Wagner: Siegfried’s Rhine Journey from  Gotterdammerung 
Siegfried's Rhine Journey is from the fourth opera of the great Ring Cycle of Richard Wagner: Gotterdammerung or Twilight of the Gods.  The title comes from Norse mythology, which prophesied the war of the gods that brings about the end of the world.  This concert piece contains several motifs that have been used throught the operas, including Siegfried's horn call, the waters of the Rhine, and the magic fire music.  Wagner himself approved of early versions of the Rhine Journey and Siegfried's Death March for orchestral performances outside the opera house.

Prokofieff: Violin Concerto No. 1
Prokofiev's masterful first violin concerto is a stunning showpiece filled with lush, lyrical romanticism as well as the striking new tonalities that Sergei Prokofiev brought to 20th-century Russian music. A spectacular piece!

Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95   From The New World
1. Adagio-Allegro molto          2. Largo          3. Molto vivace          Allegro con fuoco
Dvorak was interested in the Native American music and African-American Spiritual (music) he heard in America. Upon his arrival in America, he stated: "I am convinced that the future music of this country must be founded on what are called Negro melodies. These can be the foundation of a serious and original school of composition, to be developed in the United States. These beautiful and varied themes are the product of the soil. They are the folk songs of America and your composers must turn to them." The symphony was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and premiered on December 16, 1893 at Carnegie Hall conducted by Anton Seidl.
 

Violinist Cordula Merks is internationally known as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. She is first concertmaster of the Bochum Symphony Orchestra in Germany and has served as guest concertmaster for many orchestras, including the Cologne Opera, Essen Philharmonic, Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra, Lisbon Opera and Seattle Symphony. She has won prizes at all Dutch national competitions, several concerto competitions and at various international competitions, including the "International Johannes Brahms Competition" in Austria.

Ms. Merks was born in Bonn, Germany and spent her childhood in Holland. At the age of 12, she was accepted by the Young Talent Department of the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. She holds degrees from the Amsterdam Conservatory and from Northern Illinois University. Her teachers have included Herman Krebbers and Shmuel Ashkenasi, among others.