Anniversaries for Orchestra and Chichester Psalms
Michael Stern, conductor; with the Kansas City Symphony Chorus
Kansas City Symphony continues the centennial celebration of extraordinary American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein with Anniversaries for Orchestra and Chichester Psalms. First, hear a new orchestral arrangement of 11 of Bernstein’s Anniversaries, originally written for solo piano, arranged by Garth Edwin Sunderland for orchestra. Then, typical of Bernstein’s original and eclectic style, the Chichester Psalms combine various influences, including music initially intended for the Broadway stage.
A hidden gem, Tchaikovsky’s Concert Fantasy parallels the melodic inspiration, virtuoso fireworks, and sumptuous orchestration found in the composer’s famous First Concerto. Choral Fantasy, for solo piano, chorus and orchestra, clearly hints at Beethoven’s immortal “Ode to Joy” from his Ninth Symphony.
