Cellist Nathan Chan
Siamak Aghaei and Colin Jacobsen: Ascending Bird
Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 101 in D major “The Clock”
Sufjan Stevens arr. Michael Atkinson: Suite from Run Rabbit Run
Dmitri Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1
Nathan Chan, cello
Geoffrey Larson, conductor
Electrifying cello phenom Nathan Chan joins Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra at Town Hall for Dmitri Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 in SMCO's full-orchestra debut on the Great Hall stage. The charm and wit of Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 101 "The Clock" is reflected in a classical re-imagining of Sufjan Steven's genre-bending LP, Enjoy Your Rabbit. The program also features Ascending Bird, a work of Iranian influence by Siamak Aghaei and Colin Jacobsen.
Friday, October 8, 2021 at 7:30 PM
Town Hall Seattle
Great Hall
1119 8th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
Parking and public transit information
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Listen and Learn More
Siamak Aghaei and Colin Jacobsen: Ascending Bird
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In a collaboration born from both musicians’ work with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silkroad Ensemble, Colin Jacobsen collaborated with the Iranian composer Siamak Aghaei to create a work with Persian inflections. The challenging techniques of this work reflect the virtuosity of both master musicians: Jacobsen on violin, and Aghaei on santur.
Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 101 in D major “The Clock”
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The twelve symphonies that Haydn wrote for his two visits to London at the end of the eighteenth century became instant hits. The composer himself nicknamed the ninth one of these “The Clock,” a particular reference to the charming second movement’s “ticking” rhythms. The joy of this masterpiece was palpable from its very premiere, where the first and second movements were immediately encored on the spot.
Sufjan Stevens arr. Michael Atkinson: Suite from Run Rabbit Run
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In Enjoy Your Rabbit, his wordless electronic album released in 2001, Sufjan Stevens sought to “create an aural environment for each animal” of the Chinese Zodiac. Four selections were re-orchestrated in a suite for strings by composer Michael Atkinson entitled Run Rabbit Run, playfully bringing the animals to life and establishing a through-line of reverential beauty.
Dmitri Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1
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The close friendship of Shostakovich and the legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich resulted in the composer’s fearsomely difficult first cello concerto, which Rostropovich memorized and premiered in four days. A brilliant and tremendously personal work, it is peppered with small melodic memories from the composer’s life, including quotations of fellow Russian composers, a twisted version of Stalin’s favorite folk song, and a motif based on Shostakovich’s own initials that pervades the piece from beginning to end.
Town Hall Seattle. Credit: Steve Dubinsky
Composer image credits, from top to bottom: courtesy Constantinople (Siamak Aghei), Silkroad (Colin Jacobsen), Annie Collinge (Sufjan Stevens), and Shervin Lainez (Michael Atkinson).