CSO Audio Program Notes

Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO Feb 5-6. One of Russia's greatest conductors, Gennady Rozhdestvensky brings a program that pairs Dmitri Shostakovich's first and last symphonies. The lively First Symphony, written when Shostakovich was just 19 years old, reflects the young composer's optimism of the early years in the Soviet Union. His quirky and profound Fifteenth Symphony, written 45 years later, includes references to all of his earlier symphonies along with quotes from Rossini's William Tell and Wagner's Ring Cycle.

Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO Jan 7-9. British conductor Jonathan Nott leads a wide-ranging program starting with the rambunctious Academic Festival Overture, which Brahms called "a boisterous potpourri of student songs," and ending with Ein Heldenleben, Strauss' tongue-in-cheek tone poem which includes a wry portrait of his beloved wife, Pauline. Also featured is Haydn's charming and stylish Cello Concerto in C Major, played by virtuoso cellist Johannes Moser.

Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO Nov 27-29. Marin Alsop, "a shooting star in the firmament of international conductors" (Penguin Guide to Compact Discs), conducts a program of absorbing masterworks. Barber's noble Second Essay for Orchestra, written during World War II, prefaces Gershwin's exuberant Rhapsody in Blue, featuring Jon Kimura Parker, an enormously versatile pianist who has a long history with the popular piece. Dvorak's glorious and emotional Symphony No. 7 closes the program.

Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO Nov 19-21. Violinist, violist and conductor Pinchas Zukerman has remained a phenomenon in the world of music for over four decades. His prodigious technique and unwavering artistic standards are a marvel to audiences and critics. CSO Associate Concertmaster Stephanie Jeong joins Zukerman for Bach's Double Concerto in a delightful program that also features Mozart's Symphony No. 39 and Overture to The Magic Flute.

Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO Nov 12-14. Edo de Waart returns with a lively program starting with Richard Strauss' mischievous Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, a legendary CSO showpiece, followed by Mozart's Turkish Violin Concerto, played by rising young German violinist Augustin Hadelich. The concert ends with John Adams' striking Harmonielehre, inspired by a dream of an oil tanker suddenly pointing skyward and taking off like a rocket from the surface of San Francisco's Oakland Bay.

Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO Oct 17-20. After Principal Trumpet Christopher Martin's 2007 performance of Haydn's Trumpet Concerto with the CSO, the Chicago Tribune said, "Martin played beautifully spinning, shapely phrases with a sweet, rounded tone, nailing the high-wire runs of the finale with easy brilliance." Martin returns to perform the concerto under James Feddeck, who makes his Symphony Center podium debut. Feddeck also leads Rachmaninov's well-known Second Symphony, a masterpiece brimming with emotion and gorgeous melodies.

Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO Oct 8-13. Conductor Semyon Bychkov brings an imaginative program inspired by Johannes Brahms. His triumphant First Symphony is coupled with a modern-day reflection of Brahms' work by one of Germany's leading composers, Detlev Glanert. French violinist Renaud Capucon, praised for his "intensely lyrical" tone and "gloriously rich sound" (BBC Music Magazine), is the soloist in Brahms' invigorating and heavenly Violin Concerto.

Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO Oct 1-3. From the sweet melancholy of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20, played by Chicago favorite Leif Ove Andsnes, to the unbridled ferocity of Prokofiev's Scythian Suite, this program embraces a wide gamut of emotions. Riccardo Muti also leads Beethoven's hymn to fraternity and liberation, the Leonore Overture No. 3, and Hindemith's intriguing blend of neoclassicism and modernism, strikingly scored for only strings and brass.

Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO Sep 17. The distinctive opening of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is one of the most instantly recognizable motifs in all Western music. Riccardo Muti conducts the landmark work that inspired generations of composers in a program including Mozart's expressive Symphony No. 40 and Liszt's last symphonic poem, From the Cradle to the Grave.

Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO Sep 24-29. This colorful program mixes Mediterranean inspiration with electrifying music from Latin America. Ginastera's fiery Harp Concerto is performed by celebrated French harpist Xavier de Maistre, "a virtuoso of the highest order" (Gramophone). Riccardo Muti's last performances of Bolero with the Orchestra in 2007 were hailed as "fresh, subtle. . . and genuinely exciting" (Chicago Tribune). This show-stopper will be an enthralling finish to a delightful program.