NSO: Randall Goosby plays Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto | Thomas Wilkins conducts Elgar's Enigma Variations

• Randall Goosby, violin
• Thomas Wilkins, conductor

Anna Clyne — This Moment (NSO premiere)
Felix Mendelssohn — Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor — African Suite, Op. 35 (No. 4: Danse nègre)
Edward Elgar — Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 "Enigma Variations"

Classical music loves a prodigy. Fresh off his multi-album deal with Decca Records, Sphinx laureate, and Juilliard graduate Randall Goosby makes his exciting NSO debut performing Mendelssohn's poetic Violin Concerto. Don't miss this rising superstar with "ample charm" (The Classical Review), "alluring lyricism," and "golden-age tenderness" (The New York Times).

Renowned Hollywood Bowl conductor Thomas Wilkins closes a dynamic program with Elgar's Enigma Variations, which features some of the most moving passages in Western Classical music—including the ever-popular "Nimrod."

Anna Clyne's This Moment is a "meditative reflection on [Zen Master and peace activist] Thich Nhat Hanh's words 'The practice of peace and reconciliation is one of the most vital and artistic of human actions.'" The piece is also inspired by Japanese and Buddhist calligraphy.

Runs May 16-19.

About National Symphony Orchestra

https://www.kennedy-center.org/nso/home/

About Randall Goosby, violin

Signed exclusively to Decca Classics in 2020 at the age of 24, American violinist Randall Goosby is acclaimed for the sensitivity and intensity of his musicianship alongside his determination to make music more inclusive and accessible, as well as bringing the music of under-represented composers to light.

https://randallgoosby.com/

About Thomas Wilkins, conductor

https://music.indiana.edu/faculty/current/wilkins-thomas.html