CONLON CONDUCTS THE VERDI REQUIEM
THU , JAN 19 , 8 PM
JAMES CONLON , CONDUCTOR MICHELLE BRADLEY , SOPRANO YULIA MATOCHKINA , MEZZO RUSSELL THOMAS , TENOR MORRIS ROBINSON , BASS THE WASHINGTON CHORUS EUGENE ROGERS , DIRECTOR
VERDI Requiem
When Verdi , the king of Italian opera , turned his talents to the Latin mass for the dead , he created a Requiem of unrivaled drama and power that has shattered the norms for sacred music . Drawing on a cast of today ’ s vocal stars , Artistic Advisor James Conlon brings potent new insight to this musical meditation on faith and perseverance .
FLORENCE PRICE AND SHOSTAKOVICH
THU , JAN 26 , 8 PM
EVA OLLIKAINEN , CONDUCTOR MICHELLE CANN , PIANO
BRITTEN Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes PRICE Piano Concerto in One Movement SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No . 5
Shostakovich ’ s transcendent Fifth Symphony uses the coded language of musical irony that was off limits in the repressive Soviet regime . The trailblazing Finnish conductor Eva Ollikainen conducts this nuanced score with characteristic thoughtfulness , and her steady hand navigates the turbulent scenes from Britten ’ s dark tale of social isolation . Michelle Cann , a leader in the revival of Florence Price ’ s long-overlooked canon , is known for delivering a “ stirring and authoritative performance ” that maximizes the “ technical sparkle and probing humanity ” of Price ’ s action-packed concerto ( The Philadelphia Inquirer ).
MAHLER AND KLEZMER
THU , MAR 9 , 8 PM
FABIEN GABEL , CONDUCTOR NOAH BENDIX-BALGLEY , VIOLIN
NOAH BENDIX-BALGLEY / ADLER Fidl-Fantzye : A Klezmer Concerto MAHLER Symphony No . 5
Mahler floods the ear and heart with every conceivable human emotion in the inexhaustible Fifth Symphony , a work he himself described as a “ foaming , roaring , raging sea of sound .” Violinist Noah Bendix-Balgley , the first concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic , shows off another talent as the composer of a Klezmer fantasy filled with the wailing cries and stomping dances of this intoxicating folk style . The French maestro Fabien Gabel guides the way through an uber-emotional program with sure-handed grace .
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