Donato Cabrera

Donato Cabrera is a conductor appearing with California Symphony in Walnut Creek, California. He leads two contrasting programs there: a set of late 18th-century symphonies connected to Paris, and a program pairing Spanish and Mexican works with Respighi's evocation of Rome, including a world premiere by the orchestra's composer in residence.

In the Mozart and Haydn program, listeners can expect the crisp, clean textures of the classical-era orchestra: Gossec's symphony and Mozart's "Paris" symphony (K.297) both were written to impress Parisian audiences with bold orchestral effects, while Joseph Bologne's symphony and Haydn's No. 85 round out a picture of what concertgoers in Paris heard in the 1780s. The Pines of Rome program is more atmospheric and coloristic: Falla's piece for piano and orchestra conjures Spanish gardens at night, Ponce's Chapultepec evokes a Mexican landscape, and Respighi's Pines of Rome closes with a famous depiction of a Roman legion marching into the distance, built from quiet murmurs to a full-orchestra climax. A new work by the orchestra's composer in residence receives its first performance on this program.