a masterful Program

Witness a concert that will transport you to Eastern Europe, via a stopover in Paris through the eyes of an American, in this thrilling performance of Stravinksy's Firebird Suite and Gershwin's An American In Paris! Helmed by Naples' Music Director Designate Alexander Shelley, the two works are complimented by Anna Clyne's piece Glasslands as co-commissioned by Naples, as well as Maurice Ravel's delightful La Valse filling out a tremendous masterworks program.

An American In Paris was written by Gershwin after his visits to Paris around 1926, having initially traveled to study under Ravel and later returning having become firm friends with the composer. His signature, jazz-tinged playfulness is all across the piece, which inspired a 1951 movie of the same name.

As for The Firebird Suite; upon its 1910 premiere - also, as it happens, in Paris - the composition proved a breakthrough for the then 27 year-old Stravinsky, becoming an instant classic and solidifying a long and celebrated career thanks to its glittering imagery, Russian folk-tinged rhythms and rising climactic movements.