An American Dream?

Description

With "An American Dream?", Barbara Hannigan questions the American dream. "I grew up admiring America. I still admire it, but now from a nostalgic point of view. With this repertoire, I want to pay tribute to the incredible creativity and tenacity of the composers who shaped a musical language of their own." For this American program, the Canadian conductor and soprano reunites with her long-time partners from the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. The "carnival" is the recurring theme here: the cover image shows a stationary carousel horse; a pretty painted object, but the ground is cracked and half the lights are burnt out. Nostalgia and memory blend with an underlying darkness and destruction. An excerpt from George Gershwin's masterpiece Porgy and Bess - an opera about love, addiction, racism, and hope - the iconic arrangement by Robert Russell Bennett, Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture, takes center stage. Inspired by the silent film Nosferatu (Paris, 1925), Aaron Copland composed a ballet that ultimately became the vibrant Dance Symphony. The Carousel Waltz (arr. Don Walker) is the overture to Richard Rodgers' dark musical Carousel. For the grand finale, Barbara Hannigan reunites with American composer and arranger Bill Elliott: together, they conceived At the Fair. The suite opens with Have I Stayed Too Long at the Fair? and concludes with Jule Styne's famous hit, Don't Rain on my Parade, both performed by Hannigan. The central part of the suite is instrumental and includes a multitude of well-known American songs and themes.