The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin Music Director

Philadelphia Orchestra Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin is postponing his return to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center due to family reasons following an injury sustained by his partner, Pierre Tourville. Mr. Nézet-Séguin has withdrawn from the concerts on August 7 and 8 but will return on August 16 and 17. He looks forward to greeting audiences in Saratoga next week after much-needed time with Pierre during the early stages of recovery.

The Philadelphia Orchestra and Saratoga Performing Arts Center are very grateful to Philadelphia Orchestra Assistant Conductor Kensho Watanabe for stepping in to conduct the concerts on August 7 and August 8. The programs remain as announced.

Masquerade “draws its inspiration from the original mid-18th-century promenade concerts held in London’s pleasure gardens” according to composer Anna Clyne and was dedicated to the Proms’ concertgoers for which this piece originally premiered. This richly orchestrated work includes an old English country dance melody and a drinking song to add a festive flair to the program.

Chausson’s Poème de l’amour et de la mer, which translates to Poem of Love and the Sea, is a 19th-century song cycle about love, loss and the sea. This program celebrates the interplay between the romantic texts of Maurice Bouchor and Chausson’s lush orchestration.

Closing the evening is Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 1.