WWU: Gloria Cheng and the WSO present Bernstein, Williams, & Elgar
Free
- Gloria Cheng, piano
John Williams — Scherzo for Piano and Orchestra (US Preview Performance)
Edward Elgar — Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 "Enigma Variations"
The Western Symphony Orchestra presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be among the first to hear a major new work by the iconic John Williams. Capping off her week-long residency at Western, the Orchestra and acclaimed pianist Gloria Cheng will give the US "preview performance" of Williams’ Prelude and Scherzo for Piano and Orchestra, ahead of its official US premiere in June. John Williams originally composed his Scherzo for Piano for Lang Lang in 2016, but with Cheng’s encouragement and partnership, rewrote much of it and added an opening Prelude—with her in mind as soloist. The WSO will be the first American ensemble to perform this music, and our Bellingham audience will be the first to hear it.
Also on the program is Leonard Bernstein’s searing music from the 1954 Elia Kazan film On the Waterfront, led by graduate student conductor Johnathon Lyons. Bernstein's only film score, On the Waterfront anticipates the gritty romanticism of his masterpiece West Side Story, composed three years later. Concluding the program is Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations of 1899. One of the great monuments in the orchestral repertoire, its fourteen variations encompass the full spectrum of the human experience, from bawdy humor to deepest pathos to transcendental joy.
This is a night not to be missed.
Masks are encouraged on the WWU campus, but not required except in health care settings. Please check for any updated visitor guidance before attending: https://www.wwu.edu/coronavirus/visitor-guidance