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Chamber Orchestra
2023
Bassoon
Cello
Clarinet
Cymbals
Double Bass
Flute
Gong
Horn
Oboe
Timpani
Trombone
Tuba
Viola
Violin
- Program Notes
- The Greek myth of Pandora’s Box is inherently a tale of revenge. Prometheus, a titan, brought upon himself the wrath of Zeus, the grand deity of the Greeks, by gifting fire to mankind. To punish Prometheus - and mankind for accepting the gift - Zeus instructed the creation of the first woman - Pandora, a “beautiful evil”. The other deities crafted Pandora’s personality, gifting her beauty, intelligence and curiosity - hence, her name Pandora meaning “all gifted” or “gift to all”. Zeus sent Pandora to Epimetheus, brother of Prometheus. Although Prometheus warned his brother not to accept any gifts from Zeus, Epimetheus fell in love with Pandora and made her his wife. Zeus gave Pandora a box in which the ills of the world were locked, warning her to never open it. Pandora became infatuated with the enigma of the box, and the urge to open it overcame her. The seven evils - wrath, gluttony, greed, envy, sloth, pride and lust - were unleashed, afflicting mankind and tarnishing the world. Though the opening of the box was irreversible, hope remained inside to temper the effects of evil.