New York Philharmonic Transforms ‘The Wealth of Nations’ Into an Oratorio Showcasing Free-Market Capitalism

The celebrated composer David Lang debuted last week at the New York Philharmonic an oratorio sprung from the theories of the Scottish economist Adam Smith, as laid out in his formative 1776 treatise, “The Wealth of Nations.” Two hundred and fifty years to the month after Smith’s seminal work was first published, “the wealth of nations,” performed at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, draws on Smith’s text, alongside a chorus of American voices to explore the relationship between self-interest and collective gain and, in Mr. Lang’s words, “how we demonstrate our connectedness through trade, through money.”