PROGRAM

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ASU Symphony Orchestra

Ancient Airs and Dances Suite No. 2, Ottorino Respighi

I. Laura soave 

(F. Caroso, 1527-1605)

II. Danza rustica 

(G. B. Besardo, 1567-1625)

III. Campanae Parisienses 

(M. Mersenne, 1588-1648)

IV. Bergamasca 

(B. Gianoncello, 1650)

Lauren Burchell, Alejandro Gómez Guillén, conductors

Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22, Camille Saint-Saëns

I. Andante sostenuto

II. Allegro scherzando

III. Presto

Wenqi Du (2025 Concerto Competition winner), soloist

Hayoung Jeong, conductor

  INTERMISSION

Symphony No. 2 in C Major, Op. 61, Robert Schumann

I. Sostenuto assai – Allegro, ma 

non troppo

II. Scherzo: Allegro vivace

III. Adagio espressivo

IV. Allegro molto vivace

   Alejandro Gómez Guillén, conductor

Ancient Airs and Dances Suite No. 2 (1923)

Ottorino Respighi

In Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite No. 2 (1923), Ottorino Respighi turns to Renaissance and early Baroque melodies, reimagining them through the color and nuance of a small modern orchestra. The suite unfolds in four contrasting movements: the tender “Laura soave” sings with graceful lyricism; “Danza rustica” brings rhythmic vitality and earthy charm; “Campanae Parisienses” evokes distant Parisian bells in shimmering, atmospheric textures; and the spirited “Bergamasca” closes the work with buoyant energy. Rather than reconstructing the past, Respighi allows these early dances to resonate in a new orchestral light, blending historical elegance with the warmth and expressive depth of the twentieth century.

Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22 (1868)

Camille Saint-Saëns

Composed in 1868, Camille Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor opens with an unexpected gesture: a solemn, improvisatory introduction for solo piano that evokes the contrapuntal gravity of Bach before yielding to a turbulent Allegro. The work’s three movements trace a striking arc—from dramatic intensity, to the refined wit of a scherzo-like second movement, to the propulsive brilliance of a tarantella finale. Blending Baroque reference, Classical clarity, and Romantic virtuosity, the concerto showcases Saint-Saëns’s craftsmanship while offering the soloist both expressive depth and dazzling display.

Read more about the soloist, Wenqi Du, below!

Symphony No. 2 in C Major, Op. 61 (1845-46)

Robert Schumann

When Robert Schumann began his Symphony No. 2 in C major, he was recovering from a difficult period of illness and self-doubt. That quiet determination can be felt throughout the work. It opens with a noble brass call—steady and grounded—that returns like a guiding thread. The Scherzo is restless and driving, full of nervous energy, while the slow movement unfolds in long, tender lines that feel deeply personal and vulnerable. By the time the finale arrives, the music seems to stand a little taller, transforming earlier tension into something bright and assured. This symphony is not flashy; its strength lies in its sincerity and its sense of hard-won hope.

MEET THE ASU SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

ASU Conductor & Music Director

Alejandro Gómez Guillén

ASU Assistant Conductors

Hayoung Jeong, Serena Fornay, Lauren Burchell