Circle of Life embodies the infinite cycles of our humanity as connected beings. Traditional lullabies and selections from Bartók’s For Children open the program with a rustic, characterful nod to childhood curiosities, tenderness, and wonderment. In Shyshtar, the spectacular clash of contrasting musical languages—from Azerbaijani mugham traditional music to the dissonance of modernism—speaks to Ali-Zadeh’s efforts to define herself within the wider world and to the universal human experience. Dvořák’s iconic Serenade for Strings is the heart of the program, having been written at a happy time in his life when Dvořák was basking in his young marriage with a new baby boy and a well-established career. A Far Cry double bassist Karl Doty’s Castles is based on Karl’s experience returning to his childhood home for the first time following the birth of his son. This short, fiddle-inflected tune is sure to fill audiences with joy for all the gifts that new life brings. To close, we shift to the third movement of Beethoven’s String Quartet Op. 135 for a moment of quiet introspection.

Musical Program

Traditional | Lullabies, arr. Alex Fortes

Béla Bartók | Selections from For Children, arr. Leo Weiner

Franghiz Ali-Zadeh | Shyshtar: Metamorphoses for String Orchestra

Antonín Dvořák | Serenade for Strings in E major, Op. 22

Karl Doty | Castles

Ludwig van Beethoven | String Quartet No. 16 in F Major, Op. 135: III. Lento assai e cantante tranquillo, arr. Alex Fortes

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