Between two worlds

This Russian-American program is a clash of musical cultures! We'll discover the Violin Concerto by Jennifer Higdon, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2010, who claims roots in the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. The concerto will be played by Benjamin Beilman, a Washington native who trained at Philadelphia's Curtis Institute. Le Monde wrote of him: "He is a prodigious artist, who combines the gift of rare sonic perfection with a deep, delicate, intense, quivering sensibility." If we go back in time, we'll remember that Samuel Barber wrote his brilliant Overture as soon as he had finished his studies at the Curtis Institute, and that Tchaikovsky innovated in his Symphony No. 5 by weaving a cyclical theme into each of the four movements: great art!