The Windham Philharmonic closed its season on Monday, June 1 with an adventurous evening, designed to provoke, inspire, and delight: six orchestral movements, six composers, six moods. We invented a Symphony that didn’t exist!

To start, the first movement of Nielsen’s Fifth Symphony. This music is thrilling, sublime and combative: a solo snare drum attempts, literally and persistently, to derail the orchestra. The large body of players refuse, and we find ourselves in a melee of asymmetrical resistance...we remain committed to RESISTING.

Bruckner’s slow movement from his Sixth Symphony offers Peace after Grieving: we all know there is so much to grieve.

We lighten the mood with some extravagant ridiculousness: Stravinsky’s Circus Polka — written for a prima ballerina and fifty elephants, including a cow called Modoc, that was performed by Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey in 1941 forty-three times at Madison Square Garden.

Von Weber’s tiny, quicksilver scherzo from his Second Symphony calls from on stage ‘Catch me if you can!’

Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No. 4 (not the graduation march) ties up all the loose ends: Resolution.

And our evening closes with the finale of Beethoven’s ballet (but no elephants) The Creatures of Prometheus: a dancing rondo, an Envoi, a door held warmly open: have an enchanted, enchanting evening!

The Windham Philharmonic offers some serious matters, a little adventure, much variety and fun, and, we promise you, magic, and an encore. Please do come!

Admission is by donation at the door. All are welcome. Latchis Theatre, 50 Main Street, Brattleboro, Vermont | windhamphilharmonic.org