Sunday, April 19, 3:00 pm, Cary Hall
Conductor's talk 2:00 pm
Jonathan McPhee, conductor
Jobey Wilson, tuba
| Adams | The Chairman Dances |
| Vaughan Williams | Tuba Concerto |
| Gershwin | American in Paris |
| Zimmer | Pirates of the Caribbean |
Our signature program for Patriots’ Day is a program of fun for all ages. John Adams composed Chairman Dances in 1985 for a scene from his opera Nixon in China, where, in Adams’ words, the "the fabled 'Madame Mao,' firebrand, revolutionary executioner, architect of China's calamitous Cultural Revolution, and (a fact not universally realized) a former Shanghai movie actress...interrupts the tired formalities of a state banquet, disrupts the slow moving protocol and invites the Chairman, who is present only as a gigantic forty-foot portrait on the wall, to 'come down, old man, and dance.'" The result is this surreal and humorous piece, followed by the big sound of solo tuba in Vaughan Williams’ concerto, with the honks and toots of American in Paris close on its heels. Community comes together in Pirates of the Caribbean, a collaboration with senior string players from Lexington High School. Bring the kids and grandkids!
