Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier: UMD Symphony Orchestra

The UMD Symphony Orchestra performs Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier, alongside works by Gabriela Ortiz and Alfred Schnittke.

Lush and romantic, Der Rosenkavalier Suite captures the charm of Strauss’ full opera, depicting the story of young lovers in 18th-century Vienna. Love music and elegant waltzes combine to create a rich musical atmosphere that follows various scenes from the story, including the moment that the two first meet and fall in love.

Derived from “antro,” a term that became synonymous with Mexico City’s clubs and bars in the 1980s, Gabriela Ortiz’s Antrópolis is a sonorous reflection of the city through its nightlife. The four movements represent their own “antro,” each with its own distinct style of music and dance.

Alfred Schnittke’s Concerto for Piano and Strings is a single-movement work with contrasting sections that has been interpreted by some scholars as a meditation on the human condition. Moments of dissonance and tonality push back against one another, as if the composition is grappling with hope and despair, before ultimately ending with a fade to silence. Guzal Isametdinova, the 2025 UMSO Concerto Competition winner, will perform this work alongside the orchestra.