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Joshua Bell's The Elements anthologizes five great American composers

Joshua Bell
© Todd Rosenberg Photography
Joshua Bell and Juraj Valčuha
© Todd Rosenberg Photography
Juraj Valčuha
© Todd Rosenberg Photography
By Graham Meyer, 17 June 2024
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“The Elements isn't exactly a great piece; it's great pieces.”
Reviewed at Chicago Symphony Center, Chicago on 13 June 2024
Programme
Weber, Oberon: Overture
Heggie, Higdon, Montgomery, Meyer, Puts, The Elements
Shostakovich, Symphony no. 1 in F minor, Op.10
Performers
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Juraj Valčuha, Conductor
Joshua Bell, Violin
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Matthew Aucoin’s Song of the Reappeared premieres in Chicago
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Polished Ravel x 2 from Alice Sara Ott with the Chicago Symphony
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Read reviews of
Carl Maria von WeberChicago Symphony OrchestraDmitri ShostakovichJoshua BellJuraj ValčuhaOberon: OvertureSymphony no. 1 in F minor, Op.10
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Graham Meyer
Graham Meyer

Graham is a Chicago-based arts and culture journalist, covering all forms of live performance, and specializing in classical music. His work has appeared extensively in Chicago magazine and Crain’s Chicago Business, as well as in The Chicago Tribune and at Chicago Classical Review. He has also covered dining and restaurants, winning a City and Regional Magazine Award for the restaurant newsletter Dish. Semi-professionally, he sings baritone in the choir Vox Venti, plays amateur piano, and composes music, especially choral. Apart from music, he constructs crossword puzzles and plays competitive bridge with his teenage daughter.