Schubert’s Monumental Ninth Symphony

The evening culminates in Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 9, often called “The Great,” a monumental work that expanded the scale and ambition of the symphony. From its open, spacious horn calls to its propulsive rhythms and exhilarating final movement, the Ninth unfolds as a long, gripping journey that steadily gains momentum before landing in triumph. Bold, expansive, and deeply physical, it is a symphony meant to be felt as much as heard.

The first half of the concert turns inward, opening with French romantic miniatures that explore love, longing, and vulnerability. At the heart of this set is Hector Berlioz’s Les Nuits d’été, a cycle of songs that reveals the composer’s most intimate voice, tender, melancholic, and quietly intense. Mezzo-soprano Julie Boulianne brings warmth and emotional clarity to these deeply human reflections on love and loss.

Completing the French half is Ophélie, an evocative symphonic poem by Mel Bonis, an atmospheric work that heightens the sense of drama and emotion before the orchestra expands fully for Schubert’s monumental symphonic finale.