MUSIC

Nielsen – The Artist’s Bier

Respighi – Trittico Botticelliano

Nielsen – Clarinet Concerto

Haydn – Symphony No. 43 “Mercury”

Haydn’s light and lyrical “Mercury” symphony has been called “one of Haydn’s wittiest works.” Conceived in the spring of 1927, Respighi’s Trittico Botticelliano is based on three famous Botticelli paintings that hang in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The final composer on the program, Carl Nielsen, was Denmark’s greatest composer. In particular, Carl Nielsen’s clarinet concerto, which is presented in one, continuous movement, has become a staple of the clarinet repertoire. Lexington Symphony’s own principal clarinet player, Bill Kirkley, who has been hailed by the Boston Globe as having playing that is “emotional, committed, and intensely exciting,” will be the featured soloist.