The Great Falls Symphony presents Sheherazade, a breathtaking musical journey inspired by the legendary tales of One Thousand and One Nights. This one-night-only performance on Saturday, April 5, 2025, at the Mansfield Theater will showcase Rimsky-Korsakov’s dazzling orchestral masterpiece, weaving an enchanting narrative of adventure, romance, and intrigue.
“While the current Great Falls Symphony was founded in 1959, orchestra music in the Electric City goes back much further. In fact, the first “Great Falls Symphony” on record was created in October 1924 – 100 years ago this season. Such milestones encourage us to look back, take stock, and celebrate. So for our April program we’re featuring all three of our large groups – not just the orchestra, but our musical partners who have brought so much to this community for decades,” said Music Director and Conductor, Grant Harville.
“Our Youth Orchestra students will sit with us side by side for Bela Keler’s Lustspiel Overture – the first orchestral work ever performed in Great Falls, back in 1924. The Symphonic Chorus will lend their voices to opera’s most beautiful and stirring opera choruses. And there is no better piece to feature the orchestra itself than Rimsky-Korsakov’s portraits of the 1001 Arabian Nights: Sheherezade. Perhaps no other composer maximized the impact of the orchestra as well as Rimsky did, and Sheherezade shows him at the height of his abilities. The power and delicacy, the love and anger, of Sheherezade’s tales come through brilliantly in Rimsky’s most famous composition.”
Few works in classical music capture the imagination like Scheherazade. Composed in 1888, this symphonic suite brings to life the stories of Sinbad’s voyages, forbidden love, and daring escapes, all told through Rimsky-Korsakov’s brilliant orchestration and evocative themes. Each movement unfolds like a new chapter in an epic saga, led by the mesmerizing solo violin that represents the voice of Scheherazade herself.
New amenities for this season’s concerts include the availability of beer and wine, a free coat check run by the GFSA’s Youth Orchestra, and a Maestro Lounge reception after the performance.
Tickets for Scheherazade start at $41 and are available online at gfsymphony.org/sheherezade or by calling the Symphony office at 406-453-4102.
This performance of Scheherazade is sponsored by Deborah Holbrook. The Great Falls Symphony’s 2024-25 season is generously sponsored by Brice Addison.
