Kansas City Symphony: Matthias Pintscher - Dvorak's Eighth with Mozart

Kansas City Symphony: Matthias Pintscher - Dvorak's Eighth with Mozart at Helzberg Hall - Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Dvořák's Eighth Symphony walks you through an entire countryside afternoon without leaving Helzberg Hall. The Kansas City Symphony brings this sunlit score to life January 16, and Matthias Pintscher conducts a program that pairs pastoral beauty with virtuoso elegance.

Dvořák packed the Eighth with birdsong, a sudden thunderstorm rolling across a summer landscape, a graceful waltz, and a rustic folk dance that lands somewhere between celebration and nostalgia. It's music that feels like weather and movement rather than abstract notes, and those changing scenes give the symphony a vivid arc, from summer calm to the surprise of a storm and the lift of dance.

Blake Pouliot is the soloist in Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5, nicknamed Turkish for its last movement's dance inspired by Turkish military bands. The last movement bounces with rhythmic charm and playful color, and Pouliot's artistry turns the concerto into a conversation between soloist and ensemble. It's the kind of performance that rewards close listening while still delivering pure enjoyment.

The program also includes Olga Neuwirth's Masaot/Clocks Without Hands, adding a contemporary voice to the classical anchors. That pairing puts the concerto's solo-violin personality beside the Eighth's bird calls, storm and rustic dance, with Neuwirth's work completing the program.

An evening built around Dvořák's countryside imagery and Mozart's dance-inflected elegance offers warmth, energy, and a satisfying musical journey. Dvořák's vibrant countryside and Pouliot's Mozart concerto await on January 16; get tickets for the Kansas City Symphony at Helzberg Hall.