Fidelio Orchestra: Popular Music – Gershwin and Philip Glass

The Music

Some music is instantly embraced, resonating deeply with the tastes of its time. Other works are met with indifference or resistance, only to be rediscovered and celebrated as years – or even centuries – pass. Others are written with the explicit ambition of becoming ‘music for a later age’, yet continue to puzzle and provoke generation after generation.

In this programme, devoted entirely to 20th-century works, Fidelio Orchestra will explore the central question: what makes music popular? To answer, Fidelio Orchestra have selected three pieces that illuminate very different paths to recognition: those that enjoyed immediate success (An American in Paris), those whose reputations grew steadily in the decades following their premieres (La valse), and those intentionally crafted with accessibility in mind (Philip Glass’ Violin Concerto). Together, these works invite us to reflect on who we are as listeners and what we seek in an artistic experience.

Promoted by Fidelio Orchestra