Boston Symphony Orchestra 2009-2010 Season
James Levine Leads 15 Programs
By: Ariel Petrova - Apr 17, 2009
The Boston Symphony Orchestra's 2009-10 season at Symphony Hall is highlighted by fifteen programs under the leadership of Music Director James Levine, reflecting a major presence with the orchestra in a wide range of repertoire, from treasured classics to world premieres.
The season begins September 23 with a gala Opening Night at Symphony featuring the world premiere of John Williams' On Willows and Birches for harp and orchestra, written for and performed by BSO principal harpist Ann Hobson Pilot, Debussy's shimmering La Mer, and Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2, with Evgeny Kissin as soloist. Other highlights of Maestro Levine's work with the orchestra in this his sixth season include the complete cycle of Beethoven's nine symphonies in back-to-back concerts -- a subscription-series first for the BSO, as well as Maestro Levine's first-ever complete Beethoven symphony cycle -- Mahler's Symphony No. 4 and Strauss' Four Last Songs with Renée Fleming, and some of the great works for chorus and orchestra, including Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, Mozart's Requiem, and Mendelssohn's oratorio Elijah, which hasn't been performed by the BSO since 1980.
Longtime collaborator Lynn Harrell, cello, and BSO principal violist Steven Ansell join Levine and the orchestra for a performance of Richard Strauss' colorful tone poem Don Quixote, on a special Pension Fund concert also featuring a selection of waltzes, marches, and polkas from the great Strauss dynasty. In keeping with the orchestra's historic reputation for performances of the great French orchestral repertoire, Levine and the orchestra also perform masterpieces by Ravel, Berlioz, and Debussy throughout the season.
PREMIERES
An ardent champion of the music of our time, Maestro Levine and the orchestra offer first performances of works by four of America's most influential composers representing greatly divergent contemporary styles: the world premiere of John Williams' On Willows and Birches with BSO harpist Ann Hobson Pilot; the American premiere of Elliott Carter's Flute Concerto, a BSO co-commission, with BSO principal flute Elizabeth Rowe; the world premiere of a BSO commission by Peter Lieberson, his Farewell Songs, featuring the acclaimed Canadian bass-baritone Gerald Finley; and the world premiere of John Harbison's BSO-commissioned Double Concerto for violin and cello, featuring Mira Wang and Jan Vogler. In addition, two other BSO co-commissions will be given American premieres during the season. Sir Colin Davis leads the American premiere of James MacMillan's St. John Passion, a BSO co-commission written at the conductor's own request to mark Sir Colin's 80th birthday, and Ludovic Morlot leads the American premiere of Augusta Read Thomas' Helios Choros II (Sun God Dancers).
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS
The season features an unusually rich slate of some of the most venerable guest conductors in the world. BSO Conductor Emeritus Bernard Haitink, whose roots with the BSO extend to 1973, conducts three separate programs in his landmark 80th birthday year, the first of which features Sir James Galway, who celebrates his 70th birthday this year. Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, whose deep relationship with the BSO goes back more than a decade, conducts two programs featuring music especially close to his heart, including excerpts from Iberia by Albéniz, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the great Spanish composer's death, and Rossini's most popular concert work, the Stabat Mater. Christoph von Dohnányi conducts a provocative program of music by Bartók, Martin, and Dvorák that draws from middle European folk influences.
Sir Colin Davis, one of the world's great interpreters of the music of Elgar, leads a concert featuring the composer's grand Violin Concerto performed by the young Danish violinist Nikolaj Znaider in his BSO debut. Ton Koopman, one of the leaders of the period instrument movement, leads a program of Haydn, C.P.E. Bach, and Schubert featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma in the Haydn Cello Concerto No. 1. Other outstanding guest conductors include Sir Andrew Davis, Daniele Gatti, BSO Assistant Conductor Julian Kuerti, who collaborates with fellow Canadian Marc-André Hamelin in the Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1, and Italian conductor Fabio Luisi in his BSO debut, leading a program that also features the BSO debut of the dynamic young French pianist Lisa de la Salle.
