SoundWaves with The Florida Orchestra
For more than 55 years, The Florida Orchestra has been a driving force for cultural arts in the Tampa Bay region. Every work of music, every musician, every composer has a story to tell. SoundWaves with The Florida Orchestra gives those stories a voice, so you can experience a deep, personal connection to the music during a concert or anytime. The non-profit Florida Orchestra is the largest orchestra in the state and the only arts organization that bridges Tampa Bay. TFO exists to INSPIRE – UNITE – EDUCATE as we build community through the power of music onstage and in our schools and community. With 71 full-time professional musicians and conductors, TFO performs more than 100 concerts a season, including a wide range of classical, popular, film, rock and family-friendly music. Performances are at three major performing arts venues: Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Straz Center in Tampa and Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. For tickets and information: FloridaOrchestra.org
SoundWaves with The Florida Orchestra
Program Notes: Mozart & Handel
This Masterworks program celebrates Baroque and beyond with music by Handel, Haydn and Mozart. Handel’s Water Music — commissioned for King George’s 1717 Thames celebration — sparkles with regal pomp, innovative use of horns and vibrant dance movements. Mozart takes audiences on an irrepressible romp in the Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, which perfectly captures the opera’s comic energy. It's a different feel from his elegant Ballet Music from Idomeneo, a French-style suite that closes a tragic opera with festive dances, rich orchestration and the first use of clarinets in a Mozart opera. Music from Haydn's Uninhabited Island shows his symphonic genius, creating dramatic tension between calm and storm.
This episode includes music excerpts to illustrate each work.
Masterworks 4 of the 25/26 Season
Performances November 22 & 23, 2025