You’ve heard of the 3 Bs (Bach, Beethoven and Brahms)? Well, this month’s NSO Showcase features 3 composers whose names begin with the letter “S”. NSO Music Director Gianandrea Noseda will lead the orchestra in 2 works by Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence Carlos Simon, Dmitri Shostakovich’s 6th Symphony, and Igor Stravinsky’s complete Firebird ballet.
Carlos Simon’s The Block is an homage to the Black artist Romare Bearden who celebrated Harlem’s vibrant culture. Simon’s This Land is inspired by Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus” which is engraved on the Statue of Liberty and incorporates the anthems of the many countries of the immigrants that have made our country great.
Shostakovich wrote his 6th Symphony during Stalin’s “great terror” and like so much of the music he wrote during this period, its meaning remains an enigma.
In Stravinsky’s fairytale ballet Firebird, the evil monster is slain, and the handsome prince and beautiful princess live happily ever after.
NSO Showcase airs on WETA Classical Wednesday, March 5th at 9 p.m. and streams all month long on our app and on the NSO Showcase page.
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