The Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra, based in West Windsor, presents its season-opening concert on Sunday, September 29, at 7 p.m., at Princeton Alliance Church in Plainsboro. The theme of the concert, “An American Salute,” features works including Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait” and “Fanfare for the Common Man”; George Gershwin’s “An American in Paris”; John Phillip Sousa’s “Semper Fidelis” and “The Stars and Stripes Forever”; and selections from Rogers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” and “The King and I.”
A highlight of the program will be the narration of the Gettysburg Address during Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait” by Congressman Rush Holt. He is a member of the Congressional Arts Caucus and believes that the arts play a crucial role in our society. He was formerly the assistant director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in Plainsboro.
Aaron Copland wrote the “Lincoln Portrait” during World War II, as a portrait of an eminent American to express the “magnificent spirit of our country.” The piece reflects a highway of Americana, filled with works in which folk materials were freely used and adapted and blended with original music in a grand orchestral texture. The piece premiered in 1942, and a radio broadcast with Carl Sandburg as narrator came shortly thereafter. The narration includes excerpts from Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” and speeches to Congress, his words touching the American consciousness.
The “Fanfare for the Common Man” by Aaron Copland is a dramatic piece for brass and percussion.
The concert for all ages will be conducted by the orchestra’s music director, Chiu-Tze Lin.
Concert, Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra, Princeton Alliance Church, 20 Schalks Crossing Road, Plainsboro. Sunday, September 29, 7 p.m. $12 to $25. 609-790-9559. www.bravuraphil.org.
