American Reflections
William Schuman, American Festival Overture
Edward Elgar, Cello Concerto
Daniel Kim, cello
William Dawson, Negro Folk Symphony
Opening “a very festive occasion”, William Schuman’s American Festival Overture is a great example of symphonic writing of the mid-twentieth century US, challenging for the orchestra and uplifting for the listener. Though a NY critic found Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto to be "reflective, melancholy and generally depressing", it has become one of the most loved pieces in the solo cello and symphonic repertoire. We bring it to you with recent concerto competition winner Daniel Kim as our soloist. A recently rediscovered masterpiece, William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony is, in the composer’s own words, “symbolic of the link uniting Africa and her rich heritage with her descendants in America,” using Negro Spirituals in the style of American post-Romantics. We are proud to bring the Arizona premiere of this powerfully poignant piece to life.
