This month's NSO Showcase highlights composers' takes on works by other composers, all conducted by NSO Music Director Gianandrea Noseda. We hear takes on Rossini by Britten, Bach by Berio, Haydn by Brahms, Tchaikovsky by Duke Ellington, and Mussorgsky by Ravel.
Show Notes
Program
Benjamin Britten
Matinées musicales (after Rossini)
Johannes Brahms
Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn
JS Bach
Contrapunctus XIX from The Art of Fugue arranged by Luciano Berio
Tchaikovsky/Ellington/Tyzik
Nutcracker Suite adapted by Duke Ellington, arranged for orchestra by Jeff Tyzik
Modest Mussorgsky
Pictures at an Exhibition orchestrated by Ravel
Gianandrea Noseda, conductor
Reflections by Nicole Lacroix
There are hundreds of modern adaptations of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, including one with zombies (!). Classical composers are also intrigued by the musical possibilities of earlier masterpieces. In this fascinating NSO Showcase, we’ll feature several examples of this musical “borrowing,” all conducted by NSO Music Director Gianandrea Noseda. Benjamin Britten’s Matinees Musicales channels Rossini, while Brahms developed his Haydn Variations on a theme Haydn didn’t actually write. Luciano Berio’s take on Bach, Duke Ellington’s jazzy Nutcracker, and Maurice Ravel’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition complete the program.