Legendary hip-hop artist Nas burst onto the scene with his groundbreaking 1994 debut Illmatic and has since released 15 albums, including eight that went multi-platinum or platinum. With 16 GRAMMY nominations and his first win for 2020's King's Disease, Nas continues to cement his legacy as one of rap's greatest storytellers. His recent collaborative run with producer Hit-Boy — six albums in three years — showcases an artist still at the peak of his creative powers.
The indomitable spirit of human perseverance shines in this powerful program. The Bay Area premiere of Gity Razaz’s Methuselah (In Chains of Time) offers a lush reflection on life’s endurance, inspired by an ancient bristlecone pine in California’s White Mountains. Astor Piazzolla’s Aconcagua, featuring accordionist Hanzhi Wang, evokes the rugged Andes and the fiery spirit of Argentine tango. The season concludes with Shostakovich’s monumental Symphony No. 5, a stirring testament to resilience and hope, moving from brooding darkness to triumphant resolution, and echoing the human capacity to endure and overcome adversity.
The Berkelium String Quartet is a new chamber ensemble of celebrated Bay Area musicians based in Berkeley. The quartet will perform iconic works by Beethoven and Schubert alongside projections of period paintings, as well as Flanagan's Water Lilies, inspired by Monet's masterpiece.
Let hearts open to empathy and hope as PWC’s spring concert, Break Open to Beauty, invites audiences into music’s emotional depth. Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater anchors the program with its poignant portrayal of a mother’s grief, blending solo, duet, and choral voices.
World premieres by Composers-in-Residence include an excerpt from Freida Abtan’s opera reimagining the Orpheus myth and Amy X Neuburg’s What Place is This?, exploring themes of home and displacement. Michael Bussewitz Quarm’s Nigra Sum echoes this longing with lyrical grace.
Radiance, PWC’s chamber ensemble, features collaborations with Stanford composers. Lightness and comfort arrive in Thomas Morley’s madrigal Fire, Fire My Heart and Ron Jeffers’ arrangement of Amazing Grace. This concert offers a moving journey through sorrow, resilience, and beauty.
