Smith Auditorium

Oregon Symphony in Salem presents Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony There’s nothing like hiking across moors and encountering castle ruins to ignite the creative process—as Mendelssohn experienced it on a tour of Scotland. Holyrood Castle (where Mary Queen of Scots was crowned) inspired the mysterious mood of the Third Symphony’s opening. But the mists ultimately lift in […]

Oregon Symphony in Salem presents Ravel & Saint-Saëns A bracing whack from the percussionist’s “slap stick” launches Ravel’s Concerto on an effervescent romp, evoking the Harlem jazz clubs he visited with Gershwin. Riffs from the brasses and piano fireworks make for a breathless dash to the finish. Ravel’s lush Daphnis et Chloé opens with a radiant sunrise—golden […]

The Breasts of Tiresias Music by Francis Poulenc and Lyics by Gillaume Apollinaiare Gender norms pop like balloons in The Breasts of Tiresias, Poulenc and Appollinaire's bawdy surrealist romp. Frustrated with the life of a housewife, Tiresias sheds her breasts and becomes the male General Tirésias. As she leads a new life fighting distant wars […]

Oregon Symphony in Salem presents Copland & Rachmaninoff Fasten your seatbelt as Alessio Bax tackles Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, a creation of massive power and drive and one of the hardest-to-master works in the repertoire. After its premiere in New York City, a critic wrote that “its great length and extreme difficulties bar it […]