Thomas Wilkins, the Principal Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall for the holidays! Reuniting with the Los Angeles Philharmonic from December 18 to 21, he leads Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s glitzy reimagination of The Nutcracker along with Carlos Simon’s Four Black American Dances and Tchaikovsky’s First Symphony—nicknamed “Winter Daydreams.”
Ahead of the performances, Wilkins shared what he loves most about the pieces, why they work together, and how hearing them live can make us feel like better humans.
Just by its name alone, Tchaikovsky’s First Symphony evokes a vivid image. Which part of “Winter Daydreams” stands out to you the most? Do you have a favorite movement?
When I try to figure out what my favorite moment is in that First Symphony, it’s kind of tough. I’m really drawn to the second moment, “Land of Gloom, Land of Mist,” because it’s so serene and does exactly what mist does at the end—it just sort of disappears and it’s absolutely magical.
The Scherzo is funny and witty and charming. And the opening folk song in the fourth movement, which he probably heard growing up as a kid, is absolutely stunning in the end. This is Tchaikovsky’s First Symphony, and he’s already proving to us just what a powerful “ender” of music he is. It’s grand, it’s majestic, and it’s proud. It’s someplace you want to be.
I have not answered your question, so I think my favorite part is the whole thing!
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 13, TH.24 - "Winter Reveries": 2. Adagio cantabile ma non tanto
Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker has some of the most recognizable melodies in classical music. How does Duke Ellington’s spin on the suite enhance its timeless charm?
I think it’s hard to come up with a list of America’s great composers and not have Duke Ellington on it, first of all. [His rendition of] this piece falls somewhat at the end of his fame in 1960, yet we find him still being really creative.
The fact that we [can remember] The Nutcracker tunes means that we immediately know what this is when we hear it. We also know Duke Ellington’s voice, and to hear the combination of the familiar with the familiar, spoken in an almost completely different language is mind-blowing.
It’s probably safe to say that it is as enjoyable coming through Duke Ellington and Billy Strahorn’s voice as it is in the original version.
Duke Ellington – Nutcracker Suite – 1960 TV Promo [DES STEREO]
If Tchaikovsky could hear Ellington’s version of his ballet suite, what do you think he’d say?
You know, it’s funny because Tchaikovsky was highly self-critical. He wrote sketch after sketch after sketch, and I think if he heard Duke Ellington’s version, he probably would have gone, “Rats! Why didn’t I think of that?”
In reality, I think all composers love it when someone else takes their baby and does something with it. I think he would have been profoundly impressed by how his music still lives on in another voice, which is as powerful as his own original voice.
The program opens with Carlos Simon’s Four Black American Dances, a work that revisits history through movement. How does his music complement the Ellington and Tchaikovsky pieces?
Carlos Simon is a young guy, but he has an old soul. These dances come from his soil and his love of history. He voices the “Waltz” from the Four Dances in a way that makes you think he’s actually probably 30 years older because he’s going back to the [traditions of] Black cotillions. Those don’t predate me, but they predate him! There’s something really charming, sophisticated, and proud [about this music].
Within the combination of these dances, Tchaikovsky’s First Symphony, and Ellington’s Nutcracker, there is motion and movement—even though it’s a different kind of groove.
What Carlos does is invite all of us from the very beginning of the evening to think about the body and motion. For me, it’s the perfect way to start the night.
What kind of emotional journey do you hope the audience will experience or take away from this concert?
I love it when an audience leaves a building or concert feeling something better about themselves and believing in something more positive.”
I think the journey from the very spiritual, personal Carlos Simon dances through Duke Ellington’s revisiting of history and recasting of a traditional voice, invites people into a land of familiarity with a whole new smile on their faces. They know all these tunes and now they’re hearing them differently!
The fact that Tchaikovsky—a person who lived with so much self-doubt—gives us a promise and possibility at the end of his First Symphony is a gift to anyone who’s in the room. I think that this emotional journey makes all of us better humans when we leave the building.