Klaus Makela

Step into the opulent Babylon of Belshazzar’s Feast, Walton’s dramatic cantata depicting a king’s blasphemous revelry and divine reckoning. Captivated by the sheer theatricality of the biblical tale, Walton fills the score with lavish orchestral color and hints of jazz. The great baritone Thomas Hampson joins the CSO, augmented by a double chorus, two brass bands and an organ. Stravinsky paints a scene of orchestral color in his dazzling tale of puppets springing to life amid a fantastical Russian carnival, and the CSO brass step forward to offer two joyous works by Venetian master Giovanni Gabrieli.