Name: Unfinished Business
Start: 2025-03-21T00:00:00
Location: Buddy Holly Hall

Experience a symphonic season like no other with the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, as they bring to life an array of classical masterpieces across iconic venues. From the harmonious 'Festival Of Carols' conducted by Eric Allen to the dramatic highlights of 'Rigoletto' led by David Cho, each event promises a unique musical journey. With a repertoire that spans timeless works by Tchaikovsky, Verdi, and Schubert, these performances offer a rare glimpse into the evolving world of orchestral music. Join us for an unforgettable cultural ride.

Symphonic Journeys: A Season with the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra

The Lubbock Symphony Orchestra is all set to captivate audiences in 2025 with a rich tapestry of orchestral events. From the grandiose halls of Buddy Holly to the intimate settings at the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, the season promises a thrilling exploration of timeless classics and inspiring performances by renowned conductors like David Cho and Eric Allen. As the orchestra brings works from Tchaikovsky, Schubert, and more to life, each concert offers a unique experience that celebrates the diversity and vitality of orchestral music.

Lubbock Symphony Orchestra's 2025 Season: A Journey Through Musical Masterpieces

Eric Allen

Lubbock Symphony Orchestra

Shostakovich’s compositions faced pressure from the totalitarian Stalin regime, but he remained defiant and courageous. His piece Festive Overture, driven by thrilling brass fanfare, was written in three days to celebrate the anniversary of the October 1917 Russian Revolution. It is speculated that the work was influenced by the composer’s sense of relief and celebration after Stalin’s death. Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, written for the same anniversary years prior, focuses on the transformation from emotional darkness to light, reflecting his struggles with the regime’s critics. The piece won massive praise, with a standing ovation for over thirty minutes after its premiere.

Prokofiev & Shostakovich

Buddy Holly Hall

Mozart’s “Eline kliene Nachtmusik” (A Little Night Music) is one of the most famous classical works of all time. The string ensemble’s striking opening notes are instantly recognizable. The “Mannheim Rocket” theme transforms into elegant melodies that serenade the soul. Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp showcases different instrumental personalities between the flute and harp, bringing them together in a beautifully harmonious and complementary manner. LSO Principal Flutist Kim Hudson and Principal Harpist Rachel Mazzucco feature their virtuosic skills in this effervescent double concerto.

Classical Icons

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) is one of the most prolific operatic composers in music history. His Messa da Requiem is a Catholic funeral mass with an operatic flair. Verdi wrote the piece in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, an Italian humanist writer who promoted the ideology of “Risorgimento,” the unification of Italy. The requiem combines dramatic emotion with liturgical introspection, reflecting on the spiritual journey of life, death, and redemption. It celebrates the realization of idealistic humanism and nationalism through the 1870 unification of Italy, while contending with the pain points of a young nation. The instrumentation calls for four vocal soloists, a large chorale, and an orchestra. Verdi’s critics felt the requiem was too operatic to be performed in churches, and Verdi chose to defy cultural norms at the time by writing for female soloists. Nevertheless, the piece is considered to be the most performed choral work composed after the works of Mozart.

The Verdi Requiem

Celebrate the magic of the holidays in a vibrant program featuring festive classics, contemporary favorites, and timeless traditional hymns. Vocalist Amy Owens sings heartwarming melodies, with pieces featuring the FUMC Chancel Choir, the Lubbock Chorale, and the West Texas Children’s Choir. LSO sets the stage with beautiful holiday decor to kick off the Holiday season at the beautiful Buddy Holly Hall.

Home for the Holidays

Brahms’s Double Concerto is the complex, final orchestral work by the famed German composer. The intricate performance between the featured violin and cello is a tribute to his friendship with violinist Joseph Joachim. Brahms wrote the piece as a peace offering to his friend, who he became estranged from after Joachim’s divorce. Brahms weaves the musical motif of the notes “A-E-F” throughout the piece, a nod to the F-A-E Sonata he wrote with other composers as a gift to Joachim years prior. Joachim’s personal motto was “Frei aber einsam” (free but lonely).

Brahms: Double Concerto

Donizetti’s opera Don Pasquale is a comedy of errors rooted in the exaggerated archetypes of Italian Commedia dell'arte stock characters. The story follows the elderly Don Pasquale, who is fooled into giving his inheritance to his nephew Ernesto, despite Pasquale’s opposition to Ernesto’s engagement to Norina, a commoner. With the help of Pasquale’s doctor Malatesta, Norina becomes “Sofronia” and tricks Pasquale into a comically miserable marriage that he finds a way out of, all according to plan. In the end, “Sofronia” leaves and the inheritance goes to Ernesto and Norina. Don Pasquale accepts their marriage, amused by the truth of their ruse.

Opera’s Funniest Romance

Join the Lubbock Symphony Chamber Orchestra for a night of whimsical music to lighten your soul.

Fantasy & Enchantment

Get ready for a night of epic, cinematic grandeur! Wagner originally wrote Ride of the Valkyries as a part of his vocal “music drama,” with a large buildup to the mythical Valkyrie warriors gathering to honor their dead with battle cries. Rossini’s overture to The Barber of Seville sets the stage for one of the most beloved comic operas of all time. Half-time by Martinau was written in honor of an exciting game between the Czech and French soccer teams. Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5 celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession, a pivotal moment in the history of the Protestant Reformation and the Holy Roman Empire. Korngold’s The Sea Hawk Suite is a piece from the “golden-age” of Hollywood, a lush and swashbuckling soundtrack for iconic actor Errol Flynn.

Ride of the Valkyries

The battle for the galaxy intensifies in this thrilling fifth episode of the unfolding saga. As Imperial Forces launch an all-out attack on the Rebel Alliance, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) flee to Cloud City where they are captured by Darth Vader. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) journeys to the mysterious, marshy planet of Dagobah, where the wise Jedi Master Yoda teaches the young hero the ways of the Force. Little does Luke know that all his Jedi training will be called upon so soon. A stunning revelation – and a seeming life-or-death duel with Darth Vader– await.

Unfinished Business

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