Program Notes: Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1

This episode explores Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 and Brian Raphael Nabors’ Pulse. The German composer Bruch left a rich library of works, but he lived and died under the shadow of one piece, his Violin Concerto in G Minor. Optimistic and bold, Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 – his 100th published work – was embraced by Soviet censors as a symbol of freedom and stands today as a virtuosic, concerto-like showcase that pushes an orchestra to its expressive limits. With Pulse, The Florida Orchestra offers its first-ever performance of a work by the American composer Brian Raphael Nabors, whose music has been described as a fusion of homegrown soundscapes with a contemporary edge. 

Masterworks 8 of the 25/26 Season
Performances February 21 & 22, 2026