The Miraculous Mandarin

Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin tells of a girl forced to lure a wealthy mandarin to his tragic fate. Its theme of the tragic, dark passions between men and women is equally as gripping and powerful – and controversial – as when it first premiered. It’s paired with a striking arrangement for string orchestra of Bartók’s String Quartet No. 3, by Orchestra violist Stanley Konopka. Krenek’s eclectic Kleine Symphonie and the opening movement of Mahler’s uncompleted final symphony provide a bridge from late Romanticism to the no-holds-barred sounds of interwar Europe.