These Russian Jews exploded ethnic stereotypes by refusing to be known only as Jewish composers. These works identified them more with the nation in which they lived than with their ethnicity.

Read the Playbill for this program. (©Playbill, Inc.)

ALEKSANDR KREIN
The Rose and the Cross
Krein was one of the leading Russian modernist composers of the early 20th century. This work was inspired by settings from Aleksandr Blok’s last play,The Rose and The Cross.

ANTON RUBINSTEIN
Cello Concerto No. 2
Rubinstein, the prolific composer who founded the first music school in Russia, the St. Petersburg Conservatory, was already working on his fourth symphony and fifth piano concerto in the summer of 1874. But when these gave him trouble, he wrote this instead, incorporating traditional Russian styles into his work.

MIKHAIL GNESIN
From Shelley

MAXIMILIAN STEINBERG
Symphony No. 1
These two pieces were written while the composers were in their early 20s and studying at the St. Petersburg Conservatory alongside Igor Stravinsky. The works show the great instruction these men were receiving from the likes of Rimsky-Korsakov, Glazunov, and Lyadov.

***PLEASE NOTE: Leon Botstein shares the stories behind the music in a lively 30-minute Conductor’s Notes Q&A at 7 PM in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage. Free for all ticket holders.***

Visit americansymphony.org for more info!