Great Performances

Emigre

An international cast joins the New York Philharmonic for the American premiere of Emigre, a semi-staged oratorio that tells an unusual story of Jewish refugees during World War II. Following the Kristallnacht pogrom of 1938, to escape the looming Nazi threat, two brothers are sent halfway around the world to Shanghai. Otto cherishes his heritage, while Josef seeks a new path, and falls in love with Lina, a Chinese woman recovering from the loss of her mother in the Nanjing Massacre. A sweeping tale of love and loss, Emigre is set to music by film and concert composer Aaron Zigman with lyrics by Grammy-winning librettist Mark Campbell and additional lyrics by Brock Walsh. Long Yu conducts this New York Philharmonic co-commission with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.