Daniel Hege, conductor
Jeffrey Biegel, piano
This stirring concert is a celebration of American creativity with a patriotic blend of classical, jazz, and Broadway influences. We open with Charles Ives’s enigmatic The Unanswered Question, a work that floats in timeless stillness as it contemplates life’s eternal mysteries, and the premiere of Caprice by Boyd Eagle, a 20th century Native American jazz musician and composer and grandfather of our very own Maestro Daniel Hege. The celebration continues with Peter Boyer’s Rhapsody in Red, White and Blue, a modern showpiece for piano and orchestra that pulses with
patriotic spirit and cinematic grandeur. Pianist Jeffrey Biegel is performing Boyer’s contemporary Rhapsody in all 50 states, and this performance represents Kansas.
The energy surges in the second half with Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, capturing the heartbeat of New York City through jazz rhythms, Latin flair, and unforgettable melodies. The concert concludes with George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue — a masterpiece that defined a new American sound, where classical tradition meets the swagger and soul of jazz.
CHARLES IVES The Unanswered Question
BOYD EAGLE Caprice
PETER BOYER Rhapsody in Red, White & Blue
LEONARD BERNSTEIN “Symphonic Dances” from West Side Story
GEORGE GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue
