February 10, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Core orchestral works such as Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” and Brahms Symphony No. 4 will be combined with essential repertoire new to Portland, including Debussy’s “Jeux,” and a special appearance by world-class soloist Itzhak Perlman to highlight the Oregon Symphony’s 2006-2007 Classical season, announced Music Director Carlos Kalmar today. The season will kick off with a gala opening featuring Garrick Ohlsson performing Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto on Sept. 16-18, 2006. Lufthansa is the exclusive airline sponsor for the Symphony’s Classical series. Media support for the Classical series is provided by The Oregonian.
Kalmar’s fourth classical season gives prominence to core repertoire and guest artists while remaining sprinkled with many established works that will be new to Portland audiences. Among the audience favorites included in the season are Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain;” Stravinsky’s “Petrouchka;” Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 and Piano Concerto No. 2; Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8; Bernstein’s Overture to “Candide;” and Mendelssohn’s “Italian” Symphony. The Symphony will also present the world premiere of Symphony No. 13 by Oregon composer Robert Kyr.
The incomparable Itzhak Perlman demonstrates his talents as a conductor as well as a violinist when he leads this symphony in Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 and the two violin romances by Beethoven on Feb. 3-5, 2007.
As a continuing acknowledgement of Mozart’s 250th birthday year, Kalmar will conduct a concert featuring pianist Robert Levin performing Mozart works in true Mozart style, complete with improvisation, on Oct. 22-24, 2006.
On Jan. 20-22, 2007 Kalmar and the Symphony will present a tribute to the immortal waltzes of Johann Strauss and his brother Josef in “Fun and Dancing,” a concert that also features the Symphony premiere of Stravinsky’s “Card Game, a ballet in three Deals.” 2007 marks the 125th anniversary of Stravinsky’s birth, and the Symphony will mark this season with several works of Stravinsky, including “Petrouchka” and the Symphony premiere of his Concerto in D.
Some of this season’s other performance highlights include he internationally Ohlsson, whose performances New York Magazine has termed “inspired,” and violinist Leila Josefowicz, a Symphony favorite whose technique and virtuosity “had the audience spellbound,” according to the BBC News. Josefowicz will return to perform Hindemith’s Violin Concerto on Nov. 11-13, 2006. Renowned percussionist Colin Currie, hailed by critics as “an inspirational catalyst,” returns to perform Christopher Rouse’s “Alberich Saved” on Jan. 14-15, 2007.
Other returning soloists include pianist Stephen Hough, recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” grant, who will perform Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 on April 22-23, 2007 and cellist Alban Gerhardt, whose playing is described by Grammophone as “both brilliant and dedicated,” will play Schumann’s Cello Concerto on May 5-6, 2007. Concertmaster Amy Schwartz Moretti will perform Chausson’s “Poème” and Tchaikovsky’s “Valse-scherzo” on April 28-30, 2007.
Violinist Jennifer Koh, whom the Chicago Sun-Times says “elicits a succulent, but cleanly drawn, singing line from her prized 18th century violin,” will play Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto on Oct. 14 and 16; the versatile pianist Valentina Lisitsa, whom critics have described as “dazzling with fire,” plays Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 4 on Sept. 23-24, 2006; pianist Denis Matsuev, winner of the 11th International Tchaikovsky Competition, will perform Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 on March 10-21, 2007; and Principal Viola Joël Belgique will perform Berlioz’ “Harold in Italy” on Oct. 1-2, 2006.
Laureate Music Director James DePreist, now the conductor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and Director of Conducting and Orchestral Studies at Juilliard, will conduct an all-Russian program on March 10-12, 2007. Other guest conductors include Alan Buribayev, the General Music Director of the Meiningen Theatre in Germany and Principal Conductor of the Astana Symphony Orchestra, and returning Bernard Labadie, founder and Artistic and Music Director of Les Violons du Roy and Artistic Director of L’Opéra de Montréal.
