Verdi’s overture to Nabucco includes one of his most famous tunes. Like Verdi, Gershwin had a gift melody and he melded classical and jazz styles in his concert music. Throughout history, there have been performers with a strong affinity for certain composers. Bay City native Kevin Cole is a world-famous Gershwin expert, and the SBSO is delighted to welcome him back to the Temple Theatre to perform Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F.
Audience members will also experience a famous work from Russian composer Shostakovich. In the USSR, 25-year-old Shostakovich was condemned for what the government considered inappropriate learnedness. His fifth symphony was an attempt to rehabilitate himself. It was brilliantly successful, but is there an ironic tone the Soviets missed?
Featuring Kevin Cole, special guest.