South Florida Classical Review
By Lawrence Budmen

“The main event was a repeat performance of Four Preludes on Playthings of the Wind, Tilson Thomas’ setting of a poem from the 1920′s collection Smoke and Steel by Carl Sandburg. When premiered on the same stage in 2016, the work made a strong impression. With a less elaborate staging on this occasion, the score emerged even more riveting and skillfully crafted. Sandburg’s poem was deeply prescient with its vision and warnings of urban decay. The poet painted a picture of a once-great city now inhabited by crows, rats and lizards.

Tilson Thomas has worked on the score intermittently since the 1960′s. Scored for amplified soprano and two backup singers, chamber orchestra and bar band, the score serves as a microcosm of Tilson Thomas’ musical passions and influences.”