Long-time ROCO collaborator Alastair Willis leads the full 40-piece chamber orchestra in their 20th season finale, ROCO In Concert: OPTIMISTIC, recorded live at Rice University’s Brockman Hall for Opera on April 26, 2025.
Hear the Texas premiere of Dai Wei’s Invisible Portals, a ROCO co-commissioned work that opens new dimensions of sound. Be moved by Keane Southard’s poignant Lamentation for String Orchestra, and then groove to the world premiere of Vincent Gardner’s The Mancini Mashup!, a thrilling collaboration with the Jazz Houston ensemble. Finally, ROCO premieres a groundbreaking rescore of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, by Marlijn Helder, offering a fresh take on a soul-stirring classic that heralded a new frontier in orchestral music.
Audio engineering by Andrew Bradley
PROGRAM
Alastair Willis, conductor
Dai Wei: Invisible Portals
ROCO Co-commissioned Texas Premiere
Keane Southard: Lamentation for String Orchestra
Vincent Gardner: The Mancini Mashup!
(joined by the Jazz Houston octet)
ROCO Commissioned World Premiere
Igor Stravinsky/arr. Marlijn Helder: The Rite of Spring
ROCO Rescore Commissioned World Premiere
