String Orchestra of the Rockies: Norwegian Romance

The orchestra’s Valentine's weekend performance brings to the stage the scintillating sparkle of the "String Serenade" of Victor Herbert and the complexity and drama of Grieg's String Quartet No. 1, arranged for full orchestra.
The American cellist, composer and entrepreneur Victor Herbert may be best known for his popular Broadway operettas; however, upon hearing his "Serenade," critics from The New York Times praised it as being "a particularly good work" and compared its lush string writing to that of Richard Wagner.
Across the Atlantic, Norway's most celebrated composer, Edvard Grieg, is featured in his only string quartet, a composition so forward-thinking and colossal in scope that it harmonically expanded the musical language and range of the string quartet genre.