An Englishman’s 4th

International concert pianist Simon Mulligan pays tribute to both sides of the pond in this unique Independence Day celebration featuring classics from both Europe and America. The program gets underway with concert paraphrases by Liszt and Simon himself of works by Verdi, Beethoven (the haunting second movement of his fifth piano concerto), Rachmaninoff (the infamous 18th Variation from his Paganini Rhapsody) and other orchestral favorites, imaginatively arranged by Simon for solo piano.

Part two begins with a recitation of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, set to Simon’s musical adaptation of Dvorak’s New World Symphony. The program continues with a focus on reimagining of works by the great American composers, culminating in Simon’s unique transcription of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. We will also hear music from the timeless HBO series, Band of Brothers, that Simon co-wrote (and performed on the soundtrack) with composer Michael Kamen.