By Rick RogersDuring the Oklahoma City Philharmonic’s recent season opener, I was reminded of the title of Leonard Bernstein’s book “The Infinite Variety of Music.” For this was a concert whose works illustrated both the grand gesture and the intimate musing. The concert was also significant from an orchestrational standpoint, with music by four composers who clearly understood the capabilities of an orchestra and how to showcase them to full advantage. Joel Levine opened the program with what could be considered Hector Berlioz’s greatest overture, that to his 1837 opera “Benvenuto Cellini.” The orchestra’s persuasive account invited the listener into the composer’s unique sound world and then kept him intrigued with brilliant flourishes and quiet murmurings. Richard Strauss, a composer who became the great tone painter of the late Romantic period, was a master at taking the listener on a compelling musical journey.Read more on NewsOK.com