Florence, 9 September 2026 – Just a few days before her debut on the stage of the Teatro del Maggio, Drusilla Foer returns to the Mehta hall on Sunday, 13 September at 6:00 pm for the second symphonic concert of 2026 following the summer break.

Leading the Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino will be conductor Timothy Brock, who returns to the Maggio after conducting the Disney productions Fantasia and Fantasia 2000, staged in January 2025.

“An artist’s life is above all shaped by encounters: I know Kurt Weill’s creativity, I have seen some of his works and listened to his music, but I never imagined that I would encounter him in such an intimate way. I discovered his life, his choices and his encounters. First and foremost, his encounter with Bertolt Brecht: an artistic fire that, like all fires, lasted only a few years, but whose warmth gave life to so much that still endures in contemporary theatre and music,” says Drusilla Foer, commenting on the programme chosen for this performance.

“This is the duality that fascinates me about this composer,” she continues. “His musical immediacy placed at the service of drama and melody, with the same nobility of writing. In choosing the repertoire for this concert, we wanted to convey to the audience Kurt Weill’s journey towards self-liberation, which he chose to embrace. Kurt Weill and Gershwin together: the former, a European who moved to America; the latter, an American who travelled to Europe. I like bringing together artists who, when confronted with languages far removed from their own, give rise to a new musical aesthetic. This is what creates culture and beauty: encountering what is distant.”

The programme places the compositions of Kurt Weill at its heart. A German-American composer, Weill was one of the most prolific and highly regarded composers of the first half of the 20th century.

The performance opens with Weill’s suite Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny, presented in Wilhelm Brückner-Rüggeberg’s orchestration. Born from the collaboration between the composer and the celebrated playwright Bertolt Brecht, the work tells the story of a city where everything is permitted as long as one has money. It offers a denunciation of the degeneration of contemporary society and, seen through today’s eyes, a striking portrait of the consumer society that would emerge towards the end of the 20th century. The musical numbers are presented as separate units, corresponding to a series of autonomous scenes, often interspersed with spoken passages.

The programme continues with a sparkling interlude: An American in Paris, one of George Gershwin’s best-known and most beloved compositions. It was written following a trip to Europe undertaken by the New York-born composer to meet and study with composers he admired, including Maurice Ravel. Gershwin was convinced that only through direct contact with the life, colours and atmosphere of Paris could he effectively “reproduce” them in his music.

The concert concludes with a rich selection of Kurt Weill’s songs: “Westwind” from One Touch of Venus; “Alabama Song” from Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny; “Foolish Heart” and “Speak Low”, both from One Touch of Venus, followed by “Youkali: Tango Habanera”.

The concert continues with “September Song”, from Knickerbocker Holiday, followed by “Barbara Song”, from Die Dreigroschenoper; “Very, Very, Very”, also from One Touch of Venus; and “Surabaya-Johnny”, from Happy End. The programme concludes with “I’m a Stranger Here Myself”, also from One Touch of Venus, performed in Luca Giovanni Logi’s orchestration.