Review: GERSHWIN, BERNSTEIN & AMERICAN MOSAIC with the NSO, Gianandrea Noseda Conductor and Renée Fleming at Wolf Trap

One of the best way to celebrate America’s 250th birthday took place this past Saturday evening at Wolf Trap. The concert entitled Gershwin, Bernstein & American Mosaic featured great music from some of our most legendary composers as well as a new piece written by a modern day musical genius. All of this audible brilliance was executed superbly by YOUR National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) under the direction of Maestro Gianandrea Noseda.

The evening started with a piece that was both a feast for the ears and the eyes. Peter Boyer’s “American Mosaic” boasts hints of the styles of two American music giants John Williams and Aaron Copland and there is nothing wrong with that at all. The piece also featured video imagery by Joe Sohm and featured stunning images from all across our great land. The script delivered by Broadway and TV veteran Barry Bostwick featured quotes and historical passages inspired by such great American History figures as Benjamin Franklin. Musically Boyer has composed a work that is on par with any piece of American themed music you care to name. It’s just that good. The stirring trumpets and big orchestral passages roused the sold-out audience and put all of us in the spirit for being proud of this country and all it has to offer. Boyer provided his own orchestration, and it is definitely something to admire.

One of the most American art forms is that of musical theatre. Leonard Bernstein’s “Symphonic Dances from West Side Story” featured pretty much all of the big dance music that’s heard within the musical. Pieces such as “Somewhere” and sections of “Dance at The Gym” and more were represented. I have always said that the NSO can play any style of music and does so very well. This piece was a prime example.

When the esteemed Soprano Renée Fleming took to the stage, what was already a fantastic concert was now elevated to stratospheric levels of greatness. She only sang five songs but she left everyone in the audience dumbstruck with her spectacular voice.

Ms. Fleming started things off with the title song from The Sound of Music as arranged by Lee Blaske and orchestrated by the legendary Irwin Kostal. You could literally picture her up in the Alps spinning around and singing.

She then followed that up with a lovely Rob Mathes arrangement of Cole Porter’s “So in Love” from Kiss Me, Kate. From the known to the lesser known of the Porter canon, next up was “Down in the Depths on the 90th Floor” from Red, Hot and Blue. The song has a very sultry feel to it which was brought out in full by Ms. Fleming’s vocal and soloists Eric Schnobrick on piano and Charlie Nilles on upright bass. The song was arranged by Lee Blaske.

The Visit was one of John Kander and Fred Ebb’s latter collaborations. The pairing of “Love and Love Alone” and “Winter illustrated how underrated the score really is. Fleming’s vocal rivaled that of the show’s original star Chita Rivera and Joseph Thalken’s arrangement and orchestration as played by the NSO sounded stellar to be sure.

Ms. Fleming ended her section with a beautiful rendition of Harold Arlen’s “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz as arranged by Rob Mathes.

Her vocal versatility and pure class throughout reminded us why Ms. Fleming is one of the most sought after singers in the world.

The program ended with the mighty NSO playing George Gershwin’s “An American in Paris.”

The NSO has just announced their 2026/2027 season. It will take place at six different venues around the DMV. No matter if you attend one of their remaining performances at Wolf Trap this summer or at one of the venues they will be playing at this season, please continue to support this amazingly incredible musical organization.

Maestro Noseda and company gave us a concert for the ages, and I have no doubt there is plenty more where that came from.

Running Time: Two Hours and fifteen minutes including one intermission.

Gershwin, Bernstein & American Mosaic was a one- night only engagement at the Filene Center at Wolf Trap on August 15th, 2026.

Lead photo credit: Seated- Barry Bostwick with Maestro Gianandrea Noseda and the National Symphony Orchestra.

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