Here’s what the Florida Orchestra will perform for its 50th anniversary season

Andrew Meacham, Tampa Bay Times, 27th September 2017

As the Florida Orchestra gears up for its golden anniversary in the Tampa Bay area, we asked music director Michael Francis to share his thoughts on the classical lineup. Highlights include at least two orchestral and choral blockbusters, the season-opening Carmina Burana and the Verdi Requiem, plus the orchestra’s commission of a prominent composer for a full-length piece to celebrate the occasion.

Carmina Burana (Oct. 6-8), Carl Orff’s 1936 mesmerizing creation out of medieval verse and classical texts, gets things off to a roaring start.

“It’s a spectacular way to open the 50th anniversary, one of the most iconic pieces of all,” said Francis. The companion piece, Ritual Dances, from Michael Tippett’s opera, The Midsummer Marriage, also touches on paganism and allows individual sections and soloists to shine.

Francis brings out the big guns with 1812 Overture (Oct. 27-29), which made Tchaikovsky a household name thanks to the 16 cannon shots symbolizing Russia’s defense against Napoleon. “It’s just a sensational piece of music, not just a blockbuster for the end of a pops concert,” Francis said.