Rick Steves' Europe: A Symphonic Journey with The Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra

Description

Rick Steves, America's leading authority on European travel, teams up with The Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Michael Butterman for an inspiring musical journey. Beginning in the U.S. and then touching down in eight different European countries, the concert celebrates music's power to stir the patriotic soul. As a musical tour guide, Steves offers customized, pre-recorded video spots drawing on his extensive knowledge of European history and culture to set the context for each piece. Then, with the help of evocative video images from his public television series, the orchestra performs a selection of stirring 19th-century anthems by Romantic-era composers including Grieg, Smetana, Strauss, Saint-Saëns, Elgar, Wagner, and Verdi. Each selection honors a particular nationality, while the finale, Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" (Europe's official anthem), pays homage to the continent's motto of "United in Diversity" and its passion for freedom.