Prokofiev & Barber with Leonard Slatkin

BATESDevil's RadioDANIEL SLATKINVoyager 130BARBERKnoxville: Summer of 1915, Op. 24PROKOFIEVSymphony No. 5 in B-flat major, Op. 100 Leonard Slatkin, conductorDiana Newman, soprano Legendary conductorLeonard Slatkinleads an exploration of how composers use sound to navigate scale: from the vastness of space to the weight of human experience. Daniel Slatkin’sVoyager 130offers an opening meditation on exploration and endurance, inspired by the Voyager spacecraft still traveling through deep space decades after its launch. Son of the elder Slatkin, his work reflects a modern fascination with distance, time, and humanity’s impulse to reach beyond itself. SopranoDiana Newmanperforms Samuel Barber’sKnoxville: Summer of 1915which turns inward, setting James Agee’s evocative text as a stream of recollection — a child’s voice recalling warmth, safety, and fleeting moments just before they vanish. It stands as one of the most quietly devastating portraits of memory in American music. The program culminates in Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, written in 1944 as World War II pressed on and later premiered amid the climactic final year of the conflict. An ode to the spirit of humanity, Prokofiev himself described the work as “a hymn to free and happy Man, to his mighty powers, his pure and noble spirit” — a statement that resonates both as aspiration and as reflection of its time. Prelude:Join us before the concert to dive deeper into the music, this weekend withAssistant Principal Viola Catherine Beesonat 6:30 PM (FRI & SAT) and 12:00 PM (SUN).Talkback:After the performance onSAT, FEB 27joinConductor Leonard SlatkinandSoprano Diana Newmanfor a peek behind the curtain.