Music Director Kristian Alexander and the Kindred Spirits Orchestra will present a program they’re calling Virtuosity and Revolution on March 21, 2026. Italian pianist Antonio Di Cristofano will join the orchestra to perform Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major.
The program features 20th century music by three composers with music that helped to define the era.
The Music
The program features:
- Manuel de Falla: El Sombrero de tres picos (The Three-Cornered Hat), Suite No. 2
- Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major
- Shostakovich: Symphony No. 12
Here’s a closer look at the three works.
Manuel de Falla: El Sombrero de tres picos (The Three-Cornered Hat), Suite No. 2
Spanish composer Manuel de Falla (1876 to 1946) was a key figure in defining Spain’s musical landscape of the early 20th century. He studied both piano and composition in Madrid with Felipe Pedress, a composer with a strong nationalist philosophy. He influenced de Falla to draw from the folkloric traditions of Spain, a component that would become a major characteristic of his work.
De Falla’s El sombrero de tres picos, or The Three-Cornered Hat, was originally written as a full-length ballet for Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes in 1919. The production included choreography by Léonide Massine and set designs by Pablo Picasso. De Falla’s theatrical music incorporates the rhythms of traditional Andalusian dance — the Seguidillas, Farruca, and Jota — and enhances the storytelling of the ballet, a comedy about love and jealousy set in a Spanish village. In his orchestration, de Falla was also influenced by French composers of the era.
The composer later created two orchestral suites from the full ballet score, and Suite No. 2 is the one most often performed. The Suite includes the colour and vibrancy of the ballet, emphasizing its Spanish rhythms.
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major
Joseph Maurice Ravel (1875 to 1937) is a giant of 20th century French classical music, not only for his own compositions, but his mastery of orchestration and harmony. His music spanned both tradition and innovation.
His Piano Concerto in G Major was written between 1929 and 1931, and premiered in 1932 with pianist Marguerite Long, and Ravel himself at the podium. It’s one of his last completed works, and weaves together the major threads of his lifelong oeuvre — classical tradition, syncopation and other jazz influences, and his quintessentially French sensibility.
It’s an upbeat work that presents many contrasts in style between its three movements, the Allegramente, Adagio assai, and Presto. Each of the movements has its own statement to make, from lyricism to virtuosity.
The Allegramente begins in a playful mode, incorporating elements of American jazz that he’d come to know during his tour of the US in 1928. The Adagio assai includes long, flowing lines of melody, and has been noted for its beauty and restraint. That sets up the flourish of the final Presto movement, characterized by rhythmic intensity and Ravel’s orchestral innovation.
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 12
The music of Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 to 1975) reflects the tumultuous ups and downs of Soviet Russia during his era, and his relationship to it. He was a prolific composer, and wrote more than 15 symphonies, along with chamber music, operas, and music for film.
During his lifetime, the Soviet regime publicly celebrated his work, but behind the headlines, he often found himself subject to intense political scrutiny, particularly under Stalin. This frequent upheaval is reflected in his music, characterized by grand scale emotions, and marked by strong stylistic contrasts.
His Symphony No. 12 in D minor, Op. 112, is subtitled “The Year 1917”. Composed in 1961, during the period called the Khrushchev Thaw immediately following Stalin’s death, it was written to commemorate the Bolshevik Revolution, and as a homage to Vladimir Lenin. Shostakovich had a work honouring Lenin in mind for years, but didn’t write it until 1961, when he was under pressure to produce patriotic and nationalistic work.
His complicated relationship with the Soviet government plays out in the music. While it was publicly touted as a dedication to Lenin and the revolutionary regime, and is marked overall by an assertive and dramatic mood, it also incorporates ambiguities throughout its four movements that cast doubt on that narrative. As a dissident voice, subtlety was his weapon.
Soloist: Antonio Di Cristofano
Antonio Di Cristofano studied at the Conservatory “L.Cherubini” in Florence. He performs across the globe as both a soloist and as a chamber musician in various ensembles.
As a soloist, he has performed widely throughout Italy, including with the Orchestra of the University of Milan, Strings Orchestra “Cantelli” of Milan, Chamber Orchestra of Florence, Symphony Orchestra of Lecce, Magna Grecia Orchestra, Sicily Symphony Orchestra, Solisti Aquilani, and Milano Classica Orchestra.
Internationally, he has appeared with Radio Orchestra of Bucarest, Orquesta Sinfonica de l’Estado de Mexico, University Orchestra of Houston, Radiotelevision Albania Orchestra, Istanbul Chamber Orchestra, Praga Radio Symphony Orchestra, North Czech Philarmonic, Lamont Symphony Orchestra Denver, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Izmir Symphony Orchestra, Wiener Mozart Orchestra, Sinfonia Toronto, Philharmonique de Montreal, Jerusalem Symphony, Slovak Filharmonie, Kaerntner Sinfonieorchester, Orchestra Sinfonica Abruzzese, Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, and FVG Mittleuropa Orchestra, among others.
Antonio has played at many festivals and venues internationally as well, including the Verdi Theatre in Florence, the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Mexico’s Belles Artes Palacio and Revueltas Auditorium, the Leeum Auditorium in Seoul, South Korea, the Shanghai International Piano Festival in China, Carnegie Hall in New York City, the Konzerthaus and Golden Hall MusikVerein in Wien, and many others.
As a recording artist, he has recorded the music of Brahms, Berg, Scriabin, and Schubert on the Movimento Classical and other labels.
The Concert
The concert takes place on March 21, 2026 at the Gorge Weston Recital Hall. Along with the performance, the evening includes:
- 7:10 p.m. Prélude: pre-concert recital
- 7:20 p.m. Pre-concert talk
- Intermission discussion & Q&A with Antonio Di Cristofano and host Daniel Vnukowski
Find tickets and other concert details [HERE].
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