BCO is dancing into spring with music from many different genres and composers that are sure to get your toes tapping and your body moving!

Our concert kicks off with what we are sure will be a fan favorite, the Mexican folk dance known as hupango. Mexican composer José Pablo Moncayo’s composition Hupango is one of his most well-known and popular works. Moncayo based this work on the popular themes from the Mexican state of Veracruz, located on the Gulf of Mexico.

The next series of pieces include two of Johannes Brahams more well-known Hungarian Dances. Based on Hungarian themes, this work was inspired by Hungarian violinist Eduard Reményi. Brahams loved the Gypsy style that was Reményi’s specialty, and that style of music greatly influenced this piece of work.

Our first half closes with a lovely waltz written by Russian composer Alexander Glazunov and then followed up by another waltz by Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius. A waltz is a piece of music with three beats to a measure which people can dance to.  A waltz is a beautiful dance where two people glide across the dance floor, with their feet always in contact with the floor.

Don't be late you your seat as our second half opens with the exciting work of Mexican composer Arturo Marquez. Danzon No. 7 opens with a beautiful oboe and flute melody that will quickly bring you to the streets of Mexico. The piece quickly builds in energy and excitement and closes with a big brass finish!

A polka is a dance that combines three rapid steps and a hop and is danced to music in 2/4 time.  Pizzicato Polka by Johann Strauss II is written for plucked strings, meaning the string players will use only their fingers to play the notes of the piece!

There is so much more than meets the eye with Sibelius’ “sad” waltz Valse Triste, which he composed to accompany a scene in a play by the name of Kuolema (“Death”). During the scene for which this music was written, a dying woman mistakes death for her husband and proceeds to dance with it. The music is haunting and often features long-sustained melodies and a gently swaying accompaniment. It’s only when the clarinet and flute join that cheerfulness briefly fills the air. Alternating back and forth in an episodic manner, the music slowly intensifies until reaching a frenzy (when the timpani joins). It’s here that the dance with death comes to a screeching halt and three soft chords lament the woman’s fate.

The evening closes out with music by Aaron Copland, arguably one of the greatest American composers of the twentieth-century. The number of compositions of his that have remained staples (e.g., Appalachian Spring, Lincoln Portrait, and Fanfare for the Common Man) are bountiful. Today’s selection comes from another championed work, the ballet Rodeo, which Copland worked on in 1942. The vigorous Hoe-down takes place during the ballet’s finale. The sound of fiddles, a slightly out-of-tune piano, and a splash of cowboy color make this one of America’s greatest musical treasures.

Don’t forget your dancing shoes!