The Brilliance of Rachel Barton Pine
Rachel Barton Pine, violin*
January 17th, 2026 - 7:30pm at the Newport Performing Arts Center - Pre-concert chat with Maestro Adam Flatt at 6:45pm
January 18th, 2026 - 2:00pm at the Newport Performing Arts Center
Manuel de Falla, Spanish Dance No. 1 from La vida breve
Igor Stravinsky, Suite from Pulcinella
John Adams, The Chairman Dances from Nixon in China
Alexander Glazunov, Violin Concerto*
This unparalleled concert event starts with Spanish Dance No. 1 by de Falla from his opera, La vida breve or "Life is Short". The opera tells the story of Salud, a gypsy girl who is passionately in love with a wealthy man named Paco. He is engaged to be married to someone else and has kept this secret from her. Once the truth is known, Salud and her uncle crash the wedding party and confront the man and his new bride. Paco rejects Salud and in grand opera fashion, she dies of broken heart and collapses at his feet. We promise, the Spanish Dance No. 1 his a happy rollicking event that will absolutely please your ears.
Moving from the opera to the ballet we next feature Stravinsky's suite from Pulcinella. Stravinsky had a good brain for musical trends and where the money could be made. Like today, the best dollars in music are earned by retaining writing and publishing rights. Stravinsky would often take the music he was commissioned to write for the ballet and re-edit them into suites. Firebird, The Rite of Spring, Petrushka, and Pulcinella all have stunning orchestral suites that are standards in the orchestral repertoire. This little suite beautifully retains the playfulness of Pulcinella and his friends as they fall in and out of love. It's a wonderful piece of music you are guaranteed to enjoy.
From the ballet, we return again to the opera and this time, it's from the 1987 hit, Nixon in China by American composer, John Adams. As is implicit in the title, this piece was inspired by Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China. While not an obvious choice for an operatic subject, this works extraordinarily well. This piece is a foxtrot from Act III. Madame Mao gate-crashes the presidential banquet performs a seductive dance. Chairman Mao comes down from his portrait and the pair dance a foxtrot back in time. Listen closely and you can hear a gramophone winding down and the piece comes to an end.
The program this evening closes with Alexander Glazunov's Violin Concerto performed by the truly brilliant Rachel Barton Pine. The New York Times describe her as "striking and charismatic", and the Washington Post says she "displays a power and confidence that puts her in the top echelon." The acclaimed American concert violinist thrills international audiences with her dazzling technique, lustrous tone, and emotional honesty. She has performed with the world's top orchestras including Philadelphia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, Camerata Salzburg, the Chicago Symphony, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony and many more. The Glazunov concerto highlights the composer's technically brilliant style and will showcase our guest violinist wonderfully. While the piece has 3 or 4 movements, depending upon which musicologist you talk to, there are no pauses or numbers sections that are typical in concerti. Even so, you'll be absolutely stunned by the beauty and passion of the piece. Pay close attention when the soloist reaches their first cadenza. Here there are extensive use of double stopping (bowing multiple strings at the same time) and is wonderfully entertaining.
This concert is not to be missed!
