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CSO 2015-16 Season Rich in Artistry, Innovation

Mary Ellyn Hutton
Posted: Jan 16, 2015 - 2:56:26 PM in reviews_2015

 

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Louis Langrée.
World premiere commissions, a trip to New York’s Lincoln Center, notable debuts, continuing initiatives and a wealth of great music mark the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s just-announced, 2015-16 season.

The CSO will feature not one or two, but seven world premiere commissions during its 2015-16 season, its third with Music Director Louis Langrée.

Three will be concertos for orchestra (works meant to showcase an entire orchestra) by composers Sebastian Currier, Thierry Escaich and Zhou Tian. In addition, there will be three short works based on the poetry of Dr. Maya Angelou by Jonathan Bailey Holland, Kristin Kuster and T.J. Cole and Gunther Schuller’s Symphonic Triptych.

Langrée and the orchestra have been invited to appear on Lincoln Center’s “Great Performers” series at Avery Fisher Hall in January, 2016. They will perform Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 and Piano Concerto No. 1 with pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk (the same highly successful program heard in November this season at Music Hall). Once again, the CSO will participate in Cincinnati’s MusicNOW new music festival, continuing a collaboration begun during the 2013-14 season (program to be announced).

“I am so very proud and excited to be taking the CSO to New York. Very few American orchestras are invited to this series, so it’s quite an honor to expand our role as Cincinnati’s ambassador in this way,” said Langrée.

Returning for the third year in a row is the CSO’s “One City, One Symphony” community engagement project, dedicated next season to the legacy of Dr. Angelou. Theme of the November 13-14 concert will be freedom, marking the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the United States. The program, to be led by Langrée, will include Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”) and Beethoven’s “Leonore” Overture No. 2, plus the works by Holland, Kuster and Cole, based on Dr. Angelou’s poetry.

There will be 20 subscription programs during the season. They include a Brahms Festival, with two weekends devoted to music by Brahms (the beginning of a two-year festival, to include small ensemble performances and all four Brahms symphonies). Langrée will conduct ten of the 20 subscription concerts, with works including Berlioz’ “Symphonie fantastique,” Schoenberg’s “Pelleas und Melisande,” Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet” Fantasy-Overture, Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”), Brahms’ Symphonies No. 1 and 2, Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 (“Organ”) and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”). He will open the season Sept. 25 and 26 with three B’s: Beethoven (Overture to “Fidelio”), Bartók (Piano Concerto No. 2 with Yefim Bronfman) and Berlioz (“Symphonie fantastique”).

“Going into my third season as Music Director has given me the tremendous opportunity to work with the Orchestra as we continue to develop our cohesive sound and artistic relationship,” said Langrée. “The repertoire, artists and programs for this season reflect the musical journey we are on with our audiences and with each other.”

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Jesús López-Cobos
The new season will mark the return of CSO Music Director Emeritus Jesús López-Cobos (Mahler, Symphony No. 9). López-Cobos, who served as CSO Music Director from 1986-2001, will make his first appearance with the orchestra since 2005.

Other artists engaged for 2015-16 include guest conductor Semyon Bychkov (Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 3, “Polish”) in his Music Hall debut. (Bychkov previously conducted the CSO at Riverbend.)

“Without him, I probably would not have been a conductor,” said Langrée, to whom Bychkov was a mentor. “I worked as an assistant with him for many years, and I learned so much from him about music and about life.”

Returning guest conductors include Giancarlo Guerrero (Rachmaninoff, “The Bells” with the May Festival Chorus), Juanjo Mena (Falla, “La vida breve,” also with the May Festival Chorus), Christof Perick (Richard Strauss, “Symphonia domestica”) and David Zinman (Bruckner, Symphony No. 3). Instrumentalists returning to the Music Hall stage include pianists Yefim Bronfman (Bartók, Piano Concerto No. 2), Leon Fleisher (Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 4, For the Left Hand Alone), Richard Goode (Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 27) and Kirill Gerstein (Schumann, Piano Concerto), violinists Hilary Hahn (Sibelius, Violin Concerto) and Augustin Hadelich (Berg, Violin Concerto, “To the Memory of an Angel”), cellist Alisa Weilerstein (Shostakovich, Cello Concerto No. 2), appearing with her husband, conductor Rafael Payere (Prokofiev, Symphony No. 5) and percussionist Colin Currie (Julia Wolfe, “rISE & fLY” in its CSO premiere).

CSO concertmaster Timothy Lees will solo with the orchestra in the Violin Concerto by Samuel Barber in February, 2016. “It’s important to highlight musicians of the CSO as soloists, not only because they’re so good, but it’s an opportunity for audiences to know them deeper,” said Langrée. “It’s also important for a music director to get to know the players as soloists, and work with their talents beyond that as a section leader.”

Making their CSO debuts next season will be guest conductors Simone Young (Brahms, “Schicksalslied” and “Nänie” with the May Festival Chorus), Liszt, “Dante” Symphony) , Cristian Măcelaru (Schuller, Symphonic Triptych, Elgar, “Enigma Variations”) and Carlo Montanaro (Mendelssohn, Overture to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Italian” Symphony, Tchaikovsky, “Capriccio Italien”), pianists Bertrand Chamayou (Liszt, “Totentanz”) and Conrad Tao (Rachmaninoff, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini), violinists Renaud Capuçon (Bruch, Violin Concerto No. 1) and Sergej Krylov (Tchaikovsky, Violin Concerto), guitarist Pablo Villegas (“Fantasía para un gentilhombre” by Joaquín Rodrigo) and organist/composer Escaich (Saint-Saëns, Symphony No. 3, “Organ”).

