大象传媒

Samuelsen has forged a reputation for brilliant classical performances and intrepid contemporary music collaborations; with Glass鈥檚 concerto these two worlds converge in thrilling style.

Premiered in 1987, this piece marked a new era for Glass as his first major concert composition for orchestra. Having largely ignored traditional genres in his earlier work, Glass鈥� decision to take on what is arguably the granddaddy of all classical forms 鈥� sticking to the usual orchestration and three-movement structure to boot 鈥� was in its own way a radical act. 鈥淭he search for the unique can lead to strange places,鈥� Glass said of the work. 鈥淭aboos, the things we鈥檙e not supposed to do, are often the most interesting.鈥�

Over 30 years on, it remains one of Glass鈥� best-loved pieces.

The evening also features new music by Liam Taylor-West and Electra Perivolaris, two of the country鈥檚 most exciting young talents. It closes with the joyously inventive Concerto for Orchestra by Jennifer Higdon, the American composer with three Grammy Awards and a Pulitzer Prize to her name.