Our concert opens with Omar Thomas’ Of Our New Day Begun which as Thomas writes “honors the nine beautiful souls who lost their lives to the callous act of hatred and domestic terrorism on the evening of June 17, 2015 while worshiping in their beloved sanctuary, the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (affectionately referred to as ‘Mother Emmanuel’).” At its very core, Of Our New Day Begun, is rooted in the musical traditions of Black American Church, and speaks to a nation searching for community, strength, and hope during a time of incredible grief.
The Thomas is followed by Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, featuring world class violinist, Andrew Sords. Mendelssohn was no stranger to social stigmatism. As the grandson of a prominent Rabbi in an increasingly anti-Semitic Europe, Mendelssohn was keenly aware of his lineage despite being baptized Lutheran. The tumultuous dark beginnings of the first movement, which Mendelssohn describes as “giving him no peace”, seamlessly morph into a tender introspective slow movement that finally explodes in an effervescent and virtuosic finale. This concerto is not only a tour de force for the violin, but is also a potent sonic journey from uncertainty to celebration.
The evening concludes with Pyotr Illich Tchaikovsky’s battle with fate in his Symphony No. 4. Distressed over the whispers and gossip about his sexual identity and recently failed marriage, Tchaikovsky expresses the very depths of his soul, providing a glimpse into his anxieties, tender introspection, and playful interpersonal connections. The finale of this work is a celebration of the exuberance of his own spirit over an inescapable sense of fate. Tchaikovsky shares his feelings about this sentiment in a letter to his patroness Nadezhda von Meck stating, “Reproach yourself, and do not say that everything in this world is sad. Joy is a simple but powerful force. Rejoice in the rejoicing of others.”
Omar Thomas: Of Our New Day Begun
Felix Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4