With 'An American Dream?' Barbara Hannigan explores the concept of the American Dream."I grew up in awe of America, but now my feelings are mostly nostalgic. With this repertoire, I want to express my admiration for the incredible creativity and perseverance of composers who shaped a musical language that was truly their own."
For this program, the Canadian conductor and soprano collaborates with works by American composers alongside her regular partners, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. 'The carnival' is a recurring theme in the repertoire, and the image on the cover shows a stationary carousel horse. A beautiful, painted object – but the floor is cracked and half the lights are out. Nostalgia and memory mingle with an underlying darkness and decay.
Of George Gershwin's operatic masterpiece about love, addiction, racism and hope, we hear Robert Russell Bennett's iconic arrangement Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture Inspired by the silent film Nosferatu which he saw in a Paris cinema in 1925, Aaron Copland composed a ballet that ultimately became the lively Dance Symphony The Carousel Waltz (arr. Don Walker) is the overture to the dark Broadway musical Carousel by Richard Rodgers. For the grand finale, Barbara Hannigan collaborates once again with American composer and arranger Bill Elliott on their joint creation At the Fair . The suite opens with Have I Stayed Too Long at the Fair? and concludes with Jule Styne's renowned hit Don't Rain on my Parade , both performed by Hannigan. The middle section of the suite is instrumental and features a wealth of well-known American songs and themes competing for attention.