Stravinsky Firebird Suite

Rossen Milanov, conductor
Steven Banks, saxophone
The Worship and Praise Chorale

Program
Stravinsky: The Firebird, Suite (1919)
Tomasi: Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra
Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony
Selection of Spirituals for Choir and Orchestra

Igor Stravinsky was commissioned to write The Firebird early in his career by Sergei Diaghilev, famed director of the Ballets Russes in Paris. Inspired by folklore, this suite from the ballet takes the listener through a dramatic and fantastical journey.

Classical saxophonist Steven Banks, winner of the prestigious 2022 Avery Fisher Career Grant, performs Henri Tomasi’s lyrical Concerto pour saxophone alto et orchestra. Tomasi’s expressive style reflects the influences of Impressionism.

William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony was premiered to great acclaim in 1934 by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra, but was the only symphony that Dawson would write. Based on spirituals, this sophisticated work has been recorded several times and has experienced a recent resurgence befitting Dawson’s talent and skill.

Prelude: Join WOSU Classical 101’s Christopher Purdy for a pre-concert discussion at 6:30pm.