Leading the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, conductor and soprano Barbara Hannigan present a program exploring the concept of The American Dream. “I grew up in awe of America, but now my feelings are mainly nostalgic. With this repertoire, I want to express my admiration for the incredible creativity and tenacity of composers who shaped a musical language that was truly their own.” Robert Russell Bennett’s Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture, an arrangement of George Gershwin’s operatic masterpiece about love, addiction, racism, and hope, is paired with Aaron Copland’s vibrant Dance Symphony and “The Carousel Waltz” from Carousel by Richard Rodgers. For the grand finale, Barbara Hannigan reunites with American composer and arranger Bill Elliott in their joint creation, a vocal and instrumental suite called At the Fair. The suite starts with Have I Stayed Too Long at the Fair? and concludes with the Jule Styne’s hit Don’t Rain on my Parade, both sung by Hannigan. The middle section of the suite is instrumental and includes a multitude of well-known American songs and themes including Seventy-Six Trombones, America the Beautiful, The Stars and Stripes Forever, and The Star-Spangled Banner.