Sarasota Orchestra Season Opens with 'Renaissance'

The first concert of the Sarasota Orchestra season will present a program that pays homage to the Renaissance period with the era's sprightly dance rhythms, jaunty melodies, and sense of invention.

The concert opens with Respighi's Ancient Airs and Dances. Each set comprises four Renaissance dances and a dance-like polyphonic composition often with a fa-la-la refrain.

Concert highlights include Principal Flute Betsy Hudson Traba's performance of Foss' Renaissance Concerto. Foss describes this concerto as "a handshake across the centuries." Some of his thematic material is original; elsewhere he took snippets of Renaissance tunes and developed them in his own style, stamping the work with a contemporary flavor.

The concert concludes with Mozart's Symphony No. 25 in g minor. Mozart began composing 'Symphony No. 25 at 17-years-old.

When: Saturday, September 23, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Sarasota Opera House

How: Tickets from $25. Please call the box office at (941) 953 3434, or visit www.SarasotaOrchestra.org to purchase tickets.