Tito Muñoz leads The Phoenix Symphony in two works by Richard Strauss, his witty tone poem Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, and his aptly-named Four Last Songs, a noble statement about a life well lived, featuring radiant soprano Maria Valdes as soloist. The dynamic pianist Conrad Tao joins the orchestra for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4, a pinnacle of the repertoire as well as the final work for piano and orchestra that Beethoven performed personally. Opening the program is Christopher Cerrone’s The Age of Wire and String, a six-part orchestral suite that Cerrone composed especially for his good friend Tito Muñoz to premiere.