Subscription packages, available in four series of five concerts each and in packages of six or 10 flexible vouchers (redeemable for best available seats), begin at $60. You may also create your own series of 5, 10, 15 or 20 concerts. Thursday evening concerts include free buffet dinner before the concert in the Music Hall ballroom.

Subscribers who purchase ten or more concerts receive a free bonus concert from the subscription season. Single tickets (beginning at $12 for most concerts) will be available July 31. Renewal deadline for the new season is March 31. Information at www.cincinnatisymphony.org

All concerts take place at Music Hall.

The 2015-2016 Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra season.

Sept. 25 – 11 a.m. Sept. 26 – 8 p.m Louis Langrée, conductor. Yefim Bronfman, piano. Beethoven, Overture to “Fidelio.” Bartók, Piano Concerto No. 2. Berlioz, “Symphonie fantastique.” Masterworks A

Oct. 2 and 3 – 8 p.m. Louis Langrée, conductor. Hilary Hahn, violin. Sibelius, Violin Concerto. Schoenberg, “Pelleas und Melisande.” Boundless

Oct. 16 and 17 – 8 p.m. Semyon Bychkov, conductor. Bertrand Chamayou, piano. Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 3, “Polish.” Liszt, “Totentanz.” Tchaikovsky, “Francesca da Rimini.” Ascent

Oct. 30 and 31 – 8 p.m. Simone Young, conductor. May Festival Chorus, Robert Porco, director. Brahms, “Schicksalslied” (“Song of Destiny”). Brahms, “Nänie” (“Funeral Song”). Liszt, “Dante” Symphony. Boundless

Nov. 13 – 11 a.m. Nov. 14 – 8 p.m. Louis Langrée, conductor. Narrator to be announced. Beethoven, “Leonore” Overture No. 2. Jonathan Bailey Holland, Kristen Kuster, T.J. Cole, short works based on the poetry of Dr. Maya Angelou (world premieres). Dvořák, Symphony No. 9, “From the New World.” Masterworks A

Nov. 19 – 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21 – 8 p.m. Louis Langrée, conductor. Renaud Capuçon, violin. Sebastian Currier, Concerto for Orchestra (world premiere). Bruch, Violin Concerto No. 1. Tchaikovsky, “Romeo and Juliet” Fantasy-Overture. Masterworks B

Dec. 4 and 5 – 8 p.m. Rafael Payare, conductor. Alisa Weilerstein, cello. Shostakovich, Cello Concerto No. 2. Prokofiev, Symphony No. 5. Ascent

Jan. 14 – 7:30 p.m. Jan. 16 – 8 p.m. Louis Langrée, conductor. Kirill Gerstein, piano. Schumann, Piano Concerto. Brahms, Symphony No. 1. Masterworks B

Jan. 22 and 23 – 8 p.m. Cristian Măcelaru, conductor. Collin Currie, percussion. Gunther Schuller, Symphonic Triptych (world premiere). Julie Wolfe, “rISE & fLY.” Elgar, “Enigma” Variations. Boundless

Feb. 5 – 11 a.m. Feb. 6 – 8 p.m. Christof Perick, conductor. Leon Fleisher, piano. Nicolai, Overture to “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 4 (For the Left Hand Alone). Richard Strauss, “Symphonia domestica.” Masterworks A

Feb. 19 and 20 – 8 p.m. Louis Langrée, conductor. Timothy Lees, violin. Ives, “The Unanswered Question.” Barber, Violin Concerto. Copland, “Appalachian Spring.” Bernstein “On the Waterfront” Symphonic Suite. Ascent

Feb. 25 – 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27 – 8 p.m. Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor. Conrad Tao, piano. May Festival Chorus, Robert Porco, director. All-Rachmaninoff, “Cinq Études-tableaux,” Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, “The Bells.” Masterworks B

March 11 – 11 a.m. March 12 – 8 p.m. Louis Langrée, conductor. Augustin Hadelich, violin. Johann Strauss, Jr., “On the Beautiful Blue Danube” Waltz. Berg, Violin Concerto, “To the Memory of an Angel.” Brahms, Symphony No. 2. Masterworks A

March 18 and 19 – 8 p.m. Louis Langrée, conductor. Collaboration with 2016 MusicNOW Festival. Program tba. Boundless

March 31 – 7:30 p.m. April 2 – 8 p.m. Jesús López-Cobos, conductor. Mahler, Symphony No. 9. Masterworks B

April 8 and 9 – 8 p.m. Juanjo Mena, conductor. Pablo Villegas, guitar. May Festival Chorus, Robert Porco, director. Rodrigo, “Fantasía para un Gentilhombre.” Falla, “La Vida Breve.” Ascent

April 15 – 11 a.m. April 16 – 8 p.m. David Zinman, conductor. Richard Goode, piano. Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 27. Bruckner, Symphony No. 3, “Wagner.” Masterworks A

April 28 – 7:30 p.m. April 30 – 8 p.m. Carlo Montanaro, conductor. Sergej Krylov, violin. Tchaikovsky, “Capriccio Italien.” Tchaikovsky, Violin Concerto. Mendelssohn, Overture to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 4, “Italian.” Masterworks B

May 6 and 7 – 8 p.m. Louis Langrée, conductor. Thierry Escaich, organ. Thierry Escaich, Concerto for Orchestra (world premiere). Saint-Saëns, Symphony No. 3, “Organ.” Ascent

May 13 and 14 – 8 p.m. Louis Langrée, conductor. Zhou Tian, Concerto for Orchestra (world premiere). Beethoven, Symphony No. 3, “Eroica.” Boundless