After 18 months away, the National Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Noseda return to the Concert Hall with a grand Season Opening Gala Concert! The program features Scheherazade, a tour-de-force fantasy showcasing every section of the orchestra.
You’ll also hear music by new Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence Carlos Simon and dances by Alberto Ginastera.
Show Notes
Program
Carlos Simon: The Block (1918)
Alberto Ginastera: Four Dances from Estancia (1941)
- The Land Workers (Los Trabajadores agricolas)
- The Wheat Dance (Danza del Trigo)
- The Ranch Hands (Los Peones de hacienda)
- The Final Dance (Danza Final—Malambo)
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade (1888)
- The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship
- The Kalendar Prince
- The Young Prince and The Young Princess
- Festival at Baghdad
Reflections by Nicole Lacroix
After 18 months away, the National Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Gianandrea Noseda are returning to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall with a grand Season Opening Gala Concert! The program is an orchestral spectacular that takes us from the streets of NYC to a gilded harem.
The concert begins with The Block (2018), by new Kennedy Center Composer-in- Residence Carlos Simon. In his website coliversimon.com, Simon describes the piece as a short orchestral study based on the works of Romare Bearden, an artist who celebrated the culture of Harlem. “The Block," he writes, “is comprised of six paintings that highlight different buildings (church, barbershop, nightclub, etc.) in Harlem on one block. Bearden’s paintings incorporate various mediums including watercolors, graphite, and metallic papers. In the same way, this musical piece explores various musical textures which highlight the vibrant scenery and energy that a block on Harlem or any urban city exhibits.”
From the streets of Harlem to the Pampas of Argentina, the next work on the Gala program is a set of dances from Alberto Ginastera’s ballet Estancia. Much as the contemporaneous Copland ballets (Billy the Kid, Appalachian Spring, etc.) celebrated the American West, Ginastera’s work illustrates a day in the life of Argentine gauchos. We’ll hear a suite of four dances: The Land Workers, The Wheat Dance, The Ranch Hands and The Final Dance.
Next, Argentine Gauchos give way to “a kaleidoscope of fairy-tale images and designs of Oriental character” in Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestral tour-de-force, Scheherazade, inspired by the tales of the Arabian Nights. “The Sultan Schariar,” wrote the composer, “convinced that all women are false and faithless, vowed to put to death each of his wives after the first nuptial night. But the Sultana Scheherazade saved her life by entertaining her lord with fascinating tales...for a thousand and one nights. The Sultan, consumed with curiosity, postponed from day to day the execution of his wife, and finally repudiated his bloody vow entirely.”
Scheherazade is a story within a story, opening with the gruff voice of the murderous sultan in the bass, with the seductive voice of his new bride weaving around him on the violin. As Scheherazade spins her magical tales (The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship, The Kalendar Prince, The Young Prince and The Young Princess and Festival at Baghdad) the couple’s love grows, until finally, the two voices blend together in harmony.
Classical WETA will bring you the music and excitement of the NSO’s Season Opening gala, complete with reactions from musicians and patrons returning to the Kennedy Center after a year and a half of exile. Grab your sequined mask and join us!