CLASSIX SIX
100 YEARS OF BERNSTEIN
Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts
Reno Phil Chorus
Vocalists Elena Perroni, Olga Perez Flora, and James Flora
Sunday, April 22, 2018
4:00PM–6:00PM
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
7:30PM–9:30PM
BERNSTEIN | West Side Story, Concert Suite No. 1
BERNSTEIN | Chichester Psalms
BERNSTEIN | Make Our Garden Grow from Candide
SHOSTAKOVICH | Symphony No. 5 in D minor, op. 47
TAKE NOTE…
- In addition to being considered one of Bernstein’s quintessential works, West Side Story also marked the Broadway debut of lyricist Stephen Sondheim, whose later works included Gypsy, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sweeney Todd, and Into the Woods.
- Bernstein’s West Side Story and Candide were both based upon classic literature. West Side Story was a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet while Candide was inspired by Voltaire’s novel of the same name.
- Shostakovich wrote his Symphony No. 5 at a time when he lived in fear of Stalin and the Russian government. He slept in the stairwell outside his apartment to spare his family the experience of what he believed was his imminent arrest.
- Stalin and the government were pleased with the symphony and everything it included, although many fans and critics have come to hear a subtext critical of the Russian government.
