(PLAINFIELD, NJ) -- Under the baton of Maestro Charles Prince, the Plainfield Symphony's 103rd season opens on October 15, 2022 at 7:00pm with “Once Upon a Time,” showcasing two works from the imaginary world. Tapiola, Op. 112 is Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’ mysterious final tone poem and the well-known Scheherazade, Op. 35 is a symphonic suite composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and based on “The One Thousand and One Nights.”

The concert opens with Sibelius’ tone poem Tapiola, Op. 112 (“Realm of Tapio”). The piece was written in 1926 on a commission from Walter Damrosch for the New York Philharmonic Society. Tapio is the mythological spirit of the mysterious, remote forests of northern Finland who figures prominently in the Nordic folklore of the “Kalevala”. This haunting music evokes bleak, desolate landscapes, icy ruggedness, and the strange play of light in northern latitudes.

The program concludes with the popular Scheherazade, Op. 35, composed by Rimsky-Korsakov in 1888. The composer was influenced by separate tales from the “Arabian Nights” but his stated intent was: “All I desired was that the hearer, if he liked my piece as symphonic music, should carry away the impression that it is beyond a doubt an Oriental narrative of some numerous and varied fairy-tale wonders and not merely four pieces played one after the other and composed on the basis of themes common to all the four movements.” It is full of glorious solo instrument opportunities including a recurring sinuous violin solo that is intended to suggest Scheherazade herself. 

Join them in person for this fanciful and thrilling opening concert of the 2022-2023 season. Please visit www.plainfieldsymphony.org for current COVID Protocols put in place for the health and safety of all.

 The Plainfield Symphony is New Jersey's oldest community symphony and the third oldest in the country. Season tickets for the 2022/2023 concerts are now on sale and can be purchased on their website. Tickets may also be purchased at the concert. Subscription concerts are held at the Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church located at 716 Watchung Avenue, Plainfield and begin at 7:00pm.