The program opened with John Adams' The Chairman Dances (Foxtrot for Orchestra). Adams is the composer of the opera Nixon in China, and the piece we heard is an "out-take" from Act III of the opera. It is a superior piece of minimalist composition that blows away many of the previous conceptions one has of this musical genre — at least for this writer. Beautifully performed by the TSO, it has aroused a greater interest in Adams' work. One wants to hear more of it.

Symphonic Dances from West Side Story came next on the program. Leonard Bernstein gave us the Symphonic Dances following the great success of the film version of his magnum opus. He created a gripping piece of music that captures the full flavor of West Side Story, first performed as a Broadway musical. To me this musical creation has always been one of the three American works that really belong onto the stages of opera houses rather than the boards of musical theatres. The other two are Oklahoma and Porky and Bess. Why, I wonder, do we get fed the flimsy The Merry Widow and Die Fledermaus in constant repetition by opera companies, but never these three great American works? Is it because we are so Eurocentric that we are unable to recognize the greatness of American musical achievement?

Having gone off track a bit, let me get back to Symphonic Dances, which has a length of about 22 minutes. Falletta coaxed a marvelously relaxed, yet taut performance from the TSO that showed off the work at its very best.

Samuel Barber is one of the greatest American composers of the 20^th century. His Adagio for Strings, though only eight minutes long, is a powerful piece that is one of the more familiar works by the composers. It is often played at state funerals and has also been part of several film sound tracks. Its contemplative and poignant nature was delicately wrought by the TSO players, who responded unhesitatingly to the direction of Maestro Falletta.

Two more pieces followed, both of them high on the list of musical favorites from south of the border. George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue is one of those works that completely embodies "America" in a way as few other "classical" compositions do. Its synthesis of classical and jazz idioms make it unique, yet also universal. Windsor-born pianist Darrett Zusko, just 22, gave an outstanding performance of this seemingly easy, yet highly complicated composition. The TSO members seemed to revel in the Rhapsody's performance, judging not only by the consummate performance of the work, but also by the smiles that often crept across the faces some of the musicians.

The concert concluded with Aaron Copland's Four Dances from Rodeo. Rodeo, of course, is a grand piece that Copland composed for dancer/choreographer Agnes de Mille on a commission by the Les Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo. The full work is an icon of modern ballet, but as a concert piece the Four Dances tells us clearly why Copland is called the father of 20^th century American music. Weaving in America folk music into his composition, he created a masterpiece of Americana that lets you feel the wide-open spaces of the West as well as the quaintness of its small towns. The TSO and Falletta worked exceedingly well together to bring out the essentially American nature of this piece.