Joshua Bell & Alexander Shelley

In The Elements, Grammy Award–winning violinist Joshua Bell pays tribute to the four classical elements—Earth, Fire, Water, and Air—and Space, considered a fifth element in many cultures. Bell commissioned five leading American composers to contribute to a collective work that celebrates nature in all its beauty and majesty, drawing inspiration from Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and Gustav Holst’s The Planets.

And two pairs of star-crossed lovers bring passion and romance to the Southam Hall stage. Richard Wagner’s Prelude and Liebestod (Love-Death) from his opera Tristan und Isolde evokes the tragic love affair between a Cornish knight and an Irish princess, while the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story showcase the fiery rhythms of Leonard Bernstein’s beloved Broadway score—a tale of young love, racial prejudice, and gang violence set on the streets of 1950s New York City.

This concert is made possible in part through the generous support of the Friends of the NAC Orchestra’s Kilpatrick Fund.