A rich array of vocal masterpieces showcases the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver, conductor, and some of the most acclaimed singers of our time, such as Renée Fleming, Stephanie Blythe, Matthew Polenzani, and Christine Brewer. A wealth of up-and-coming vocalists representing the best of the younger generation make their BSO debuts, including sopranos Grazia Doronzio and Albina Shagimuratova, mezzo-sopranos Alice Coote and Anke Vondung, tenors Aleksandrs Antonenko and Michael Schade, and Chinese bass-baritone Shenyang.
A series of concerts features some of the most sought after violin virtuosi of the younger generation, including Mira Wang and Nikolaj Znaider in their BSO debuts, as well as Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn, Frank Peter Zimmermann, and Leonidas Kavakos. Guest instrumentalists also include some of the world's most distinctive pianists, including Evgeny Kissin, Marc-André Hamelin, Peter Serkin, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and Emanuel Ax.
SEASON DETAILS — JAMES LEVINE WITH THE BSO
Maestro Levine and the orchestra begin the season with a gala Opening Night at Symphony Sept. 23 featuring the world premiere of John Williams' On Willows and Birches for harp and orchestra. The piece was written for and will be performed by BSO principal harpist Ann Hobson Pilot, who retires from the BSO at the end of the 2009 Tanglewood season. The concert also includes Berlioz' festive Roman Carnival Overture, Debussy's shimmering La Mer, and Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2, with Evgeny Kissin as soloist.
The season continues Sept. 26 and 29 with two choral masterpieces, Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms and Mozart's Requiem, both featuring the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver, conductor. Soloists for the evening are bass Eric Owens and three up-and-coming young singers making their BSO debuts — soprano Grazia Doronzio, mezzo-soprano Anke Vondung, and tenor Michael Schade.
Harpist Ann Hobson Pilot is the special guest soloist Oct. 3 for a wide-ranging evening of music for orchestra and harp, reprising Williams' On Willows and Birches, and including Elliott Carter's Mosaic, for harp and ensemble and Debussy's Danses sacrée et profane, for harp and orchestra. The concert also features Ravel's La Valse and Beethoven's Symphony No. 4, which Maestro Levine conducts for the first time in his career.
Oct. 22, Maestro Levine and the orchestra embark on a history-making endeavor performing a concentrated cycle of the complete symphonies of Beethoven. This marks the first time either Levine or the orchestra has attempted such a project in back-to-back subscription programs and offers Boston audiences a rare opportunity to experience the composer's symphonic development. Program 1 of Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies Oct. 22, 23, and 24 features Beethoven's first symphonic efforts, Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2, along with the ever-popular Symphony No. 5. Program 2 Oct. 27 and 29 pairs the composer's Symphony No. 3, Eroica, and Symphony No. 4. Program 3 Oct. 30 and 31 offers Symphonies Nos. 6, Pastoral, and 7, and Program 4 Nov. 5, 6, and 7 completes the cycle with Symphony No. 8 and the titanic Symphony No. 9, featuring the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and soloists Christine Brewer, Meredith Arwady, Matthew Polenzani, and Eike Wilm Schulte. In February, Levine and the BSO reprise two of these programs: Symphonies 6 and 7 on Feb. 18, Symphonies 3 and 4 on February 19 and 20.
Reflecting the orchestra's long affinity for music from the great French tradition, the program Jan. 28-30 features Berlioz' charmingly programmatic Harold in Italy, with BSO principal violist Steven Ansell as soloist, and two works by Ravel, his Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2, and the Piano Concerto for the left hand, with acclaimed French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard, soloist. Aimard also performs Elliott Carter's Dialogues, for piano and orchestra.
Feb. 4, 5, and 6, Maestro Levine and the orchestra offer the American premiere of another Carter work, his Flute Concerto, a BSO co-commission performed by BSO principal flutist Elizabeth Rowe. Schubert's Rosamunde Overture and Entr'actes and Brahms' stirring Symphony No. 4 complete the program.
