Wynton Marsalis premiered his Symphony No. 5, titled "Liberty," on Saturday at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Virginia. Commissioned to mark the United States’ 250th anniversary, the hourlong work melds a traditional orchestra and a jazz ensemble, performed by the National Symphony Orchestra and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra under conductor James Gaffigan.
The symphony unfolds as a broad musical narrative, exploring the complexities of the American experience through a diverse palette of styles and moods. Central to the second-to-last movement, “America My Home,” is a bass-baritone vocal line delivered by Eric Greene, who repeats the phrase with varying emotional inflections—from warmth and tenderness to anguish and exasperation—reflecting the nation’s contradictions.
This movement also features a striking orchestral section dubbed “Cacophony of Confederates,” where chaotic wind and brass passages evoke a sense of turmoil before transitioning into a quieter, percussion-driven interlude. The percussionists incorporated unique instruments like a ratchet and desk bell intended to simulate a cash register, a sardonic reference to “Supercapitalism,” a recurring theme in Marsalis’s work. While this effect elicited laughter during rehearsals, technical challenges at the premiere muted the moment.
After the turmoil, the music settles into gospel and blues-inflected themes with titles such as “Glory, glory,” “With grace,” and “And peace remain,” conveying a message of survival and hopeful renewal. Marsalis describes this part of the symphony as requiring a “belief with no cynicism,” likening it to the faith found in a church congregation. He expressed optimism about America despite acknowledging the nation’s struggles, stating, “That’s what I am. With no evidence for it.”
The blending of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s ensemble with the larger National Symphony Orchestra posed challenges that Gaffigan embraced, having previously conducted several of Marsalis’s works. He praised "Liberty" as a powerful new contribution to American music and expressed hope for more compositions from Marsalis in the future.
Marsalis, who has served as artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center since 1987 and is concluding his tenure this season, emphasized that his work seeks solutions rather than complaints. “It doesn’t make sense to bring together two ensembles to complain,” he said, underscoring the importance of finding common meaning in the fusion of jazz and symphonic traditions.
Following its Washington premiere, “Liberty” is scheduled to be performed in Cincinnati later this year, with further presentations planned by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic in 2024. The symphony’s ambitious integration of styles and its nuanced exploration of American identity mark it as a significant addition to Marsalis’s extensive catalog.