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Kluxen – Haydn & Strauss

21 March 2026 @ 3:00 pm

This program celebrates humor, ingenuity,and the blending of styles across three distinct musical voices. HK Gruber’s Manhattan Broadcasts sets the stage with its jazzy energy, and tongue-in-cheek playfulness, drawing on urban soundscapes. Haydn’s Symphony No. 60, “Il Distratto”, follows with its brilliant theatricality, weaving a lighthearted narrative full of wit and surprising turns. The evening culminates with Richard Strauss’s Le bourgeois gentilhomme, a charming suite that fuses Baroque elegance with Strauss’s characteristic warmth and humor, evoking the whimsical world of Molière’s classic comedy. Together, these works promise an engaging and richly textured musical journey.

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Christian Kluxen, conductor

Now in his ninth season as Music Director of the Victoria Symphony in Canada, Christian Kluxen is also in his third season as Principal Guest Conductor of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra in Finland, following a five-year tenure as Chief Conductor of the Arctic Philharmonic in Norway.

Kluxen has been described in the press as “a dynamic, charismatic figure” who “forms the music with an impressive vertical power of emotion and a focus on the grand form”, conducting “with exemplary clarity and a heavenly warmth”. He is recognized for his sincere and transparent leadership, innovative programming and his bold, imaginative and energetic interpretations, showcased both in his MD and guest work.

Alongside his many and varied commitments with the Victoria Symphony and Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, recent and forthcoming guest engagements include Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Pacific Symphony, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Copenhagen Philharmonic, Odense Symphony, and Norrköping Symphony. A fruitful and inspiring relationship with the Arctic Philharmonic, whom Kluxen led for five years as Chief Conductor, resulted in numerous exhilarating performances of a wide variety of repertoire, as well as several acclaimed recordings.

Program notes to come.

HK GRUBER (1943— ) [Heinz Karl Gruber]
Manhattan Broadcasts, for light orchestra
I. Tammany Hall
II. Radio City

FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN (1732—1809)
Symphony No. 60 in C major “Il Distratto”
Stage music for a comedy, Der Zerstreute (The Absent-Minded, a German translation of J. F. Regnard’s Le distrait.)
I. Adagio – Allegro di molto
II. Andante
III. Menuet
IV. Presto
V. Adagio
VI. Finale: Prestissimo

RICHARD STRAUSS (1864-1949)
Le bourgeois gentilhomme – Suite, Op.60
I. Overture to Act I (Entrance of Joudain)
II. Minuet
III. The Fencing Master
IV. Entrance and Dance of the Tailor
V. The Minuet of Lully
VI. Courante
VII. Entrance of Cléonte (after Lully)
VIII. Prelude to Act II – Intermezzo
IX. The Dinner (Banquet music and Dance of the Chefs)

Details

Date:
21 March 2026
Time:
starts at 3:00 pm
Event Category:

Venue

Qualicum Beach Civic Centre
747 Jones St
Qualicum Beach, BC V9K 1S7 Canada
+ Google Map
Phone
(250) 752-1992
View Venue Website

Concert Credits

Concert Programme

  • HK Gruber
    Manhattan Broadcasts
  • Haydn
    Symphony No. 60 in C major “Il distratto”
  • R. Strauss
    Le bougeois gentilhomme – Suite

The Victoria Symphony performs on the traditional lands of the Songhees, Esquimalt, and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day. We extend our respect as well as our appreciation for this opportunity.