text: Sunday, January 5 | 3:00 PM
  A Passion for Italy
  It's an afternoon of sublime orchestral works that turn our attention to the beauty and romance of Italy.
  The program opens with the whimsical Suite for Lower Strings, by Brazilian American composer Clarice Assad. It adds new twists to familiar music by Bach, in which the main melodies are played by the lower strings for a change.
  Then our attention shifts to the Italian peninsula. The Haydn concerto was written for the Italian violinist Luigi Tomasini (1741-1808), the master musician who led Hungarian Prince Esterházy's court orchestra, which Haydn directed.
  Finally, Mendelssohn's beloved Symphony No. 4 is based on his impressions of Italy, which he toured from Milan to Naples. The composer's excitement for the country is palpable in the piece, and you may find it hard not to rush right out and book your next vacation for Italy.
  - CLARICE ASSAD
  - Suite for Lower Strings
  - JOSEPH HAYDN
  - Concerto for Violin in C
  - FELIX MENDELSSOHN
  - Symphony No. 4