This season the Classical series continues to offer the popular “Sunday Encore Series,” an afternoon series of four concerts which present full-length repeat performances of evening Classical programs. This season’s Encore concerts will include Kalmar and pianist Robert Levin presenting a special 250th birthday tribute to Mozart on Oct. 22, 2006; the return of the Holiday Baroque concert with Guest Conductor Bernard Labadie presenting Handel’s complete “Water Music” suites and arias from several Handel operas with mezzo soprano Krisztina Szabo on Dec. 3, 2006; a “not quite classical” concert with Kalmar and vocalist Lisa Vroman featuring Gershwin’s “An American in Paris” and jazz inspired music of other composers on Feb. 18, 2007. The series begins with Kalmar and pianist Valentina Lisitsa presenting Rachmaninoff’s rarely-performed Piano Concerto No. 4 and music of Strauss and Mendelssohn on Sept. 24, 3006.
More core repertoire highlights for the season include Gershwin’s “An American in Paris;” Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1; Strauss’ “Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks” and Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony. Also scheduled are Ravel’s “La valse” and “Valses nobles et sentimentales.” Other repertoire for the season includes Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms;” Steven Mackey’s “Lost and Found;” Berlioz’ “Harold in Italy;” Shchedrin’s “Naughty Limericks;” Ives’ “The Unanswered Question;” Weill’s “The Seven Deadly Sins;” Offenbach’s Overture to “Orpheus in the Underworld” and Christopher Rouse’s “Alberich Saved.”
The many well-known works are complemented by eclectic, broad-based repertoire, some of which is new to the Symphony. To that end, this season the Symphony is premiering 23 works, although only two are by composers not heard here before. The new works include the world premiere of a new symphony by Oregon composer Robert Kyr; Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 4; Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No. 1; Mozart’s Piano Concerto, K. 459; Handel’s complete “Water Music;” Stravinsky’s “Jeux des cartes” and Stravinsky’s Concerto in D.
The Classical series is the Symphony’s flagship series and presents the finest symphonic music available to its audiences. It features a mix of classical music that includes famous masterpieces and lesser-known works performed by world-class guest artists. Classical subscriptions are available in packages of 14 concerts or seven concerts on Saturday, Sunday or Monday nights. New for 2006-2007 is a three-concert bonus pack enabling full series subscribers to purchase all 17 Classical concerts to be performed throughout the season. Performance times are Saturdays and Sundays at 7:30 p.m. and Mondays at 8 p.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, located in downtown Portland at the corner of S.W. Main and Broadway.
The “Sunday Encore” series, now in its second year, is a subscription package of four afternoon concerts that feature full-length repeats of programs presented on the evening Classical concert series. “Sunday Encore” concerts begin at 2 p.m.
“Concert Conversations,” free to ticket holders, are given one hour before each Classical concert and are moderated by KBPS All Classical 89.9’s Shaun Yu and Pat McElroy. Music Director Carlos Kalmar joins Yu for all “Concert Conversations” prior to his concerts; McElroy is joined by professional musicians, professors of music and other recognized experts for all other Classical concerts.
In addition to the “Concert
Conversations,” Classical
concerts regularly provide additional
opportunities for listeners to
learn more about the music and
the orchestra. These activities
include:
Saturday: The
conductor or guest artist comments
on the program during the concert
in “Symphony Interactive.” Media
support for “Symphony
Interactive” is provided
by KINK fm102.
On the Thursday preceding Classical concerts, a preview can be heard on KBPS All Classical 89.9’s “Northwest Previews” program at 7 p.m.
Subscriptions can be purchased in packages of 14 concerts, which range in price from $196 to $966 for adults and $196 to $259 for students and seniors (Upper Balcony and Orchestra Section D). A 3-concert bonus pack, enabling Classical subscribers to purchase all 17 Classical concerts to be performed, is available at a subscriber’s prorated subscription price. Subscriptions for a seven concert package on Saturday, Sunday or Monday nights range in price from $119 to $546 for adults and $119 to $140 for students and seniors (Upper Balcony and Orchestra Section D). Subscriptions for the “Sunday Encore” series of four concerts range from $68 to $304. The Symphony’s flexible ticket exchange program has been enhanced to allow for more options for subscribers who want to exchange their tickets for other performances.
Subscriptions may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office in downtown Portland at 923 S.W. Washington from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays (and Saturdays September through May) or charged by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 weekdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturdays, September through May from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Subscription orders also may be placed online at www.orsymphony.org. Classical subscribers receive full subscription benefits, including flexible ticket exchange and advance purchase for Special Event concerts at a 10 percent discount. Single tickets for Classical and other Symphony concerts will be available to the general public at 9 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 21, 2006.