Celebrated soprano Renée Fleming joins Maestro Levine and the orchestra for the Feb. 11, 12 and 13 program featuring Strauss' luminous Four Last Songs. This highly anticipated program also includes Berg's Three Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6, and Mahler's Symphony No. 4, also featuring Ms. Fleming. The performances of Mahler's Symphony No. 4 continue Maestro Levine's ongoing survey of the great Mahler masterpieces.
The orchestra's March 24-30 program marks the world premiere of another BSO commission, Peter Lieberson's Farewell Songs, for baritone and orchestra, with bass-baritone Gerald Finley. Framing this new work are Debussy's playful Jeux and Schubert's Symphony in C, The Great.
The Tanglewood Festival Chorus and vocalists Christine Brewer and Stephanie Blythe join Maestro Levine and the orchestra for performances April 1, 2, and 3 of Mendelssohn's powerful oratorio Elijah. The composer's largest work and considered by many to be his greatest masterpiece, the oratorio is rarely performed because of its huge forces. Latvian tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko and Cardiff Singer of the World Competition winner, Chinese bass-baritone Shenyang, make their BSO debuts.
April 9, 10, and 11 mark the world premiere of the season's last BSO commission, John Harbison's Double Concerto for violin and cello, featuring violinist Mira Wang and cellist Jan Vogler. The program, Maestro Levine's final program of the season with the orchestra, concludes with Mahler's colorful Symphony No. 7.
SEASON DETAILS — GUEST CONDUCTORS
In his third visit to the BSO Oct. 8, 9, 10, and 13, Daniele Gatti, one of today's leading Italian conductors, brings his renowned passion and intensity to Brahms' Symphony No. 3, Strauss' Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, and Hindemith's Konzertmusik for Brass and Strings, a BSO commission premiered by the orchestra in 1931.
Ludovic Morlot, a BSO assistant conductor during Levine's first three seasons and who has since embarked on a major international career, leads the American premiere of Augusta Read Thomas' boldly rhythmic Helios Choros II (Sun God Dancers) Oct. 15, 16, 17, and 20. The program also includes pianist Peter Serkin as the soloist in Stravinsky's Capriccio for piano and orchestra, as well as Tchaikovsky's Francesca da Rimini and The Frescoes of Piero della Francesca by Bohuslav Martin, one of two works this season commemorating the 50th anniversary of the great Czech composer's death.
Fabio Luisi, chief conductor of the Vienna Symphony and Staatskapelle Dresden, makes his highly anticipated BSO debut Nov. 12 and 14 in the first of three programs showcasing the BSO's long tradition with the great music from the French repertoire. The concert features the BSO debut of 21-year-old French pianist Lisa de la Salle performing the Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No. 2 and includes the Pastorale d'été of Honegger and Stravinsky's landmark Petrushka (1947 version).
In his 80th birthday year, Bernard Haitink leads the first of three BSO programs this season Nov. 19, 20, and 21, an elegant pairing of French music with Brahms' Symphony No. 1. The program's first half is Debussy's Nocturnes, featuring the Women of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus[,] John Oliver, conductor, and the Ibert Flute Concerto, with soloist Sir James Galway, who celebrates his 70th birthday this year.
Debussy's luminous Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun opens concerts Nov. 24, 27, 28, and Dec. 1 led by the distinguished English conductor Sir Andrew Davis. The program also includes Stravinsky's Symphony in Three Movements and the Brahms Violin Concerto performed by the ever-popular Joshua Bell.
Christoph von Dohnányi conducts concerts Dec. 2, 3, 4, and 5 devoted to music drawing from middle European folk traditions. In addition to Dvo?ák's Symphony No. 8 and Bartók's Divertimento for String Orchestra, the program features the Violin Concerto No. 2 of Bohuslav Martin, one of seven works by the composer commissioned and premiered over the years by the BSO. Outstanding German violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann, the work's leading contemporary champion, is the featured soloist.
