Sweet Sounds of Steel

This year’s Tropical Baroque Music Festival has been pleasing Miami’s most erudite ears since March 1, with classical music and opera resounding from churches and galleries throughout the city. This evening marks the fest’s finale, and oh what a joyful noise there will be! To breathe life into the festival’s title, the tropical sounds of Trinidad’s renowned Lydian Steel Orchestra will fill the air at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.

For those who have never had the pleasure of hearing classical music on steel pan, we assure you it’s absolutely magnificent. Pan is too often limited to jaunty island rhythms; when classical music is unleashed on steel, the result is thrilling. Creeping crescendos will swell into glorious oceans of sound in this pastoral setting, bringing all the freshness of the island instrument to the sounds of 16th-century Europe. The performance begins at 6. Call 305-669-1376, or visit www.miamibachsociety.org for tickets.
Sun., March 16, 6 p.m., 2008