Raymond Harvey To Conduct Raymond Overture, Saint-Saens, Shostakovich

Tonight's Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra program features three works: The Raymond Overture, by Ambrois Thomas, Camille Saint-Saens' Piano Concerto No. 5 "Egyptian," and the Symphony No. 5 by DmitriShostakovich. In a preview of the music with Cara Lieurance, KSO music director Raymond Harvey joked about avoiding the Raymond Overture in order not to appear egotistical. The concerto by Saint-Saens is a personal favorite - as a young pianist at the Oberlin Conservatory, Harvey won the school's concerto competition playing the piece. On a more serious note, he discusses the importance of Shostakovich's fifth symphony in historic and interpretational terms.