The bicentennial of the War of 1812 will be commemorated musically with a new work by Baltimore-born Philip Glass, the celebrated minimalist composer.
His "Overture for 2012" will receive a simultaneous world premiere in June by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
The Glass work promises to provide an appropriately American alternative to Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture," which has become a favorite in this country during Fourth of July celebrations, despite the fact that its depiction of a Russian defeat of Napoleon's forces.
The Baltimore bow for "Overture for 2012" will take place on ...
June 17 at Meyerhoff Hall on a BSO program called Star-Spangled Symphony and conducted by the orchestra's music director, Marin Alsop. The event is tied in with Star-Spangled Sailabration, an international maritime festival being held at the Inner Harbor June 13-19. The concert will, of course, also feature Tchaikovsky's "1812," along with music by John Williams.
The Toronto Symphony's premiere of the Glass piece, slated for the same day and time as the BSO's, is part of Luminato, a city-wide, multi-genre festival in Toronto June 13-17. Luminato will also honor the composer's 75th birthday with a new production of his seminal opera from 1976, "Einstein on the Beach."
Here's a brief video of Alsop discussing the "Overture for 2012":
FILE PHOTO