Dutch conductor Ton Koopman, a pioneer in the world of historically informed performance, brings his scholarship and insight to a program Jan. 6, 7, 8, 9, and 12 of Baroque and Classical gems, including Schubert's Symphony in B minor, Unfinished, the Symphony in G of C.P.E. Bach, and Haydn's witty Symphony No. 98, which Koopman leads from the keyboard. Close collaborator Yo-Yo Ma joins Koopman and the orchestra for Haydn's popular Cello Concerto No. 1 in C.
Sir Colin Davis, one of the world's great champions of the music of Elgar, kicks off the first of two weeks with the orchestra with concerts Jan. 14, 15, 16, and 19 featuring the composer's formidable Violin Concerto, one of the grandest in the entire Romantic repertoire. The dynamic young Danish virtuoso Nikolaj Znaider makes his BSO debut with these concerts, which also include Mozart's elegant Symphony No. 38, Prague.
To commemorate his landmark 80th birthday, Sir Colin requested a new work from one of his favorite composers, James MacMillan. In concerts Jan. 21, 22, and 23, Davis leads the BSO in the American premiere of the Scottish composer's St. John Passion, a large-scale setting of the biblical text for orchestra, solo baritone, chamber choir, and full chorus. A BSO co-commission, the work is MacMillan's largest, most personal to date and features performances by the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and the exciting young British baritone who premiered and recently recorded the work in London, Christopher Maltman.
Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, one of the BSO's most esteemed, longtime colleagues, brings his distinctive authority to two programs featuring music for which he has a special affinity. March 10, 11, 12, 13, and 16, he leads Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade and Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1, with the multifaceted young violinist Hilary Hahn. A great champion of repertoire from his native Spain, Frühbeck de Burgos also conducts excerpts from Iberia by Albéniz, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the great Spanish composer's death.
For concerts March 18, 19, and 20, Frühbeck de Burgos leads the orchestra, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and a multinational cast of young singers renowned in the music of Rossini in the composer's most popular concert work, the Stabat Mater. Georgian-born soprano Albina Shagimuratova and English mezzo-soprano Alice Coote make their BSO debuts. Soloists also include tenor Eric Cutler and Alfred Walker. The program opens with the Overture and Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night's Dream by Mendelssohn.
In his third and final season as a BSO assistant conductor, Julian Kuerti helms a thoughtfully conceived program April 13, 15, 16, and 17 pairing young performers with works by master composers written early in their careers. The Canadian conductor, who has established a dynamic presence on the Boston music scene since stepping in as a last-minute replacement for James Levine at Tanglewood last summer, welcomes fellow Canadian Marc-André Hamelin as the soloist in Shostakovich's playful Piano Concerto No. 1 for piano, trumpet, and strings. Ligeti's folk inspired Concert Românesc and Tchaikovsky's early Symphony No. 2, Little Russian, round out the program.
The honor of the 2009-10 season's final two concerts falls to BSO Conductor Emeritus Bernard Haitink, whose relationship with the orchestra dates back more than 35 years. In an intimate program for smaller forces April 22, 23, 24, and 27, Haitink welcomes back the highly acclaimed Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos to play the Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5 in A, on a program with Mozart's Symphony No. 35, Haffner, and Strauss' evocative Suite from Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme.
For the season finale April 29, 30 and May 1, Haitink conducts a blockbuster program of Beethoven and Bartók, beginning with Beethoven's Leonore Overture No. 2. Close collaborator Emanuel Ax performs Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, and the program ends with one of the most famous works ever premiered by the BSO, Bartók's brilliant symphonic showcase, the Concerto for Orchestra, commissioned by legendary BSO conductor Serge Koussevitzky and premiered by him and the BSO in 1944.
