Sometimes you just have to share a special experience. Was it the weather? Was it the confluence of the stars and the sun?

Hard to tell, but one thing is for certain: the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra turned out an extraordinary concert on July 23. This was a Patron Appreciation Concert given as a thank you to their subscribers, and the parking lots at Kleinhans were completely filled a full half-hour before the concert began.

The lobby was jammed and when the concert began, there were only a few seats left in the hall. It’s hard to pinpoint when we realized this concert was exceptional.

JoAnn Falletta led it off with Handel. That was nice and clean as the strings echoed back and forth with the brass. But then Saint-Saens’ “Bacchanale” followed. There was an almost raucous explosion, a

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