American Pictures

With Appalachian Spring (1944), Aaron Copland created one of the most beloved works in the American repertoire. Originally composed as ballet music, the piece evokes the atmosphere of rural nineteenth-century America. The suite paints broad landscapes, simplicity, and hope in an accessible musical language. At its heart lies Copland’s celebrated setting of the Shaker melody Simple Gifts, which grows into a deeply moving climax.

Jazz Suite No. 1 reveals a surprisingly light-hearted and playful side of Dmitri Shostakovich. Written in 1934, the work emerged during a period when jazz was also gaining popularity in the Soviet Union. However, it is not American jazz in its pure form as we know it today: Shostakovich puts his own stamp on dance rhythms, popular melodies, and jazz-inspired elements. The suite sparkles with energy, humour and elegance, interwoven with moments of lyrical charm.

Igor Stravinsky composed the Concerto in E-flat, better known as Dumbarton Oaks, in 1938 at the request of the owners of the estate of the same name near Washington, D.C. The work represents the pinnacle of his neoclassical period and is clearly inspired by Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. Stravinsky takes the contrapuntal richness of the Baroque as his starting point, while giving it a distinctly twentieth-century character. In this way, Dumbarton Oaks builds a bridge between tradition and innovation.

With Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Samuel Barber created one of the most moving vocal works in American musical history. The composition is based on an autobiographical text by writer James Agee, who reflects on a sultry summer evening from his childhood in the American South. Through the eyes of a child, a world of security, wonder and nostalgia comes into view.

Programme:

• A. Copland: Appalachian Spring
• D. Shostakovich: Jazz Suite nr. 1
• I. Stravinsky: Concerto in Es "Dumbarton Oaks"
• S. Barber: Knoxville "Summer of 1915"