William Harvey to perform world premiere of “Seven Decisions of Gandhi” with the PSO

Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) presents the world premiere of composer William Harvey’s “Seven Decisions of Gandhi,” at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 11, and 4 p.m. Sunday, March 12.

Written for violin and orchestra, the work was dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi’s granddaughter, Ela, on the occasion of her 80th birthday. The composer is soloist, accompanied by Dibyarka Chatterjee on tabla.

The program also includes Alexander Borodin’s “Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor” and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 “Pathétique.” Guest conductor Sameer Patel takes to the podium for both concerts at Richardson Auditorium, on the campus of Princeton University.

An admirer of Gandhi, Harvey was intrigued by the fact that Gandhi was once a violinist like himself.

Harvey explains, “Had Gandhi decided to stick with the violin, world history might be very different. This gave me the idea that a violin concerto about his life could be based on decisions that made him the international nonviolence icon he is today.“

For tickets, visit princetonsymphony.org or call 609-497-0020.

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