Boulder Philharmonic Masterworks Series

Metropolitan Opera soprano Heidi Melton brings luminous vocal power to Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs—a transcendent farewell to life written in the final year of the composer’s life. Set to poems by Hermann Hesse and Joseph von Eichendorff, these songs are filled with serenity, acceptance, and a radiant beauty that seems to suspend time itself. For many, Four Last Songs stands as one of the most sublime expressions of human mortality in music.

Opening the program is Malek Jandali’s Phoenix in Exile, a deeply moving work dedicated to the resilience of Syrian refugees. Jandali, one of the leading voices among Arab-American composers, weaves together traditional Middle Eastern modes with Western orchestral language. Phoenix in Exile reflects both sorrow and strength, mourning loss while celebrating hope—themes that feel especially urgent in today’s global climate of displacement and cultural upheaval.

The program concludes with Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10, a powerful portrait of survival and coded resistance under Soviet tyranny. Written shortly after Stalin’s death, the symphony’s brooding intensity and explosive scherzo are underscored by the composer’s use of his musical monogram—DSCH—asserting his identity and defiance. Together, these works explore how artists confront oppression, transcend adversity, and illuminate the human experience.