SOLD OUT: West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

Though the Middle East is in flames, Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra have not lost sight of their vision. “We have no choice but to dream of peace and make this dream come true,” says Barenboim. The orchestra’s members, who come in equal numbers from the Jewish and Arab worlds, give him encouragement: “They listen to each other. They make music together. And I see that it is possible to take a path different from the one of war and destruction.” Ludwig van Beethoven’s great Third Symphony, the Sinfonia eroica, is the perfect work for difficult times. With its moving Funeral March, it commemorates victims who lost their lives in battle; yet concluding the symphony is a finale that allows “the rays of divinity” to shine, sending a message that the world is not lost. The concert will feature a fellow ambassador of peace with the Chinese star pianist Lang Lang, who has chosen Felix Mendelssohn’s spirited First Piano Concerto for his appearance: a work of youthful vigor and lavish brilliance, coupled with emotion and poetry. If there is such a thing as “happy music,” this is where you’ll hear it!