In our second program celebrating the music Rachmaninoff wrote while living in America, the Orchestra performs his final composition: Symphonic Dances, a three-movement suite featuring a frantic dance, a restless waltz, and a final flourish of triumph. Lauded Rachmaninoff interpreter Nicolai Lugansky joins the Orchestra for the composer’s capricious Fourth Piano Concerto, a work of daring imagination, as well as his romantic Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, which proved an instant success for the composer.
Program: Sergei Rachmaninoff, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
Sergei Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Minor, Op. 40
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Sergei Rachmaninoff, Symphonic Dances, Op. 45
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Not many bands can claim genuine legend status. The Wailers comfortably claim their place in essential music history. Their music was, and is, culture-defining: rebel hearts with brave souls embodying the spirit of 70s era-defining reggae.
The band play a special set featuring incredible cuts from Bob Marley’s formidable back catalogue along with a string of their greatest, classic hits. The Wailers are giving you a chance to be part of the legacy. Aston Barrett Jr, himself reggae royalty as son of the irrepressible ‘Familyman’, carries the flame for The Wailers in a show that is simply not to be missed.
In late 2020, The Wailers released their first single off the album, “One World, One Prayer”, a powerful piece focused on unity, love and inclusion beyond cultural differences. Produced and written by Emilio Estefan, “One World, One Prayer”, mixes Jamaican reggae with the sounds of the urban Latin genre. The track features international titan Farruko, Jamaican superstar Shaggy, and continues the legacy of Bob Marley alongside the great man’s daughter, Cedella Marley, and her son Skip Marley.
One World, the album that marks the Wailers’ return to the recording studios and the band’s first album for 25 years, was nominated for a 2021 Grammy® Award in the Best Reggae Album category.
The essence of 70s rebellion, the true spirit of reggae performed by the people who helped forge the era-defining sound and by those raised under their tutelage. Living Legends, Reggae Royalty carrying the flame – now you can be a part of the legacy. When The Wailers come calling, you listen.
Zivanai Masango
THE BAND’S FRONTMAN, ZIVANAI “ZI” MASANGO, welcomes his audience with his kind words, soulful vocals and masterful guitar playing. Zi’s humble demeanor belies his heavyweight status on the African and American music scenes. Zi was recognized with two awards; “Best Zimbabwean Musician in the US” and “People’s Choice” in the spring of 2021. From stadiums and music halls in Zimbabwe to the Hollywood Bowl, Central Park Summer Stage, The Blue Note, Dimitrou’s Jazz Alley and Red Rocks, and everywhere in between, Zi has toured the world, sharing stages with legendary artists such as Thomas Mapfumo, Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi, Bonnie Raitt, Jimmy Cliff, Habib Koite, Hugh Masekela, Giovanni Hidalgo, the String Cheese Incident, Bushman, Playing For Change, The Motet, Jyemo Club, and many others. His first three albums; Pachedu (2005), Dutu-Storm (2007) and It’s Time (2013), showcase Zi’s fresh, yet familiar sound. Check out his “Basement Studio” videos and stories on his Zivi Music Youtube channel.
Internationally renowned guest conductor Hannu Lintu joins the Festival for a program beginning with the “concerto for birds and orchestra” Cantus Arcticus by Lintu’s countryman, Finland’s Einojuhani Rautavaara. One of Schumann’s most enduring works is his Piano Concerto, which creates a thrilling collaboration, rather than a tension, between the piano and orchestra. “The exhilaration didn’t let up for a second until her hands came off the keyboard,” says The Washington Post of guest pianist Lise de la Salle. Rounding out the program is Haydn’s Symphony No. 96, one of his famed London symphonies, which earned its nickname “Miracle” when a chandelier fell during its premiere and — by a miracle! — killed no one.
Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto is famous for being one of the most fiendishly difficult pieces ever composed for the instrument. Pianist Nicolai Lugansky, one of the preeminent Rachmaninoff interpreters of our time, performs here as part of his global tour celebrating the composer’s 150th birthday. While this program celebrates the gems that Rachmaninoff composed during his time in America, his moody and staggeringly beautiful Third Symphony also hints at the exiled composer’s homesickness for his native Russia.
Program:
Sergei Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30
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Sergei Rachmaninoff, Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 44
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Orebolo, an acoustic trio featuring Rick Mitarotonda (vocals, guitar), Peter Anspach (vocals, guitar), and Jeff Arevalo (upright bass). The band, comprised of members of the emergent Connecticut rock group Goose. The project has built a faithful following nationwide, specifically after a series of virtual festival appearances in 2020, and an acclaimed performance at Lockn’ Presents FRED The Festival in August 2021. Formed during the height of the initial COVID-19 surge, the three band members shared a home and found comfort in both learning new covers and creatively exploring Goose’s deep catalog acoustically – a feeling they hoped to translate to those listening at home.
