Lang’s ‘Wealth of Nations’ Comes to NY Philharmonic With Dudamel

Economics and money are powerful forces. They move elections and shape our careers and our lives. But they’re not exactly the stuff of sonnets. As much as we might despair over prices at the pump or passionately argue over tax policy, you just don’t see them showing up at the opera.

David Lang, a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, thinks it’s economics’ moment. His the wealth of nations, which made its debut this week at the New York Philharmonic, is a musical meditation on the seminal book by Adam Smith, a Scottish philosopher often credited with helping create the field ...