May 31-June 2, 2024
Helzberg Hall

Michael Stern, conductor
Joshua Bell, violin

GUILLAUME CONNESSON Flammenschrift (Flame Writing)
FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN Symphony No. 59, "Feuersinfonie" (Fire Symphony)
The Elements for violin and orchestra (selections)
    Kevin Puts "Earth"
    Edgar Meyer “Water”
    Jake Heggie "Fire"
HENI VIEUXTEMPS Violin Concerto No. 5
MAURICE RAVEL Suite No. 2 from Daphnis et Chloé

The ancient elements of earth, water and fire provide inspiration for this blockbuster concert headlined by violin superstar Joshua Bell. He has commissioned works by renowned composers Kevin Puts, Edgar Meyer and Jake Heggie, incorporating these elements thematically. You’ll hear a magical blend of old and new in these ingenious pieces. Also on the program is Henri Vieuxtemps’ virtuosic Fifth Violin Concerto. Vieuxtemps’ beautiful music and Joshua Bell’s phenomenal artistry are a heavenly match — romantic music indeed.

Maestro Stern continues the elemental theme with Flammenschrift (Flame Writing) by French composer Guillaume Connesson. Borrowing the word from Goethe, Connesson’s Flammenschrift is a fiery psychological portrait of Beethoven, filled with allusions to his monumental music as well as nods to Johannes Brahms and Richard Strauss.

Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Fire Symphony” probably got its nickname from accompanying Die Feuersbrunst (“The Conflagration”), a play by Gustav Friedrich Wilhelm Großmann. Savor the sweet elegance of Haydn’s clever writing and then delight in the last movement’s blazing passages.

Ravel’s sensuous music for the ballet Daphnis et Chloé brought him worldwide fame. He described it as a symphonie chorégraphique and filled the work with shimmering orchestral colors and hypnotic rhythms. Waves of sound cascade all around you in this suite as Daphnis and his lover Chloé are happily reunited, concluding with a frenzied dance.