Saturday, February 6, 8:00 pm, Cary Hall
Conductor's talk 7:00 pm
Jonathan McPhee, conductor
George Li, piano
| Diamond | Rounds for Strings |
| Mozart | Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major |
| Copland | Appalachian Spring |
In 1944, the conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos asked his friend David Diamond to write a “happy piece” to distract people from thoughts of war. The outcome was Rounds for Strings, music so boisterously successful that Aaron Copland told Diamond “Oh I wish I had written that piece. It really works with the audience very well.” Copland need not have worried as his masterpiece Appalachian Spring, with its similar folk roots and honest, direct appeal has been a hit the world over. Between these distinctly American works is a Mozart jewel, performed by Lexington’s own George Li, who at 14 is a YouTube phenomenon, having amazed audiences nationally in performances on PBS’s From the Top at Carnegie Hall and the Martha Stewart Show.
Program Notes
Program Postcard
Video of George practicing at home (AVI, 5.6 MB)
This program is funded in part by the Lexington Symphony Concert Fund Partners.
