CSO Audio Program Notes

CSO Audio Program Notes

By Chicago Symphony Orchestra AssociationSociety & CultureMusicHistory
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CSO Audio Program Notes episodes

  • CSO Program Notes: Shani, Shostakovich & Brahms
    Brimming with wry wit and affectionate warmth, Shostakovich’s Second Piano Concerto was a gift for his teenage son. Here, it’s a showcase for the brilliant Lahav Shani, who conducts from the keyboard. Beethoven’s powerful Egmont Overture captures the brave struggle for freedom and justice, while Brahms’ stormy and heroic First Symphony is the culmination of years of labor by the composer.
    Learn more: cso.org/performances/24-25/cso-classical/shani-shostakovich-and-brahms
    12 min
  • CSO Program Notes: The Tempest & The Sea Hawk
    Embark on a seafaring journey as Tchaikovsky summons Shakespeare’s magical island and storm-tossed seas in The Tempest. Korngold evokes the swashbuckling sailors of the 1940 Hollywood epic The Sea Hawk, and Britten portrays the coastal village of his opera Peter Grimes. The voyage concludes as Konstantin Krimmel presents Mahler’s song cycle about a traveling journeyman.
    Learn more: cso.org/performances/24-25/cso-classical/the-tempest-and-the-sea-hawk
    18 min
  • CSO Program Notes: Grieg & Rachmaninov
    Rachmaninov’s majestic First Symphony churns with youthful romantic fervor and ethereal mystery — perfect for a December outing. Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, inspired by Norway’s national folk hero, includes the instantly familiar dream-like fantasy of “The Hall of the Mountain King.” Johannes Moser brings his “remarkably visceral and vivid playing” (Gramophone) to Lutosławski’s wild and enchanting Cello Concerto.
    Learn more: cso.org/performances/24-25/cso-classical/grieg-and-rachmaninov
    21 min
  • CSO Program Notes: Liszt & Bruckner 3
    Experiencing a Bruckner symphony is often compared to walking around inside a massive gothic cathedral. Step inside this sacred space and experience its awed silences, reverent melodies and towering brass chorales. Francesco Piemontesi, “a performer in total, joyful command of his material” (The Guardian), brings power and panache to Liszt’s formidable Second Piano Concerto.
    Learn more: cso.org/performances/24-25/cso-classical/liszt-and-bruckner-3/
    19 min
  • CSO Program Notes: Muti & the CSO
    Be transported to the landscapes of southern Spain with vivacious, dance-inspired works by Falla and Chabrier. The journey begins in Riccardo Muti’s native Italy with a boisterous overture by Donizetti and sumptuous ballet music by Verdi. Golijov’s Megalopolis Suite features music from his score to the 2024 release of Francis Ford Coppola’s epic film, in which the fate of Ancient Rome haunts a modern world.
    Learn more: cso.org/performances/24-25/cso-classical/muti-and-the-cso
    15 min
  • CSO Program Notes: Muti, Uchida, Emperor & Eroica
    Music Director Emeritus for Life Riccardo Muti returns with Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony, a work that shattered the symphonic conventions of its day, with themes of heroism, struggle and triumph. Beethoven’s majestic Emperor Concerto features Mitsuko Uchida, who brings “the unaffected wisdom and clarity that comes with decades of interpretive rigor and commitment” (The New York Times).
    Learn more: cso.org/performances/24-25/cso-classical/muti-uchida-emperor-and-eroica
    15 min
  • CSO Program Notes: Mozart Coronation Mass
    Join Nicholas Kraemer and four preeminent singers for a selection of Handel’s brilliant and soul-stirring vocal numbers, which explore the full spectrum of human emotions — from utmost sorrow to joy and sensuality. Plus, enjoy music fit for a king with Handel’s Water Music, composed for the royal court of George I, and Mozart’s grand Coronation Mass.
    Learn more: cso.org/performances/24-25/cso-classical/mozart-coronation-mass
    11 min

About CSO Audio Program Notes

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Founded in 1891, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is consistently hailed as one of the greatest orchestras in the world. In collaboration with the best conductors and guest artists on the international music scene, the CSO performs well over one hundred concerts each year at its downtown home, Symphony Center, and at the Ravinia Festival on Chicago’s North Shore, where it is in residency each summer. Music lovers outside Chicago enjoy the sounds of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra through best-selling recordings and frequent sold-out tour performances in the United States and around the globe.

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