An American Dream? – Barbara Hannigan

With ‘An American Dream?’, Barbara Hannigan explores the concept of The American Dream. “I grew up in awe of America, but now my feelings are mainly nostalgic. With this repertoire, I want to express my admiration for the incredible creativity and tenacity of composers who shaped a musical language that was truly their own.”

The Canadian conductor and soprano collaborates with her long-time partners, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, on this programme of works by American composers. With ‘the fair’ as a recurring theme across the repertoire, the image on the cover shows a carousel horse that is at a standstill. A pretty, painted object – but the floor is cracked and half the lights are burned out. Nostalgia and memory are mixed with underlying darkness and destruction.

From George Gershwin’s operatic masterpiece about love, addiction, racism, and hope, Robert Russell Bennett’s iconic arrangement Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture is featured. Inspired by watching the silent film Nosferatu at the cinema in Paris in 1925, Aaron Copland composed a ballet which eventually became the vibrant Dance Symphony. The Carousel Waltz (arr. Don Walker) is the overture to the dark-themed Broadway musical Carousel by Richard Rodgers. For the grand finale, Barbara Hannigan reunites with American composer and arranger Bill Elliott in their joint creation, At the Fair. The suite starts with Have I Stayed Too Long at the Fair? and concludes with Jule Styne’s famous hit Don’t Rain on my Parade, both sung by Hannigan. The middle section of the suite is instrumental and includes a multitude of well-known American songs and themes, battling one another for pride of place.