CSO Audio Program Notes

"Superstar mandolinist" (The New York Times) Avi Avital and Italian conductor Giovanni Antonini make their CSO debuts with an exceptional program featuring rarely heard Baroque masterpieces, including the first CSO performances of mandolin concertos by Bach and Vivaldi. "Avital's mandolin breathes captivating new life into Vivaldi's music, giving it a luminous performance with a lovely lyrical jeu d'esprit" (The Daily Telegraph). Haydn's Drumroll Symphony brings the concert to an enchanting close.

Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO Jun 7-9. "Superstar mandolinist" (The New York Times) Avi Avital and Italian conductor Giovanni Antonini make their CSO debuts with an exceptional program featuring rarely heard Baroque masterpieces, including the first CSO performances of mandolin concertos by Bach and Vivaldi. "Avital's mandolin breathes captivating new life into Vivaldi's music, giving it a luminous performance with a lovely lyrical jeu d'esprit" (The Daily Telegraph). Haydn's Drumroll Symphony brings the concert to an enchanting close.

Conductor Marek Janowski and the CSO, both great masters of music from the Austro-German tradition, perform a program of works by Weber, Beethoven and Wagner. Janowski, in his subscription series debut, leads the CSO in glorious orchestral excerpts from two of Wagner's grandest operas. Also on the program is Beethoven's sunny Fourth Symphony, a work imbued with romantic pathos.

Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO May 31-Jun 3. Conductor Marek Janowski and the CSO, both great masters of music from the Austro-German tradition, perform a program of works by Weber, Beethoven and Wagner. Janowski, in his subscription series debut, leads the CSO in glorious orchestral excerpts from two of Wagner's grandest operas. Also on the program is Beethoven's sunny Fourth Symphony, a work imbued with romantic pathos.

Esa-Pekka Salonen leads a program that pairs Brahms' captivating Variations on a Theme by Haydn with Schoenberg's hauntingly beautiful Transfigured Night and Bartók's serene and expressive Third Piano Concerto, featuring Mitsuko Uchida. “It was in the otherworldly slow movement that Uchida's profound poetic sensibility rose to the fore, building to an eloquent emotional climax from the simple, hushed chords of the opening bars—atmospheric yet as clear as ice water” (Chicago Tribune).

Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO May 24-26. Esa-Pekka Salonen leads a program that pairs Brahms' captivating Variations on a Theme by Haydn with Schoenberg's hauntingly beautiful Transfigured Night and Bartok's serene and expressive Third Piano Concerto, featuring Mitsuko Uchida. "It was in the otherworldly slow movement that Uchida's profound poetic sensibility rose to the fore, building to an eloquent emotional climax from the simple, hushed chords of the opening bars-atmospheric yet as clear as ice water" (Chicago Tribune).

Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO May 17-22. His final completed work before his tragic death at the age of fifty, Mahler's Ninth Symphony reflects his personal turmoil and spiritual uncertainty as he faced his own mortality. The result is a fearlessly introspective symphony containing some of the most devastatingly beautiful music he ever composed. Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the CSO, one of the world's great Mahler orchestras, in this profound work by one of history's greatest symphonists.

Emmanuel Krivine leads the CSO in the shimmering and majestic Organ Symphony. After completing his third and final symphony, Saint-Saëns declared: "I gave everything to it I was able to give. What I have here accomplished, I will never achieve again." Also on the program is Brahms’ turbulent Tragic Overture and Schumann's heart-wrenching Violin Concerto with Isabelle Faust, an artist of "disarming warmth and sweetness who can unveil hidden strains of lyricism" (The New York Times).

Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO May 11-15. Emmanuel Krivine leads the CSO in the shimmering and majestic Organ Symphony. After completing his third and final symphony, Saint-Saens declared: "I gave everything to it I was able to give. What I have here accomplished, I will never achieve again." Also on the program is Brahms' turbulent Tragic Overture and Schumann's heart-wrenching Violin Concerto with Isabelle Faust, an artist of "disarming warmth and sweetness who can unveil hidden strains of lyricism" (The New York Times).

Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO May 3-5. Semyon Bychkov returns to conduct Tchaikovsky's vividly dramatic Manfred Symphony, based on Lord Byron's tragic and enigmatic hero. The legendary Labeque sisters, "the best piano duet in front of an audience today" (The New York Times), join the CSO for a rarely performed gem, Bruch's richly melodic Concerto for Two Pianos.

Legendary composer John Williams returns to the Orchestra Hall podium to conduct the incomparable CSO in some of his most beloved and unforgettable works. Sharing the podium with longtime CSO at the Movies guest conductor, Richard Kaufman, John Williams has crafted a thrilling concert that will feature music from E.T., Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Lincoln, and more.

Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO Apr 26-29. Legendary composer John Williams returns to the Orchestra Hall podium to conduct the incomparable CSO in some of his most beloved and unforgettable works. Sharing the podium with longtime CSO at the Movies guest conductor, Richard Kaufman, John Williams has crafted a thrilling concert that will feature music from E.T., Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Lincoln, and more.

Muti caps a season-long celebration of the 125th anniversary of Tchaikovsky's death with two of his most celebrated and tragically romantic works: the symphonic poem Francesca da Rimini and his treasured ballet Swan Lake. In a rare treat, Muti pairs these works with two by French composer Claude Debussy, another master of vivid orchestral colors. His ethereal Sacred and Profane Dances will feature CSO Principal Harp Sarah Bullen as soloist.

Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO Apr 19-21. Muti caps a season-long celebration of the 125th anniversary of Tchaikovsky's death with two of his most celebrated and tragically romantic works: the symphonic poem Francesca da Rimini and his treasured ballet Swan Lake. In a rare treat, Muti pairs these works with two by French composer Claude Debussy, another master of vivid orchestral colors. His ethereal Sacred and Profane Dances will feature CSO Principal Harp Sarah Bullen as soloist.

Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO Apr 12-17. Riccardo Muti presents an extraordinary celebration of music that embodies the American spirit. Distinguished Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated actor John Malkovich joins the CSO to narrate Copland's inspirational Lincoln Portrait, which uses the words of Abraham Lincoln to highlight Lincoln's life and the nation's diversity. Dvorak's New World Symphony, one his most beloved works, was influenced by the sounds of American folk music.