Orchestra of St. Luke’s: Mendelssohn’s “Italian” Symphony Tickets

The two composers on this program may seem unrelated, but Felix Mendelssohn revered J. S. Bach and led a 19th-century revival of the Leipzig master’s music. Bach’s cantata contemplates the futility of earthly matters and the promise of heavenly peace in some of the most beautifully serene music ever written. Mendelssohn’s music delights with its honeyed melodies and irresistible energy. His “Italian” Symphony is an exuberant masterpiece that thrills from its soaring opening notes to its whirling tarantella finale, while his concerto is a brilliant showpiece perfectly suited to Augustin Hadelich’s “rich, full tone and uncanny accuracy” (The Seattle Times).