Written by the acclaimed Andre Previn for Kathleen Battle with words by Nobel laureate and poet Toni Morrison, the song cycle “Honey and Rue” takes its inspiration from jazz, blues, and American spirituals. VSO Principal Guest Conductor Thomas Wilkins pairs this evocative piece with Danish composer Carl Nielsen’s “The Inextinguishable,” written during WWI, which features a “battle” between two timpani and radiates the elemental will to live.

Thomas Wilkins, conductor
Katherine Jolly, soprano

Hector Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture
Andre Previn: Honey and Rue
Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 “The Inextinguishable”