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Complete 2011-2012 Music Hall Season Schedule

September 10, 2011

Itzhak Perlman – One Night Only!
Itzhak Perlman; Conductor
Itzhak Perlman, violin

Bach: Concerto for Violin No.1 in A Minor, BWV 1041
Mozart: Symphony No. 25 in G Minor, K.183
Bach: Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3
Dvorák: Symphony No.8, in G Major, Op. 88

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, January 08, 2012.

September 22 & 24, 2011

Mozart & Mahler
Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos; Conductor
Nicola Benedetti, violin

Mozart: Concerto No. 5 in A Major for Violin and Orchestra, K. 219, Turkish
Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Titan

Maestro Frühbeck conducts the CSO debut of Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti in a program on September 22 & 24 where Mozart meets Mahler.

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, January 15, 2012.

September 30 & October 1, 2011

Boom, Boom, Pow!
Julian Kuerti; Conductor
Richard Jensen, timpani
Patrick Schleker, timpani

Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man
Philip Glass: Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpani and Orchestra
Rachmaninoff: The Isle of the Dead, Symphonic Poem after A. Böcklin, Op. 29
Stravinsky: L’oiseau de feu (‚The Firebird?) Suite (1919)

Julian Kuerti returns to the CSO to conduct Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, which the composer wrote for the CSO, along with dynamic works by Glass, Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky.

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, January 22, 2012.

October 14 & 15, 2011

Global Pulse
Giancarlo Guerrero; Conductor
Nicole Cabell, soprano

Piazzolla: Sinfonía Buenos Aires, Op. 1
Ravel: Shéhérazade
Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story"
Ravel: Bolero

Returning conductor Giancarlo Guerrero conducts a provocative program dubbed ‚Global Pulse,? which will include the CSO debut of soprano Nicole Cabell starring in Ravel’s Shéhérazade, as woman who dreams of life outside the harem’s walls in a tale of romantic yearning and longed-for adventure.

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, January 29, 2012.

November 4 & 5, 2011

Sound Explosion
Kristjan Järvi; Conductor
Mikhail Simonyan, violin

Haydn: Symphony No. 86 in D Major
Khachaturian: Violin Concerto
Stravinsky: Le sacre du printemps (‚The Rite of Spring?)

Kristjan Järvi returns to conduct the CSO and young violinist Mikhail Simonyan in Khachaturian’s flashy concerto, as well as Stravinsky’s primal Rite of Spring, made famous for provoking riots in Paris at its premiere.

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, February 05, 2012.

November 11, 12 & 13, 2011

Russian Festival: Legends
Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos; Conductor
Terrence Wilson, piano

Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 2 in C Minor for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 18
Rimsky-Korsakov: Shéhérazade, Op. 35

Maestro Frühbeck also conducts a program featuring returning pianist and Cincinnati favorite Terrence Wilson, known for his ‚…technical proficiency, warmth, energy and pizzazz…? (Arizona Daily Star).

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, February 12, 2012.

November 17 & 19, 2011

Russian Festival: Voices
Pinchas Steinberg; Conductor
Elena Zhidkova, mezzo-soprano
May Festival Chorus

Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 13, Winter Daydreams

Conductor Pinchas Steinberg comes to the CSO for the first time for the second week of the Russian Festival, which also features the world-renowned May Festival Chorus and the CSO debut of mezzo-soprano Elena Zhidkova.

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, February 19, 2012.

December 2 & 3, 2011

Winterscape
Andrew Grams; Conductor
Ray Chen, violin

Rimsky-Korsakov: The Snow Maiden
Dvorák: Concerto in A Minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 53
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake Suite, Op. 20a

It’s a double-debut when rising American conductor Andrew Grams and Taiwanese violinist Ray Chen both make their first CSO appearances December 2-3 in a program entitled ‚Winterscape.?

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, February 26, 2012.

December 18, 2011

Handel’s Messiah
James Bagwell; Conductor
Caroline Worra, soprano
Leah Wool, mezzo sopranoDaniel Ross, tenor
Daniel Mobbs, bass
May Festival Chorus, Robert Porco director

Handel: Messiah

No holiday season would be complete without George Frideric Handel’s Messiah. Soaring and uplifting, quiet and consoling, this timeless story of redemption will warm your heart this holiday season. “Hallelujah!”

December 31, 2011

A Swingin’ New Year’s Eve 2011
John Morris Russell; Conductor
Kip Wilborn, vocalist
May Festival Youth Chorus - James Bagwell, Director

Johann Strauss, Jr.: Overture to Die Fledermaus
Verdi: “Libiamo” from La Traviata
Eduardo di Capua: O sole mio
Nicholas Brodszky: Be My Love
Franz Lehar: Ballsirenen Walzer from The Merry Widow
Swing into the New Year with your Orchestra! Pops Conductor John Morris Russell conducts a rip-roaring, rompin’ program of hot Ellington-era Big Band tunes and Broadway favorites. Swing and swoon as sensational singers and dancers accompany the Orchestra in an evening of classic American music.

January 5 & 7, 2012

Ax Plays Mozart
Pablo Heras-Casado; Conductor
Emanuel Ax, piano

Schumann: Manfred Overture, Op. 115
Mozart: Concerto No. 22 in E-flat Major for Piano and Orchestra, K. 482
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, Op. 100

Conductor Pablo Heras-Casado, known for producing ‚a sound that is simply ‘the right one,’? (San Francisco Classical Voice), graces the Music Hall stage for the first time with the legendary Emanuel Ax performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22.

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, March 04, 2012.

