Classical and Neoclassical-influenced program with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Carnegie Hall

Apr 15, 2019

On April 18 at Carnegie Hall, Pablo Heras-Casado returns to conduct the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in a program that explores Haydn’s influence on 20th-century neoclassical composers. Heras-Casado was appointed Principal Conductor of the OSL in 2011, and he currently serves as Conductor Laureate of the ensemble. Together, they have recorded a critically acclaimed album featuring two of Tchaikovsky’s earliest notable works: Symphony No. 1, ‘Winter Dreams’ and ‘The Tempest’. More information and purchase links available via his Recordings.

The program will feature Prokofiev’s First Symphony, also known as his “Classical” symphony, that many say was influenced by Haydn’s orchestral works, with its lighthearted nature and its typical four-movement classical form. Renowned pianist Hélène Grimaud plays Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major, a signature work for which she was recently praised for her “arresting and ultimately majestic” interpretation last month. Continuing the program is Stravinsky’s high-spirited Suite No. 1 for chamber orchestra, which takes the first four movements of his Five Easy Pieces of 1916 – 1917 and turns them into the four movements of the Suite; and concluding the program is Haydn’s Symphony No. 103, known as “Drumroll”. This work in particular was said to inspire Prokofiev’s “Classical” Symphony, and it was the next-to-last symphony he wrote in his long career. More information about the performance on April 18 is available via Carnegie Hall.