Turn of the Century: Elgar, Beach & Sibelius

About this event

An afternoon centered on three remarkable works composed in 1899, a pivotal year at the threshold of a new century. The program opens with Elgar’s Enigma Variations, a series of fourteen character sketches, each revealing a friend or colleague, tied together by a still-unsolved “hidden theme.” Anya Alexeyev then brings to life Amy Beach’s Piano Concerto, a work of lyricism and virtuosity that showcases the bold voice of one of America’s first internationally recognized female composers. The concert concludes with Sibelius’s Finlandia, a stirring tone poem whose melodies and dramatic climaxes evoke both the Finnish landscape and the fervor of a people yearning for freedom.