The World Class Ensemble Performs Strauss & Tchaikovsky

Grammy Award-winning conductor Daniel Barenboim and renowned intellectual Edward Said formed the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in Spain 2005 with the aim of promoting peace and unity across cultures and nations. Made up of talented young musicians from across the Middle East, including Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Israel,Syria and Iran, the ensemble comes to Los Angeles' Walt Disney Hall for one special evening's performance of Strauss and Tchaikovsky.

The evening begins with a rousing rendition of Strauss' magnificent tone poem Don Quixote, inspired by Miguel de Cervantes' Spanish folk hero. Its triumphant cello solo shines a light on the orchestra's principal cellist Kian Soltani, demanding much of the instrument during complex technical and emotional flights that push both performer and instrument to its outer limits. Things come to a close with Tchaikovsky's Fifth, a truly epic symphony cherished for its bold evocations of fate and untamed fury of its soul-stirring finale.