Ricardo Muti led the CSO last night in an American themed Concert.
First up was George Waler’s Lyric for Strings, written 1940. Originally the Adagio from his string Quartet, it is a moving elegy to his recently deceased mother. Walker followed Barber by a few years at Curtis in Philadelphia and his work has some similarities to Barber’s famous Adagio, but Walker is a distinctive voice.
John Malkovich was the narrator for Copeland’s powerful paen to Lincoln and Freedom From Tyranny. He was a bit restrained and tentative at the beginning but suitably powerful and moving at the end, the conclusion of the Gettysburg Address. It’s hard to believe that a decade after the premiere Copland was being grilled by HUAC during the McCarthy era. Un-American indeed!
The second half featured Dvorak’s New World Symphony. The Orchestra could give a satisfying rendition of this in their sleep and to my ears they did, but it’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser and the playing, particularly the cor anglais, was deeply satisfying, even if Ricardo had his nose stuck in the score for the duration.
First up was George Waler’s Lyric for Strings, written 1940. Originally the Adagio from his string Quartet, it is a moving elegy to his recently deceased mother. Walker followed Barber by a few years at Curtis in Philadelphia and his work has some similarities to Barber’s famous Adagio, but Walker is a distinctive voice.
John Malkovich was the narrator for Copeland’s powerful paen to Lincoln and Freedom From Tyranny. He was a bit restrained and tentative at the beginning but suitably powerful and moving at the end, the conclusion of the Gettysburg Address. It’s hard to believe that a decade after the premiere Copland was being grilled by HUAC during the McCarthy era. Un-American indeed!
The second half featured Dvorak’s New World Symphony. The Orchestra could give a satisfying rendition of this in their sleep and to my ears they did, but it’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser and the playing, particularly the cor anglais, was deeply satisfying, even if Ricardo had his nose stuck in the score for the duration.
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