Titans (presented by Queer Urban Orchestra)

Three phenomenal young artists revolutionize orchestral music with distinctive voices, undeniable skill, and a deep love for the music of their respective childhoods. Mrudungam player and composer Rajna Swaminathan is well known for her “sublime percussive talents” (Higher Plain), and QUO premieres her first ever work for full orchestra in this program. A vigorous orchestral depiction of a spring morning comes from Lili Boulanger, the first woman to win the prestigious Prix de Rome. Before the world knew him, Gustav Mahler penned what was to be the most radical work of his life: his blazingly theatrical First Symphony. The work’s novel orchestration and wholehearted embrace of Austrian folk music make it remarkably fresh, no matter how familiar.