Pictures at an Exhibition: From Dali to Mussorgky

Open the season with a feast for the senses as the full orchestra launches the year in spectacular fashion. This program transforms iconic works of visual art into sound—surreal, sweeping, and unforgettable. Michael Daugherty’s dazzling The Hallucinogenic Toreador bursts with color and wit, channeling the dreamlike world of Salvador Dalí, while Rachmaninoff’s haunting Isle of the Dead draws listeners into a darkly beautiful, hypnotic soundscape inspired by Böcklin’s mysterious painting. After intermission comes one of the greatest orchestral showpieces of all time: Pictures at an Exhibition, Mussorgsky’s vivid musical gallery, brought to blazing life in Ravel’s brilliant orchestration. Bold, immersive, and thrilling from the first note to the last, this season opener is a must-hear celebration of art, imagination, and orchestral power.
Featured Works:
The Hallucinogenic Toreador / Michael Daugherty – World Premiere
Isle of the Dead / Sergei Rachmaninoff
Pictures at an Exhibition / Modest Mussorgsky
Matthew Wardell, Conductor