Next weekend is Valentine's Day and the Philadelphia Orchestra has a special concert to serenade your sweetie. The orchestra is partnering with Shakespeare Theatre of Philadelphia for a special February 14th concert and play combo.
The orchestra's VP of Artistic Planning, Jeremy Rothman says, "an evening like this, we take the opportunity to light the hall in a special way, have actors placed throughout the venue and create a different kind of experience when you are in the hall beyond what you might just perceive as a traditional symphonic concert."
Rothman says it will be romance on full tilt, with an evening filled with classical music and classics from Shakespeare.
"450 years later Shakespeare's texts and plays provide so much inspiration and for the particular composers we selected Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Berlioz, some of their most beloved works and most famous works, the ones they based on Shakespeare."
The concert includes favorites like Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream and, of course Shakespeare's quintessential love story, Romeo & Juliet.
"You'll hear the romance between Romeo and Juliet as you hear the music of Tchaikovsky; you'll hear the playfulness of Puck in Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream," says Rothman, "Since these pieces were inspired by the works of Shakespeare, we will have vignettes between each piece, between each movement, that will place you within the scene of the play."
With music inspired by the world famous bard, Rothman vows it will be an evening filled with passion.
"It really helps to set the scene to have both actors present in the hall in some surprising and delightful ways and then to hear the orchestra play these incredible pieces of music." He says, "bring someone special on Valentine's Day, hear some great music, hear these great highlights of Shakespeare and have a great time."
The Valentine's Day Concert is at 8pm in The Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall.
For tickets go to www.TheArtsinPhilly.org.