Symphonic Dances: Rachmaninoff, Bernstein and Salonen

Experience a cinematic journey that takes you from the sun‑baked plains of Venezuela to the poetic landscapes of post‑pandemic Finland, across the electrifying rhythms of Broadway, and into a nostalgic farewell echoing Soviet melodies. In this vibrant concert film, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Rafael Payare and featuring clarinet soloist Ricardo Morales, performs a quartet of masterworks that weave together color, movement, and the enduring human voice. First, Antonio Estévez invites you to “Midday on the Plains” (Mediodía en el llano, 1942), a soaring tone poem that captures the brightness and stillness of Venezuela’s wide grasslands. Next, Finnish composer Esa‑Pekka Salonen presents *Kínēma* (2021), a tender clarinet concerto born from film music during the pandemic; its five movements glide from shimmering dawn to reflective lyricism and renewal. Then, Leonard Bernstein transforms his iconic Broadway score into a symphonic suite with *Symphonic Dances from West Side Story*, bursting with rhythmic passion, violence, and reconciliation. Finally, Sergey Rachmaninoff closes the program with his final composition, *Symphonic Dances, Op. 45* (1940), a sweeping meditation on memory and exile that culminates in a radiant “Hallelujah” that mirrors his *All Night Vespers*. Together, these works form a timeless odyssey across lands and eras, celebrating the universality of music. Watch the film and let the San Diego Symphony Orchestra guide you through these unforgettable moments of color, movement, and profound emotion.