The Thousand and One Notes of Sheherazade

Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances open the evening in a sensual whirlwind: every section dazzles, summoned to a virtuosity that is at times wild, at times tender, as if the entire orchestra were transformed into a constellation of soloists. Then comes Scheherazade, where the violin—Andrew Wan’s voice—traces the destiny of the heroine from One Thousand and One Nights. Its supple, mesmerizing lines sketch her strategies, doubts, gentleness, and audacity as she gradually tames the sultan and turns her story into salvation. Two works that magnify the expressive richness of an orchestra in full incarnation.