. For more information, visit the Paducah Symphony Orchestra website.