Our 66th season begins with a nod to the past and eyes on the future. Marking the 110th anniversary of his birth, the Boulder Phil pays tribute to Benjamin Britten—a central figure of 20th-century, British music—with Arvo Pärt’s moving homage to the composer and Britten’s own explorative exhibition of orchestral timbre in his Variations on a Theme by Henry Purcell. Internationally renowned pianist Anne-Marie McDermott makes her Boulder Phil debut with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4, bringing her quintessential sensitivity and profound elegance to this mature Beethovenian work. We close our opening night, by showcasing the orchestra’s dynamic prowess and bravura in Paul Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis, which reimagines Weber’s largely obscure themes into a jazzy, symphonic spectacular you won’t want to miss.