Odessa Philharmonic March 13, 2010

The program features Schubert's Symphony No. 8 in B minor ("Unfinished"), Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A major, and Saint Saens' Cello Concerto featuring soloist William DeRosa. Founded in 1937, the Odessa Philharmonic performed regularly throughout the Soviet era under such conductors as Nathan Rachlin, Yuri Temirkanov, Kurt Sanderling, Arvid Jansons and Mariss Jansons. Because of Odessa's ranking as a "regional" city by the Soviet government, the orchestra was not allowed to travel outside the borders of the USSR. With the independence of Ukraine, the orchestra's status rose; in January of 1993 the Government of Ukraine formally awarded the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra federal status, making it the only performing arts organization in Ukraine outside of Kiev to attain this distinction.