Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra Presents "Songs of America" Featuring Dvorak's Symphony No. 9

We open the concert program with Leonard Bernstein's Overture to "West Side Story" (5 minutes long), a modern retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Bernstein explored the social issues and cultural tensions in 1950s New York City in this popular musical, fusing together jazz, Latin and classical elements.

Next, we slow the mood and present the poignant lullaby "Mother and Child" (7 minutes long), written by William Grant Still. Still broke barriers by becoming the first African American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra and to have a symphony performed by a major orchestra. His compositions blend Western classical traditions with African American musical influences, leaving an indelible mark on American music and paving the way for future generations of diverse composers.

Florence Price's "Dances in the Canebrakes" ( 9 minutes long for the three short movements) conjures images of the American South, where cane fields once flourished. Originally a piece written by Price for piano, William Grant Still arranged the work for orchestra. This delightful piece combines ragtime, tango and jazz elements and is sure to become a new favorite.

William C. White's "Acadia Fanfare" (5 minutes in duration) was written in 2016 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Acadia National Park in Maine. You can hear the musical representation of the waves crashing against the rocky shores and the squalls of seabirds in this captivating music.

The highlight of the concert is Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 "From the New World". This 40 minute, 4 movement piece of music is so highly influential and popular that Neil Armstrong took a recording of the "New World Symphony" to the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission, the first Moon landing, in 1969. KBACH recently ranked this piece their #1 on their list of 2024 Top 100 Most Wanted List as voted by their listeners.

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Category: Arts | Performing Arts | Music