The ASO spotlights Richard Strauss’s seldom heard pastoral opera Daphne. With its lush orchestral palette, endlessly shifting harmonic motion, sumptuous melodies, combined with a diaphanous serenity typical of Strauss’s later style, Daphne reveals to us a composer arguably at the peak of his powers, supremely confident in his abilities as both composer and dramatist.

In an even rarer presentation, performed along with this opera is its epilogue, an a cappella choral addition written in 1943, a poignant illustration of the affection Strauss had for Daphne.

Leon Botstein shares the stories behind the music in a lively 30-minute Conductor’s Notes Q&A at 7 PM in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage. Free for all ticket holders.

Tickets are available at carnegiehall.org, by calling CarnegieCharge at 212.247.7800, or visiting the box office at 57th St & 7th Ave.

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The ASO’s Vanguard Series is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.