Summary: Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO Jan 22-24. Riccardo Muti conducts works by two Russian composers for whom he has a remarkable affinity. Scriabin's First Symphony is a glorious six-movement work that culminates in a triumphant chorus, yet it also holds much tender lyricism. Prokofiev's cantata Alexander Nevsky, by contrast, is full of fire and steel, its imaginative orchestration and rousing choruses evoking Russia's medieval victory over invading Teutonic knights.
