Music of Love & Loss From Romeo & Juliet & More

New Long Beach Symphony Music Director Eckart Preu has created a night of music that embodies the passion and longing that is essential to the human experience. Follow the symphony on a musical journey that explores the feelings that come with the loss of lovers, friends, and family. Beginning with Richard Strauss' dramatic tone poem about legendary lover Don Juan, Preu will weave a web of human emotion capped by a performance of contemporary American composer Jennifer Higdon's blue cathedral. This heartfelt symphonic memorial to her brother who died in 1998, represents, in the composer's words, "our inner travels and the places our souls carry us, the lessons we learn and the growth we experience." The otherworldly effects of this richly-textured work include the haunting sound of tuned water-filled glasses being rubbed along their rims. The journey ends with Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet Suites No. 1 & 2, which capture the crucial moments of the famous romance: the iconic balcony scene, the dramatic death of Tybalt, the pulsating beat of Dance of the Knights and other highlights.