Stéphane Denève conducts Higdon and Strauss

French maestro Stéphane Denève leads the Aspen Festival Orchestra in an evening of high symphonic emotions at the 2025 Aspen Music Festival and School! The program opens with Jennifer Higdon's heart-rending blue cathedral, composed after the untimely death of the composer's younger brother Andrew Blue, symbolizing their bond through solos for the flute (Jennifer's instrument) and clarinet (Andrew's instrument). "If you didn't know the personal story behind it," wrote the Baltimore Sun, "the music could still touch your heart; when you do know that story, it can touch your soul." Denève and the AFS close out the evening with Strauss's quintessential tone poem Eine Alpensinfonie (An Alpine Symphony), which traces the tumultuous ascent of a mighty peak — not unlike those in glorious view from the beloved Klein Music Tent.