Sunday, October 25, 2026 | 4:00 pm

Philadelphia Ethical Society

1906 Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia

 

Relâche begins its 49th season with a groundbreaking, colossal work— but with the originality, impact and relevance that has been our calling card since 1977. 

 

Just two years before Relâche performed for the first time, American composer Frederic Rzewski, inspired by the political struggle of the Chilean people against the Pinochet regime, composed for solo piano a set of 36 variations on one of the new revolutionary songs which had become associated with the movement: ¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido! Rzewski’s use of the English translation— The People United Will Never Be Defeated!— expressed solidarity with those facing the struggle and reflected the volatile political landscape here at home as the Vietnam war drew to a close. 

 

Its dedicatee, Ursula Oppens, gave the epic, 65-minute work its World Premiere at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, and Rzewski’s piece soon became a virtuosic showpiece in frequent performances and numerous recordings. The harmonic language ranges from folk-like simplicity to complex serialism; the technique required for performance includes innovations in pedaling and the use of the piano case itself as a percussive instrument. Like a true neoclassicist, Rzewski paid tribute to the greatest set of variations ever written with a Goldbergian exact restatement of the original theme at the end, completing a full lap of a revolutionary journey with newly-opened eyes and ears. 

 

We at Relâche have long admired this work, and have sought out an entry point for this indispensable masterpiece. So, to celebrate the opening of our 2026 season, we’ve asked a few of our longtime friends to arrange many of the variations for us; We can’t wait to share the results with you. We think you’ll be astounded and enthralled. And we hope that you’ll be as inspired as we are by Rzewski’s music, its message and its undeniable impact.