In this concert, with Lola Astanova and Gerard Schwarz, a complex understanding of music was shown. The first piece, "The Tsar's Bride" by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, was a historically influenced opera dealing with the death of the Tsar's third wife almost immediately after her marriage in 1571. The opera was more dramatic than others written by Rimsky-Korsakov because the main character, the tsar, never sang. He is known only through the orchestra's music. The opera was first performed in Moscow on November 3, 1899. The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra played it very well. They started out soft and suddenly got louder, creating mini-climaxes. This happened throughout the entire piece, until they reached the second theme: it stopped there, but reappeared in the original theme when it came the second time. A dramatic point occurs when the brass section suddenly becomes louder and overpowers the string section. We return to the second theme and everything becomes soft. It continues to grow until a third theme is introduced. It was played softly and the solo transitioned to the horns. They end the piece with a diminuendo and the clarinets conclude the piece. The second piece was Scheherazade, opera 35 by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Little of his music is well known outside Russia, which is surprising given that it is beautifully written. His works are almost never performed in the West and we seem to know him best through his students. He greatly influenced the coloration of orchestral instruments and we can see this through the music of other Russian composers. His ability to create music by mixing colors remains the most important part of his legacy. Scheherazade was finished in 1888 and was first performed in Leipzig on the following... middle of paper...... C minor, Op.18. It begins softly with strong bass accompaniment in the right hand. However, the orchestra drowns her out. From my seat, I couldn't hear it play until it hit a cadence. His fingers flew across the keys. When she reached the Adagio Sostenuto (middle movement), I could hear her better and this was much appreciated. He moved with the music and it really brought out the emotion in his playing. Finally, he ended the piece with a very visual takeoff and the crowd went crazy. Overall, this concert was worth going to. The orchestra played very well and showcased two amazing artists from different regions of the spectrum who came together to make this concert amazing. I would definitely like to hear more about Gerard Schwarz's conducting and Ms. Astanova's piano playing. I will return to the symphony to hear more.