PROGRAM NOTES
WORLD OF DANCE
FROM THE PODIUM by Jack Everly
We have a wonderful lineup of concerts for my final season with the BSO ! First up is Troupe Vertigo , who is beloved in Baltimore . I have created a few programs with them over the years and they are always a joy to work with . It has been a blast trading ideas back and forth for this show . Sometimes , in order to find the right music for a certain act , the troupe and I would exchange a hundred ideas before landing on the perfect piece that works just right for what they are doing on stage in terms of exact timing and mood . We also both have a deep love of musical theater , so there ’ s a synergy when it comes to choosing repertoire . And their creativity is boundless !
The first half of the show is devoted to the world of dance and will include music from many different places . There is so much exquisite music from the ballet repertoire to draw on . We will of course touch on that but also pay homage to dance in all its various forms .
For the second half , we really wanted to tell a story and were inspired by the music and legend of Scheherazade . But we are not telling the actual story of Scheherazade , the young bride who spun a series of magical tales to trick the Sultan into keeping her alive . After discovering that his first wife was unfaithful , the Sultan took a new wife every day only to execute her the next morning before she could ever cheat on him . Scheherazade left her stories unfinished every night , leaving him wanting to hear more . Our show is not such a sordid , gruesome story as this ! Instead , Scheherazade ’ s fantastical tales become a wonderful excuse to use great music and show off these incredible cirque artists . Through the creativity and impressive talents of Troupe Vertigo , the dynamic and rich sound of the Baltimore Symphony , and the imaginative repertoire , our aim is to bring the idea of storytelling , and the magic that comes with it , alive . This is a unique show created just for our Baltimore audiences , and we ’ re thrilled to be performing it here for the first time !
Celebrating
Jack Everly
After 17 years leading the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra ’ s pops series , Jack Everly concludes a remarkable tenure as our Principal Pops Conductor after this season . In honor of his countless showstopping performances on our podium , the 2022 – 23 pops series celebrates all things Jack — from ballet and Broadway to The Beatles !
28 OVERTURE / BSOmusic . org