Curtis 20/21 Ensemble - Ode to Napoleon

David Lang                                    Illumination Rounds
Jonathan Bailey Holland (’96)         7’ Synchrony
Nina Young                                   Spero Lucem 
David Ludwig (’01)                        Flowers in the Desert
Schoenberg                                  Ode to Napoleon

Curtis alumnus and world renown pianist Peter Serkin joins Curtis 20/21 and the Vera String Quartet to perform Arnold Schoenberg’s Ode to Napoleon, a work written in 1942 in response to the rise of authoritarianism and World War II. The program features other politically-charged works, including pieces by Curtis alums Jonathan Holland and 20/21 artistic director David Ludwig, as well as gripping musical statements by David Lang and Nina Young.

There will be a pre-concert conversation on stage with some of the composers of these works, as well as a discussion of the intersection of politics and music.