Pacific Symphony 2011-12 Classical Series Calendar
Tuesday, February 8, 2011 at 10:01AM 2011-2012 Gala Opening Night
SARAH CHANG PLAYS MENDELSSOHN
Thursday through Saturday, September 22-24, 8 p.m.
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Sarah Chang, violin
Mendelssohn’s timeless Violin Concerto—fresh, vibrant and soul stirring—is performed by the incomparable Sarah Chang. Berlioz’s overture pairs perfectly with Respighi’s shimmering, alluring music, which is often cited by Hollywood composers as inspiration. Fittingly, then, Howard’s “I Would Plant a Tree” returns for an encore.
Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
James Newton Howard: I Would Plant a Tree
Respighi: Pines of Rome
2011: A SPACE ODYSSEY with NASA footage
Thursday through Saturday, October 20-22, 8 p.m.
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Jeremy Denk, piano
Barry Perkins, trumpet
Jose Francisco Salgado, videographer
Thanks to “2001: A Space Odyssey,” the first five notes of Strauss’ tone poem are seared into the cultural fabric. But Director Stanley Kubrick also chose classical music to convey the magnificence of space, including another Strauss’ beautiful “Blue Danube” waltz. Opening the concert: Hovhaness’ Prayer of St. Gregory and Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21.
Hovhaness: Prayer of St. Gregory
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21
Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra
Strauss, Jr.: On the Beautiful Blue Danube (with visual images)
MAHLER’S MAGNIFICENT FAREWELL
Thursday through Saturday, November 17-19, 8 p.m.
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Joseph Horowitz, artistic advisor
Mahler’s Symphony No. 9, considered one of his greatest works, is a sweeping musical exposition of the composer’s innermost conflicts ― a profound, lifelong fear of death and a deep yearning for the joys of life. Mahler didn’t live to hear it performed, but left it for us to experience his sadness, torment and finally, his dignified affirmation of life.
Mahler: Symphony No. 9
Two seasons ago, we introduced unique formatting, multi-media and other enhancements to allow you deeper insight, better understanding and—we hope—richer enjoyment of your concerts.
VIVALDI’S FOUR SEASONS
Thursday through Saturday, December 8-10, 8 p.m.
Henning Kraggerud, conductor and violin
One of the most beloved works of the Baroque repertoire, Vivaldi’s lyrical masterpiece paints tantalizing pictures of Earth’s changing seasons. Also on the program, Grieg’s Holberg Suite, a collection of delightfully fresh Baroque-style dances originally composed for piano and only later adapted for string orchestra.
Program includes:
Corelli: Concerto Grosso in G Minor, Op. 6, No. 8 “Christmas Concerto”
Grieg: Holberg Suite
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
TCHAIKOVSKY’S FIFTH
Thursday through Saturday, January 12-14, 2012, 8 p.m.
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Dejan Lazić, piano
After the second performance of his Symphony No. 5, Tchaikovsky claimed the work a failure. When Chopin first played his Piano Concerto No. 2, he was proclaimed a national hero. Despite these varied premieres, both compositions have now attained immortality. Composer Osvaldo Golijov’s piece premiered here was inspired by a book by Galileo.
Golijov: Sidereus (West Coast premiere)
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
BENEDETTI PLAYS BRUCH
Thursday through Saturday, February 2-4, 2012, 8 p.m.
Christoph König, conductor
Nicola Benedetti, violin
One of the most enduring violin concertos in the repertoire, Bruch’s masterpiece soars in the inspired hands of captivating young virtuoso Nicola Benedetti. Debussy’s Petite Suite, written for four-hand piano, will be played in its orchestral arrangement. Under renowned conductor Christoph König, Beethoven’s sublime and lyrical Symphony No. 4 is both profound and quietly joyous.
Debussy: Petite Suite
Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1
Beethoven: Symphony No. 4
TCHAIKOVSKY’S VIOLIN CONCERTO
Thursday through Saturday, February 23-25, 2012, 8 p.m.
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Vadim Gluzman, violin
Tchaikovsky’s dazzling violin concerto is a test of skill for any violinist, but Vadim Gluzman, who performed Brahms last season in Orange County, is up to the task. In only eight minutes, Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” will take listeners from the depths of sadness to the heights of joy. And we’ll hear an exciting premiere from Michael Daugherty honoring the memory of Arturo Toscanini.
Daugherty: Work for organ, winds, brass and percussion (World premiere)
Barber: Adagio for Strings
Daugherty: Radio City (U.S. premiere)
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
RACHMANINOFF’S MIGHTY THIRD
Thursday through Saturday, March 1-3, 2012, 8 p.m.
Michael Stern, conductor
Joyce Yang, piano
Korean pianist Joyce Yang offers Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto, one of the repertoire’s most powerful, most demanding and most popular works. Rossini’s “Semiramide” is seldom performed in full, but the overture and arias have received constant acclaim. “The Miraculous Mandarin” is Bartok at his most colorful and dramatic.
Rossini: Overture to “Semiramide”
Bartok: Suite from “The Miraculous Mandarin”
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3
American Composers Festival 2012
CELEBRATING NOWRUZ
Thursday through Saturday, March 22-24, 2012, 8 p.m.
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Farhad Mechkat, conductor
Hila Plitmann, soprano
Pacific Chorale — John Alexander, artistic director
The traditional Persian New Year — marking the arrival of spring —has been celebrated since ancient times. This year, Orange County patrons come together for festive Persian music. Then, celebrate another world premiere: Richard Danielpour’s Peace Oratorio was commissioned by Pacific Symphony as part of this year’s American Composers Festival.
Program includes:
Traditional Persian Music
Danielpour: Peace Oratorio (world premiere)
LA BOHÈME
Thursday, April 19, 2012, 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 21, 2012, 8 p.m.
Sunday, April 22, 2012, 7 p.m.
Carl St.Clair, conductor
A. Scott Parry, stage director
Vocalists (TBD)
Pacific Chorale — John Alexander, artistic director
Southern California Children’s Chorus
Carl St.Clair enjoys a stellar reputation as an opera conductor in Europe. Now he showcases that talent as Pacific Symphony presents one of Puccini’s most popular and heartbreaking operas, “La Bohème,” in a semi-staged production. Carefree Bohemians and star-struck lovers will fill the concert hall with their astonishing voices as Puccini’s sad tale unfolds.
SCHUBERT’S NINTH
Thursday through Saturday, May 10-12, 2012, 8 p.m.
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Andrew von Oeyen, piano
East meets West with Thai composer Narong Prangcharoen’s Sattha reflecting on the Tsunami that hit his native country. The work was selected by Orange County audiences as the winner of the American Composers Competition. Then young superstar Andrew von Oeyen performs a classic piano concerto written by another young superstar, Felix Mendelssohn. Franz Schubert was never a superstar in his short life, but he wrote nine symphonies, the last of which has been called “The Great” for the last 200 years.
Prangcharoen: Sattha for Strings, Piano and Percussion
Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 1
Schubert: Symphony No. 9, “The Great”
BEETHOVEN’S NINTH
Thursday through Saturday, May 31-June 2, 2012, 8 p.m.
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Vocalists (TBD)
Pacific Chorale — John Alexander, artistic director
The “Ode to Joy” has thrilled listeners around the world for nearly two centuries. When it premiered in 1824, conducted by Beethoven himself, he heard not a note, so profoundly deaf was he. Nor did he hear the five standing ovations for the most epic choral work ever composed! Frank Tichelli’s “Radiant Voices” provides a sweet orchestral appetizer.
Ticheli: Radiant Voices
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9