Joshua Bell and Ravel | Friday, May 31, 2024 at 8:00 PM, Saturday, June 1, 2024 at 8:00 PM, Sunday, June 2, 2024 at 2:00 PM | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Michael Stern, conductor
Joshua Bell, violin
GUILLAUME CONNESSON Flammenschrift (Flame Writing)
FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN Symphony No. 59, "Feuersinfonie" (Fire Symphony)
The Elements for violin and orchestra (selections)
Kevin Puts "Earth"
Edgar Meyer “Water”
Jake Heggie "Fire"
HENI VIEUXTEMPS Violin Concerto No. 5
MAURICE RAVEL Suite No. 2 from Daphnis et Chloé
The ancient elements of earth, water and fire provide inspiration for this blockbuster concert headlined by violin superstar Joshua Bell. He has commissioned works by renowned composers Kevin Puts, Edgar Meyer and Jake Heggie, incorporating these elements thematically. You’ll hear a magical blend of old and new in these ingenious pieces. Also on the program is Henri Vieuxtemps’ virtuosic Fifth Violin Concerto. Vieuxtemps’ beautiful music and Joshua Bell’s phenomenal artistry are a heavenly match — romantic music indeed.
Maestro Stern continues the elemental theme with Flammenschrift (Flame Writing) by French composer Guillaume Connesson. Borrowing the word from Goethe, Connesson’s Flammenschrift is a fiery psychological portrait of Beethoven, filled with allusions to his monumental music as well as nods to Johannes Brahms and Richard Strauss.
Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Fire Symphony” probably got its nickname from accompanying Die Feuersbrunst (“The Conflagration”), a play by Gustav Friedrich Wilhelm Großmann. Savor the sweet elegance of Haydn’s clever writing and then delight in the last movement’s blazing passages.
Ravel’s sensuous music for the ballet Daphnis et Chloé brought him worldwide fame. He described it as a symphonie chorégraphique and filled the work with shimmering orchestral colors and hypnotic rhythms. Waves of sound cascade all around you in this suite as Daphnis and his lover Chloé are happily reunited, concluding with a frenzied dance.
Phone: (816) 471-0400
Email: boxoffice@kcsymphony.org
2024/05/31 - 2024/06/02
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
1601 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108
An experience at the Kauffman Center begins the moment you arrive, with a convenient, well-lit parking garage, owned and operated by the City of Kansas City, Missouri. The garage is directly attached to the Kauffman Center just south of the building with multiple access points to surrounding streets.
Garage parking passes and valet parking passes are available in advance for most events. Please note that if the garage is full patrons without a pre-paid pass will not be able to park in the Arts District Garage. Additional information about parking is available at kauffmancenter.org/the-center/directions-parking.