The American

In this rich tapestry of American music, invention and reinvention are the warp and weft. There is balm for the soul and invigorating jolts of energy to raise the spirits high.

George Walker pays lyrical tribute to his grandmother, a former slave, in his 1946 work Lyric for Strings, while Florence Price refracts the Black folkloric tradition through the prism of Western string playing in her Negro Folksongs in Counterpoint.

Music by contemporary giants Morton Feldman, Bryce Dessner and John Adams continue the work of remaking and revitalisation, culminating in the world premiere of a new work for electric violin and strings by American composer Samuel Adams for Richard Tognetti and the Orchestra.

The concert reaches a peak with Tognetti’s string orchestra arrangement of Dvořák’s sublime American Quartet, written during a rural holiday in America in 1893. Fresh, optimistic and full of rustic charm, this is music to warm the soul.

Reviews

★★★★1/2

“George’s Walker’s ‘Lyric for Strings’ was a perfect showcase for the ACO’s glorious lush string tone, while three of Florence Price’s ‘Five Folksongs in Counterpoint’ highlighted their tight ensemble work.” – Limelight

★★★★

“An arresting curtain-raiser in which old and new worlds collided” – The Age

★★★★

“arrestingly incisive” – The Sydney Morning Herald

PROGRAM DETAILS

 JOHN ADAMS John’s Book of Alleged Dances: Selections
PRICE Five Folksongs in Counterpoint: Selections
SAMUEL ADAMS Echo Transcriptions* (World Premiere)
BRYCE DESSNER Aheym
WALKER Lyric for Strings
FELDMAN Rothko Chapel: 5th Movement
DVOȒÁK (arr. Tognetti) String Quartet No.12 in F major, Op.96 “American”

*Commissioned by the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Stanford Live.

Download Program

Pre-Concert Talk Information

ARTISTS

Richard Tognetti • Director & Electric Violin
Australian Chamber Orchestra

PLAYLIST PREVIEW

READ

Interview with Sam Adams | Contemporary composer Samuel Adams shares his desire to give audiences a little clarity in the midst of the world’s mess in conversation with Australian author Kate Holden.

American Dreams | In the American national psychodrama, composers from classical music traditions have always been the outsiders. Written by Alex Ross.

A concert of firsts | From the first Black American woman to have a work performed by a major US symphony orchestra, to the first composer to write with modern graphic notation, The American showcases true pioneers in American classical music.

Sam Adams: "we bonded over electronic music" | The American composer on his memories of first meeting Artistic Director Richard Tognetti.