The Lone Star Youth Orchestra will continue its 27th season on March 4th with a concert titled “Echoes of Antiquity”.  The hour-long program features Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Overture from Romeo and Juliet, Felix Mendelssohn’s Nocturne from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the second movement of Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 100 in G Major, “Military”, Todd Parrish’s Ancient Wonders Suite, and Camille Saint-Saëns’ Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah.

 

Tchaikovsky’s Overture-Fantasy captures the emotional heart of Shakespeare’s tragic tale of “star-crossed lovers” through bold contrasts of conflict, tenderness, and fate.  The piece opens with a solemn, reflective theme often associated with Friar Laurence, suggesting wisdom and an attempt at peace in a divided world.  This calm is quickly shattered by driving rhythms and sharp musical gestures that depict the violent feud between the Montague and Capulet families.  From this turmoil rises one of the most famous and familiar love themes in classical music, portraying Romeo and Juliet’s passionate yet fragile relationship.  As the music intensifies and darkens, the work closes in tragedy, reminding listeners that love and fate are ultimately inseparable in this timeless story.

 

Originally composed as part of Mendelssohn’s incidental music to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Nocturne evokes the quiet magic of night with graceful melodies and warm, flowing harmonies. 

 

Composed in 1794 during Haydn’s celebrated London visits, the second movement of the “Military” Symphony blends Classical elegance with bold theatrical flair.  What begins as a graceful, almost delicate march is repeatedly disrupted by sudden dynamic contrasts, unexpected accents, and the unmistakable intrusion of “military” colors—snare drum, cymbals, and trumpet calls.  These moments would have startled and delighted Haydn’s original audiences, embodying his masterful sense of wit and surprise.  

 

Written by a contemporary high school orchestra director currently teaching in Florida, Parrish’s Ancient Wonders Suite embarks on a musical journey through some of the world’s most legendary civilizations and monuments.  Listen, and perhaps you will hear the echoes of antiquity in such places as the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Great Lighthouse at Alexandria, the Great Pyramid at Giza, and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia.  

 

Bacchanale from the opera Samson and Delilah depicts a sensual and intoxicating celebration in the Philistine city of Gaza, where revelry masks manipulation and danger.  The music evokes an atmosphere of seduction and excess designed to weaken Samson’s resolve.  Saint-Saëns blends exotic melodic inflections with relentless momentum, creating a sense of growing intensity and loss of control.  As the dance escalates, the brilliance of the celebration gives way to an underlying menace, foreshadowing Samson’s eventual downfall.  

 

Single tickets are available by visiting IrvingArtsCenter.com, by calling (972) 252-2787, or by purchase at the door.  Ticket prices are $7.50 per student and $14.50 for adults.