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: Ravel Daphnis and Chloe
    Hear why Ravel is a classical music master, whether capturing the sensuous allure of Spain in Rapsodie espagnole or summoning “the Greece of [his] dreams” in his ravishing suite from Daphnis and Chloe. Barber’s Second Essay reflects the turbulent emotions of wartime. CSO Principal Clarinet Stephen Williamson solos in the world premiere of Indigo Heaven, a work written for him by American composer Christopher Theofanidis.
    Learn more: cso.org/performances/24-25/cso-classical/ravel-daphnis-and-chloe
    18 min
  • CSO Program Notes: Seong-Jin Cho Plays Prokofiev
    The cool of the Arctic meets the warmth of Italy. The brooding, majestic themes of Sibelius’ Fifth Symphony evoke the remote landscapes of conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali’s native Finland. Tchaikovsky transports listeners to a Roman carnival in his Capriccio Italien. Seong-Jin Cho, lauded for his “expert music-making … miraculous in its execution” (The New York Times), takes on Prokofiev’s incendiary Second Piano Concerto.
    This program will also be performed at Wheaton College on Friday, February 28.
    Learn more: cso.org/performances/24-25/cso-classical/seong-jin-cho-plays-prokofiev/
    16 min
  • CSO Program Notes: Glover Conducts English Classics
    Mixing ceremonial pomp with pastoral splendor, this survey of British classics features Haydn’s last and grandest symphonic statement, the London Symphony; exquisite gems by Elgar and Britten, and the soaring beauty of Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending with violinist Stella Chen, winner of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition and Gramophone’s 2023 Young Artist of the Year. Marking the 150th anniversary of Ravel’s birth, the program crosses the English Channel for the composer’s beguiling Tzigane.
    CSO Concertmaster Robert Chen has withdrawn from his planned solo appearances in these performances due to rotator cuff tendinitis symptoms.
    Learn more: cso.org/performances/24-25/cso-classical/glover-and-english-classics
    19 min
  • CSO Program Notes: Tetzlaff Plays Sibelius
    The rugged, windswept beauty of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto is a perfect showcase for Christian Tetzlaff, whose “fiery and compelling” 2022 CSO performance was named one of the year’s 10 best by Chicago Classical Review. Schoenberg’s Pelleas and Melisande is a lush, quintessentially romantic orchestral portrait of Maeterlinck’s mysterious, symbolist play, while Wagner’s prelude delivers a thrilling opener.
    Learn more: cso.org/performances/24-25/cso-classical/tetzlaff-plays-sibelius
    16 min
  • CSO Program Notes: Salonen Conducts Bluebeard’s Castle
    A taut and gripping thriller, Bartók’s one-act opera follows Duke Bluebeard and his newest wife Judith as she opens the seven doors of his castle and discovers increasingly disturbing sights. Opera stars Christian Van Horn and Ekaterina Gubanova bring to life these ill-fated characters. Juxtaposed with this macabre folktale is Beethoven’s joyful Second Symphony.
    Sung in Hungarian with English supertitles.
    Bluebeard’s Castle by arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, publisher and copyright owner.
    Learn more: cso.org/performances/24-25/cso-classical/salonen-and-bluebeards-castle
    22 min
  • CSO Program Notes: Bartók Concerto for Orchestra
    Revel in the sonic splendor of the CSO with two of its signature works: Strauss’ brash symphonic portrait of the infamous libertine Don Juan and Bartók’s exhilarating Concerto for Orchestra, a virtuosic tour de force for every instrument. The organ in Salonen’s “boldly cinematic” (Los Angeles Times) Sinfonia concertante adds another thrilling aural dimension.
    Learn more: cso.org/performances/24-25/cso-classical/bartok-concerto-for-orchestra
    27 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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