Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Assessing world premiere compositions: THE WEALTH OF NATIONS at NY Phil and SINS & GRACE at MasterVoices

• By drediman
• March 27, 2026
• No Comments

Assessing new compositions — particularly world premieres — is tricky business. Indeed, it usually takes at least two listens to fully grasp the scope and craft of newly-minted handiworks. Given this caveat, here are my maiden thoughts on a couple of recently unveiled commissions via the New York Philharmonic and MasterVoices.

NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC: DAVID LANG’S THE WEALTH OF NATIONS
David Geffen Hall

During his recent visit to the city, incoming music director Gustavo Dudamel conducted the New York Philharmonic in playing David Lang’s the wealth of nations (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), a newly commissioned oratorio inspired by Adam Smith’s seminal 1776 opus (of the same name), which expounds on the theoretical workings of capitalist societies. Also drawing from the writings of the likes of Franklin Roosevelt, Frederick Douglass, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Edith Wharton, the resulting assembled patchwork amounts to a thought-provoking treatise that implores listeners to reassess the meaning of wealth and value from a more philosophical and humanistic perspective, a particularly compelling exercise in this day and age. Having won a deserved Pulitzer Prize for his succinct but devastating Little Match Girl Passion (you can read my review of that piece here), Lang demonstrates that he is able to expand and translate his hypnotic and contemplative — yet accessible — musical language to a much larger scale, both in terms of conceptual musings and orchestral grandeur. Inspired by the structure and emotional resonance of Handel’s Messiah, the work, which has the musical cadence of the act of breathing, unspools in eighteen relatively short segments that investigate discrete aspects — some more prescriptively and pointedly positioned than others — of the economics of society and individual human lives. Throughout, Dudamel coaxed a sensitive, often mesmerizing performance from the New York forces, including the New York Philharmonic Chorus. Both in fantastic voice, soloists Davóne Tines (bass-baritone) and Fleur Barron (mezzo-soprano) sang with personality and intent.

MASTERVOICES: SINS AND GRACE
Alice Tully Hall

Within a few days of taking in David Lang’s the wealth of nations, I was also able to attend MasterVoices’ presentation of Sins and Grace (RECOMMENDED) next door at Alice Tully Hall. In short, the fascinating evening paired Gabriel Faure’s elegant and gentle Requiem in D Minor with SEVEN: A Cycle of Sins, an eclectic collection of songs commissioned by MasterVoices. By doing so, Ted Sperling — MasterVoices’ committed, longtime artistic director — intriguingly juxtaposed the grace and heavenly serenity of the Faure piece with the eclectic musical depictions of the seven deadly sins. The composers/lyricists tapped for the latter include diverse talents such as Will Aronson (Maybe Happy Ending), Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop), Jason Robert Brown (Parade), Heather Christian (Oratorio for Living Things), and Gregory Spears (Fellow Travelers). The program commenced with a distinguished performance of the Faure requiem. The playing by the great Orchestra of St. Luke’s beautifully conveyed the score’s beauty and tranquility, as did the MasterVoices Chorus. After a brief introduction from Sperling, the evening continued with SEVEN, arguably the more enticing portion of the evening. Although some songs were more compelling than others, I applaud the aesthetic variety on display. Highlights included Jason Robert Brown’s playfully meta-theatrical “Envy”, Will Aronson and Dolan Morgan’s colorful “Everything in the World” (Gluttony), and Gregory Spears’ emotionally potent “The Preacher” (Vanity). One of the great benefits of performing at Alice Tully Hall is the unique opportunity to utilize the venue’s organ, which was put to vigorous use throughout. Lastly, soloists Mikaela Bennett (soprano) and Justin Austin — both game and wonderfully capable of handling the program’s schizophrenic demands — sang with conviction and character.