TICKET INFORMATION
Single tickets will go on sale to the general public on September 8. There will be no increase in ticket prices for the 2009-10 BSO season. Tickets for the regular-season Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, as well as Friday afternoons, are priced from $29 to $105; concerts on Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons are priced from $30 to $115. Open rehearsal tickets are priced at $19 each (general admission). Tickets may be purchased by phone through SymphonyCharge (617-266-1200 or 888-266-1200), online through the BSO's website (www.bso.org), or in person at the Symphony Hall Box Office (301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston). There is a $5.50 service fee for each ticket purchased online or by phone through SymphonyCharge.
American Express, MasterCard, Visa, Diners Club, and Discover, as well as personal checks (in person or by mail) and cash (in person only) are all accepted at the Symphony Hall Box Office. A limited number of rush tickets for Boston Symphony Orchestra subscription concerts on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Friday afternoons are set aside to be sold on the day of a performance. These tickets are sold at $9 each, one to a customer, at the Symphony Hall Box Office on Fridays beginning at 10 a.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning at 5 p.m. Gift certificates are available in any amount and may be used toward the purchase of tickets (subject to availability) to any Boston Symphony Orchestra or Boston Pops performance at Symphony Hall or Tanglewood. Gift certificates may also be used at the Symphony Shop to purchase merchandise.
Patrons with disabilities can access Symphony Hall through the Massachusetts Avenue lobby or the Cohen Wing on Huntington Avenue. An access service center, accessible restrooms, and elevators are available inside the Cohen Wing entrance. For ticket information, call the Disability Services Information Line at 617-638-9431 or TDD/TTY 617-638-9289.
SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGES
Subscriptions are available in various packages that offer Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening performances and Friday afternoon performances. Subscriptions range in price from $84 for 3 Tuesday evening concerts to $2725 for 25 Saturday evening concerts. Subscriptions are also available for themed series, such as Great Vocal and Choral performances, Today's Composers, and a Violin Series. These range in price from $85 to $509. A Choose Your Own subscription is also available, which requires a minimum of 4 performances, and prices are based on dates selected.
For information on subscriptions for the 2009-10 Boston Symphony Orchestra season, please call 617-266-7575 or 888-266-7575, or visit the BSO's website, www.bso.org. Brochures with complete program and ticket information for the BSO's 2009-10 subscription season will be available in April, at which time subscribers will receive their renewal information in the mail. Others may request a brochure by calling 617-266-1492 or by visiting www.bso.org. All programs and artists are subject to change.
SPONSORSHIPS
UBS will continue its partnership with the Boston Symphony Orchestra as its exclusive season sponsor, building on the mutually successful partnership that began in 2003.
"We're proud of our ongoing relationship with the BSO and are excited to continue our partnership with this world-class organization," said Stephen Brown, Northeast Region Managing Director, UBS Wealth Management Americas. "The BSO symbolizes excellence in orchestral music, achieved through collaboration at its highest level. At UBS, we are committed to working closely with our clients to help them pursue their goals."
In addition to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, UBS is the lead sponsor of the Ravinia Festival and a number of leading orchestras across the United States and internationally.
Headquartered in Zurich and Basel, Switzerland, UBS is one of the world's leading financial firms. It serves a discerning, international client base with its wealth management, investment banking and asset management businesses. In Switzerland, UBS is the market leader in retail and commercial banking.
UBS is present in all major financial centers worldwide. It has offices in over 50 countries, with about 38% of its employees working in the Americas, 34% in Switzerland, 15% in the rest of Europe and 13% in Asia Pacific. UBS employs more than 75,000 people around the world. Its shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE).
EMC Corporation is the supporting partner of the 2009-10 BSO season. Pre-concert talks and the Symphony Café are supported by New England Coffee, the Official Coffee of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The Fairmont Copley Plaza Boston, together with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, is the Official Hotel of the BSO. Commonwealth Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation is the Official Chauffeured Transportation Provider of the BSO.
All programs and artists are subject to change. For current program information, dial
617-CONCERT (617-266-2378). For further information, call the Boston Symphony Orchestra at 617-266-1492. The Boston Symphony Orchestra is online at www.bso.org.