Inside Strauss’ Symphonia Domestica

Music Director Michael Francis dissects Richard Strauss’s sprawling tone poem during an interactive, educational evening with The Florida Orchestra. Rather than a traditional uninterrupted concert, the event deconstructs the score. Francis uses live orchestral demonstrations and spoken commentary to explain how Strauss orchestrated the mundane details of his own family life—including an arguing couple and a splashing baby—into a massive symphonic work. The informal session at the Mahaffey Theater aims to sharpen active listening skills.