Review: Des Moines Symphony highlights a local composer, a veteran journalist, a Jordan Peele collaborator and ‘West Side Story’ in America-centric season debut

The last weekend in September saw the Des Moines Symphony kick off their 89th season at the Des Moines Civic Center with a celebration of American composers: Unity – American Mosaic & West Side Story. The concert began, appropriately enough, with a rendition of our national anthem where Conductor Joseph Giunta welcomed the audience to sing along. As elections approach and political rhetoric heightens outside the comfort of the theater, hundreds of unified voices kicked off a program that celebrated the country on the local, regional and national levels.

The program opened with Heartland by Kevin Puts, a piece that was commissioned and debuted by Des Moines Symphony in 2022. The composer, perhaps best known for his operas, grew up in Missouri and Michigan, and his roots shine through in this musical ode to the middle of America. Puts’ music evoked the chipper energy of the Midwest as well as its expansive horizons. His use of counterpoint built a textured musical landscape that grew into a grand ending that set a picturesque tone for the rest of the afternoon.

The second featured composer was as local as it gets. Born and raised in Des Moines, Linda Robbins Coleman brought out the symphony’s levity and charm with her overture, In Good King Charles’s Golden Days, A Symphonic Overture. Originally commissioned by Drake Theatre for their production of Bernard Shaw’s play, Robbins Coleman later expanded the overture into a larger symphonic version that was premiered by Orchestra Iowa in 1995. The instruments engaged in witty banter, musically conversing with each other before launching into a lush waltz that literally had my toe tapping. Robbins Coleman was welcomed onto the stage after the overture to take a bow, and there was no denying the composer is just as exuberant as her comedic creation.

Patriotism reached its peak with the newest symphonic work, American Mosaic for Narrator & Orchestra. Featuring music by Peter Boyer and video imagery by Joe Sohm, this epic celebration of America’s past and present was co-commissioned by Des Moines Symphony and several other orchestras.

Veteran journalist Harry Smith, who teaches at Central College in Pella and recently returned to NBC News as a contributor, took to the stage as narrator, bringing the words of historical figures and modern citizens to life while the symphony provided a riveting musical backdrop. Sohm’s iconic images of America were projected on a large screen above the orchestra. The video matched the mood and pacing of the musical score perfectly, depicting the diversity of our nation’s lands and peoples according to each movement’s theme. Boyer’s sweeping melodies and lush orchestration were the definition of cinematic grandeur, and while the overall piece painted its narrative with a rather idyllic brush, the end result packed an emotional punch nonetheless.

The cinematic vibes persisted after intermission. Harlem Quartet joined the symphony for Michael Abels’ Urban Legends for String Quartet & Orchestra, bringing nuance and impeccable technique to a piece they helped premiere back in 2012. It is easy to hear why this piece prompted Jordan Peele to reach out to Abels, which led to the composer crafting musical tension in the director’s films Get Out, Us and Nope.

Urban Legends hit the ground running, not bothering to pause between the three movements. Abels’ music created a delicious sense of dread, urgent rhythms and crunchy harmonies keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. After much applause and some prompting from Giunta, Harlem Quartet gave an encore performance of Duke Ellington’s “Take the ‘A’ Train,” each member getting a chance to demonstrate their improvisational skills for the eager audience.

The symphony ended the program with a suite of dances from a beloved Broadway classic, Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. Bernstein worked with two orchestrators, Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal, to transform excerpts from the musical score into a concert piece, expanding and exploring themes the audience already knows so well.

Des Moines Symphony’s performance felt rather reserved at first. The livelier movements seemed too laid back, lacking the crisp rhythms needed in the Prologue and the “Cool” Fugue in particular. The orchestra, however, excelled in the lush, romantic movements, delivering a tender rendition of “Somewhere” and the heartbreaking finale. After receiving a standing ovation, Giunta launched the orchestra into a repeat performance of the Mambo movement, prompting the audience to participate when it came time to shout “Mambo!” This encore finally delivered the energy that had been missing from the first rendition, ending the night like a lively party.

With their season debut, Des Moines Symphony proved without a doubt that classical music isn’t defined by dead European composers. American musicians continue to push the art form to new heights. Many great orchestral works have been created in our 250 years as a nation, and with strategic commissions and diverse programming, Des Moines Symphony is doing its part to ensure American composers continue to shine for many years to come.