An American Dream?

Copland, Aaron, Elliott, Bill, Gershwin, George, Hannigan, Barbara, Rodgers, Richard, różni kompozytorzy

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Hannigan, Barbara

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With ‘An American Dream?’, Barbara Hannigan explores the concept of The American Dream. “I grew up in awe of America. I am still in awe, but largely in a nostalgic way. With this repertoire, I want to express my admiration for the incredible creativity and tenacity of composers who shaped a musical language that was truly their own.” The Canadian conductor and soprano collaborates with her long-term partners, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, on this programme of works by American composers. With ‘the fair’ as a recurring theme across the repertoire, the image on the cover shows a carousel horse that is at a standstill. A pretty, painted object - but the floor is cracked and half the lights are burned out. Nostalgia and memory are mixed with underlying darkness and destruction. From George Gershwin’s masterpiece Porgy and Bess - an opera about love, addiction, racism, and hope - Robert Russell Bennett’s iconic arrangement of A Symphonic Picture is featured. Inspired by watching the silent film Nosferatu, Aaron Copland composed the vibrant Dance Symphony. The Carousel Waltz (arr. Don Walker) is the overture to the Broadway musical Carousel by Richard Rodgers. For the grand finale, Barbara Hannigan reunites with American composer and arranger Bill Elliott in their joint creation, At the Fair, a suite which includes a multitude of American songs and themes, including Have I Stayed Too Long at the Fair? and Jule Styne's famous hit Don't Rain on my Parade.

Works:

•Gershwin: Porgy and Bess, a Symphonic Picture (Arr. for Orchestra by Robert Russell Bennett)
•Gershwin: Porgy and Bess, a Symphonic Picture [Arr. for Orchestra by Robert Russell Bennett]: VIII. Picnic Scene (Oh, I can’t sit down) - IX. There’s a Boat That’s Leaving Soon for New York
•Gershwin: Porgy and Bess, a Symphonic Picture (Arr. for Orchestra by Robert Russell Bennett): X. It Ain't Necessarily So - XI. Oh Lord, I'm on My Way
•Copland: Dance Symphony
•Rodgers, R: The Carousel Waltz (Arr. for Orchestra by Don Walker)
•Barnes, Billy: At the Fair (Arr. for Orchestra and Voice by Barbara Hannigan and Bill Elliott): I. Have I Stayed too Long at the Fair?
•Richard Rodgers, Andrew B. Sterling, John Philip Sousa, Johannes Brahms, Kenneth J. Alford, Banner Anon, Meredith Willson, Samuel A. Ward, Katharine Lee Bates, Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed, Julius Fučík, Kerry Mills, Francis Scott Key, Oscar Hammerstein: At the Fair (Arr. for Orchestra and Voice by Barbara Hannigan and Bill Elliott): II. An American Dream
•
•Styne: At the Fair: III. Don't Rain on My Parade

CD x 1

Alpha

11.05.2026

3701624512227