Friday was the Wichita Symphony’s annual Blue Jeans Concert, an event at which the orchestra dresses down and the atmosphere is less formal than the typical Classics Concert. This year, the guest artists were members of Cirque de la Symphonie; my review of the concert for The Wichita Eagle can be found here.
Strongmen Jarek and Darek of Cirque de la Symphonie
The complete program, directed by conductor Daniel Hege:
“Hail Wichita” (Wichita State University fight song)
Shostakovich: Festive Overture, Op. 96 (Orchestra)
Saint-Saëns: Danse macabre, Op. 40 (Christine Van Loo, aerial rope)
Bizet: Danse bohème from Carmen: Suite No. 2 (Vladimir Tsarkov, ring juggling)
Tchaikovsky: Valse from Sleeping Beauty: Suite, Op. 66a (Elena Tsarkov, contortion and dance)
Bizet: Les toréadors from Carmen: Suite No. 1 (Vova Tsarkov, spinning cube)
Badelt: Medley from Pirates of the Caribbean (Orchestra)
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scena e canto Gitano and Fandango asturiano from Cappricio espagnol, Op. 34 (Aloysia Gavre, aerial hoop)
Intermission
Tchaikovsky: Dance of the Swans from Swan Lake: Suite, Op. 20a (Vladimir Tsarkov and Elena Tsarkova, magic act)
Glinka: Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila, Op. 5 (Orchestra)
Kabalevsky: Galop from The Comedians, Op. 26 (Vladimir Tsarkov and Vova Tsarkov, juggling glowing pins on a semi-darkened stage)
Offenbach: Galop (Can-Can) from Orpheus in the Underworld (Elena Tsarkova, ribbon dance)
Rimsky-Korsakov: Dance of the Buffoons from The Snow Maiden: Suite (Alina Sergeeva, hula hoops)
Strauss II: Thunder and Lightning (Polka), Op. 324 (Orchestra)
Tchaikovsky: Valse from Swan Lake: Suite, Op. 20a (Alexander Streltsov and Christine Van Loo, aerial duo on silks)
Sibelius: Finlandia, Op. 26 (Jarek and Darek, strongmen)
Medleyana 