VSO at the Flynn: A Laredo Salute

Vermont audiences finally get to enjoy our esteemed longtime Music Director’s “farewell” concert, originally planned for spring 2021. The program begins with the very first piece Jaime Laredo ever conducted with the VSO, George Walker’s poignant Lyric for Strings. Violinist Bella Hristova then joins the orchestra to perform Saturn Bells, a work written by her husband, David Ludwig. The piece was inspired by the scientific discovery that vibrations across the surface of that icy planet cause it to resonate like a lonely cosmic bell. Hristova also solos in Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy, a favorite of virtuoso violinists with its homage to Scottish folk melodies. The concert concludes with Brahms’ Symphony No. 1, written after the composer overcame his reluctance to become a symphonist in Beethoven’s footsteps. This glorious musical program is a fitting symbol of what we owe this much-loved conductor, who made the VSO what it is today.