Revolutionary Angels

At the convergence of two significant anniversaries in the 26-27 season, America’s 250th (2026) and the 200th of Beethoven’s death (2027), Revolutionary Angels is a concert cycle that celebrates the works of pioneering individuals who have successfully overcome adversity to model for our time Lincoln’s vision of becoming “Better Angels of Our Nature”. Anchoring this concert Initiative are the revolutionary late quartets of Beethoven that prove timely in an era needing strong cultural examples of art’s remarkable power to inspire hope and personal triumph over anxiety and hardship. Woven into this concert alongside the late Beethoven quartets are works by significant American composers that each highlight the contributions of important national luminaries. Specifically featured are two new works commissioned for the 250th American Anniversary by the Pacifica Quartet that present the ensemble in collaboration with narrator Sigourney Weaver (limited availability). These works composed by Jennifer Higdon and Gabriela Lena Frank highlight the words of significant American women and are told in the style of Copland’s Lincoln Portrait. Other pioneering American composers featured as part of this concert cycle include Ruth Crawford Seeger, Florence Price and Shulamit Ran.