Bedrich Smetana: Vltava (The Moldau), from Ma vlast
Max Bruch: Concerto No. 1 for Violin & Orchestra
Ernest Bloch: Baal Shem (Three Pictures of Chassidic Life), Suite for Violin & Orchestra
Antonin Dvořák: Symphony No. 8

The last time renowned violinist Vadim Gluzman was on the Centennial Concert Hall stage (March 2022), he led the audience on an adrenaline-pumping performance of Tchaikovsky’s infamously difficult yet elegant Violin Concerto, followed by an emotional encore devoted to his fellow Ukrainians, that didn’t leave a dry eye in the hall.

WSO Music Director Daniel Raiskin welcomes back his good friend for the perfect season opener – our inaugural Thursday Classics concert. The performance features a work that speaks to Gluzman’s Jewish roots – Ernest Bloch’s powerful and heartfelt suite for violin and orchestra, Three Pictures of Chassidic Life. He also performs Max Bruch’s Concerto No.1, one of the most popular violin concertos in the solo violin repertoire.

The evening opens with the instantly recognizable and cinematic Vltava (The Moldau) from Smetana’s Ma vlast, and ends with Antonin Dvořák’s happiest and most appealing work, his Symphony No.8, complete with the composer’s Czech-inspired melodies and spirited rhythms.

This concert is a wonderful way to start the 2023/24 season, whether you’ve been coming to the symphony for years or this is your first time!

CONCERT PROGRAM