January 13 & 14, 2012

For Love & Mozart
Juanjo Mena; Conductor
May Festival Chorus

James Lee, III: Sukkot Through Orion’s Nebula
Mozart: Symphony No. 40
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé Suites 1 and 2

Juanjo Mena makes his CSO debut conducting a new work by James Lee, III as well as favorites from Mozart and Ravel.

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, March 11, 2012.

January 27 & 28, 2012

Lang Lang Plays Liszt
Jun Märkl; Conductor
Lang Lang, piano

Wagner: Overture to Der fliegende Holländer (‚The Flying Dutchman?)
Liszt: Concerto No. 1 in E flat Major for Piano and Orchestra, S. 124
Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98

Jun Märkl makes his CSO conducting debut with Lang Lang and the CSO performing three powerful greats: Wagner, Liszt and Brahms.

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, March 18, 2012.

February 3 & 4, 2012

Beethoven’s Eroica
John Storgårds; Conductor
Christian Tetzlaff, violin

Brahms: Akademische Festouvertüre, Op.80 (Academic Festival Overture)
Szymanowski: Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 35
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Opus 55, Eroica

Conductor John Storgårds and violinist Christian Tetzlaff, may have both been here before, but the two will collaborate with the CSO to present Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No. 1 to CSO audiences for the first time.

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, March 25, 2012.

February 9, 11 & 12, 2012

Love Notes
Xian Zhang; Conductor
David Fray, piano

Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy
Mozart: Concerto No. 20 in D Minor for Piano and Orchestra, K. 466
Schumann (arr. Mahler): Symphony No. 4 in D Minor, Op. 120

David Fray makes his CSO debut performing Mozart’s Concerto No. 20 for Piano and Orchestra February 9-12 with the energetic Xian Zhang returning to conduct.

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, April 01, 2012.

February 24 & 25, 2012

Beethoven’s Pastoral
Ludovic Morlot; Conductor
Jonathan Biss, piano

Liszt: Von der Wiege bis zum Grabe ("From the Cradle to the Grave")
Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Pastoral

Schumann’s Piano Concerto’s warmth and thematic diversity will perfect vehicle for the supreme artistry of Jonathan Biss, who makes his debut with Ludovic Morlot returning to conduct.

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, April 08, 2012.

March 2 & 3, 2012

Phoenix Rising
Michael Francis; Conductor
Henning Kraggerud, violin

Tan Dun: Overture: Dragon and Phoenix (from Heaven Earth Mankind) 1997
Mendelssohn: Concerto in E Minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 64
Dvorák: Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, Op. 70

Violinist Henning Kraggerud returns to dazzle audiences March 2-3 with conductor Michael Francis making his CSO debut in a program that includes the music of Oscar- and Grammy-winning composer Tan Dun, best known for the score of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, April 15, 2012.

March 9 & 10, 2012

Melodic High
Nicola Luisotti; Conductor
Timothy Lees, violin
Ilya Finkelshteyn, cello

Bach/ arr. Stokowski: Partita #2 in D minor, BWV 1004, Chaconne
Rózsa: Sinfonia concertante for Violin, Cello and Orchestra, Op. 29
Brahms: Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90

The talented Italian conductor Nicola Luisotti appears with the CSO for the first time March 9-10, conducting two of the CSO’s own in Rózsa’s Sinfonia concertante for Violin, Cello and Orchestra.

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, April 22, 2012.

March 23 & 24, 2012

Midori – Fantastique!
Pinchas Steinberg; Conductor
Midori, violin

Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47
Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14

Maestro Steinberg returns to the CSO twice this season, this time conducting popular violinist Midori in Sibelius’ majestic violin concerto and Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique.

The Midori portion of the program will not be available for broadcast.

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, April 29, 2012.

March 30 & 31, 2012

Life Reflected
Dennis Russell Davies; Conductor
Matt Haimovitz, cello

Philip Glass: Cello Concerto No. 2 (World Premiere)
Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 in A Major

Conductor Dennis Russell Davies and cellist Matt Haimovitz both return for the World Premiere of Glass’ Cello Concerto No.2, complimented by Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6.

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, May 06, 2012.

April 12, 14 & 15, 2012

The French Connection
Stéphane Denève; Conductor
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

Ravel: Le tombeau de Couperin
Saint-Saëns: Concerto No. 5 in F Major for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 103
Roussel: Symphony No. 3 in G Minor, Op. 42
Ravel: La valse

With returning artists conductor Stéphane Denève and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet (both French), the ‚French Connection? program featuring Ravel, Saint-Saëns and Roussel is in good hands.

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, May 13, 2012.

April 27 & 28, 2012

Rach of Ages
Juraj Valcuha; Conductor
Lise de la Salle, piano
Robert Sullivan, trumpet

Webern: Passacaglia, Op. 1
Shostakovich: Concerto No. 1 in C Minor for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 35
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 44

Conductor Juraj Valcuha, pianist Lise de la Salle and the CSO’s own Robert Sullivan, trumpet, make their CSO subscription debuts together on April 27-28.

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, May 20, 2012.

May 4 & 5, 2012

Raise the Roof
Long Yu; Conductor
Lang Lang, piano

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74, Pathétique
Tan Dun: Internet Symphony No. 1, ‚Eroica?
Prokofiev: Concerto No. 3 in C Major for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 26

In the season finale, Lang Lang shines on the Music Hall stage yet again, this time with conductor Long Yu, whose ‚flair for the dramatic? (New York Times) is sure to instantly popularize him with CSO audiences.

This concert will be broadcast on Sunday, May 27, 2012.