The Americans

Description

Concerts with American orchestras are like family gatherings with distant relatives: it’s always fascinating to see how different branches can grow from shared roots. On the one hand, American orchestras naturally draw on European models and traditions, and – especially on the East Coast – were founded by first-generation immigrants; they still like to engage German-speaking conductors to this day. On the other hand, American orchestras have developed their own stage set-ups, and the brass players, for example, play on instruments also used in jazz. On the West Coast, the proximity to Hollywood resulted in enormous stylistic openness.