Joshua Weilerstein, guest conductor
Jon Kimura Parker, piano
William Grant Still Poem for Orchestra
George Gershwin Piano Concerto in F
Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony No. 5
The program, led by guest conductor Joshua Weilerstein, begins with William Grant Still. Dubbed the Dean of African American composers, he was a trailblazer for Black artists. His stirring Poem for Orchestra, a first for the KCS, was described as “inspired by the concept of a world being reborn spiritually after a period of darkness and desolation”.
George Gershwin, already famous on Broadway and Tin Pan Alley, used his Piano Concerto in F to bring the Jazz Age to a classical stage. Pianist Jon Kimura Parker is the dynamic soloist. Each of these pieces, in some way, is a fight for acceptance.
Dmitri Shostakovich’s darkness was due to threats by the oppressive Stalinist regime, which deemed his earlier Avant Garde music “decadent”. His Fifth Symphony was his formal “apology” to get back in good graces with the authorities. Behind the forced smile of its heroics, the anguished despair remains real.
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Only fully vaccinated individuals will be admitted to this performance. You must have received your final shot at least 14 days before attending a concert. Masks will be required.