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TICKETS TO THE BOSTON SYMPHONY’S 2015-16 SEASON GO ON SALE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC TODAY, MONDAY, AUGUST 3, AVAILABLE BY CALLING 888-266-1200, VISITING WWW.BSO.ORG, OR IN PERSON AT THE SYMPHONY HALL BOX OFFICE AT 301 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE ————————————————————————————— BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2015-16 SEASON BSO MUSIC DIRECTOR ANDRIS NELSONS TO LEAD THIRTEEN PROGRAMS HIGHLIGHTED BY A MULTI-SEASON PROGRAMMING AND RECORDING INITIATIVE AROUND THE WORKS OF SHOSTAKOVICH; THREE WEEKS OF THEMATIC CONCERTS IN HONOR OF THE 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF SHAKESPEARE’S DEATH; CONCERT PERFORMANCES OF STRAUSS’S OPERA ELEKTRA; NEW WORKS BY HANS ABRAHAMSEN, SEBASTIAN CURRIER, GIYA KANCHELI, AND GEORGE TSONTAKIS; AND FAVORITE ORCHESTRAL WORKS BY BEETHOVEN, BRAHMS, BRUCKNER, DEBUSSY, HAYDN, MAHLER, MOZART, PROKOFIEV, RACHMANINOFF, RAVEL, AND TCHAIKOVSKY Click here for the complete BSO 2015-16 season listing
BSO ALSO ANNOUNCES MULTI-YEAR RECORDING INITIATIVE WITH DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON: INITIAL PROJECT FOCUSES ON LIVE RECORDINGS DRAWN FROM BSO’S THREE-YEAR SURVEY OF SHOSTAKOVICH WORKS COMPOSED DURING THE PERIOD HE WAS UNDER INTENSE SCRUTINY BY STALIN, INCLUDING SYMPHONIES 5-10 (CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS ABOUT PROJECT) BSO AND ANDRIS NELSONS OPEN 2015-16 SEASON ON OCTOBER 1 WITH AN ALL-RUSSIAN PROGRAM FEATURING TCHAIKOVSKY’S PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1 WITH SHAKESPEARE INITIATIVE TO FEATURE A NEW WORK BY HANS ABRAHAMSEN BASED ON TEXTS FROM HAMLET AND FEATURING THE ECLECTIC SOPRANO BARBARA HANNIGAN; A NEW BSO COMMISSION BY GEORGE TSONTAKIS BASED ON SHAKESPEARE SONNETS, COMPOSED FOR BSO ENGLISH HORN PLAYER ROBERT SHEENA; HENZE’S SYMPHONY NO. 8, INSPIRED BY A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM; AND FAVORITE BARD-INSPIRED WORKS BY MENDELSSOHN, PROKOFIEV, AND TCHAIKOVSKY, AS WELL AS THE FIRST BSO PERFORMANCES OF STRAUSS’S STRAUSS’S ELEKTRA WITH CHRISTINE GOERKE IN THE TITLE ROLE, AND ALSO FEATURING
GUEST ARTISTS AND ENSEMBLES COLLABORATING WITH ANDRIS NELSONS AND THE BSO INLCUDE PIANISTS YEFIM BRONFMAN (BARTÓK PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2), PAUL LEWIS MAESTRO NELSONS TO LEAD BSO IN DUTILLEUX’S MÉTABOLES, IN HONOR OF THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COMPOSER’S BIRTH AND A NEW WORK BY SEBASTIAN CURRIER; ADDITIONAL ORCHESTRAL WORKS INCLUDE DEBUSSY’S LA MER; BRAHMS’S SYMPHONY NO. 2; BRUCKNER’S SYMPHONY NO. 3; PROKOFIEV’S ROMEO AND JULIET; RACHMANINOFF’S SYMPHONIC DANCES; RAVEL’S LA VALSE; TCHAIKOVSKY’S SYMPHONY NO. 1 AND ROMEO AND JULIET, AND SHOSTAKOVICH’S SYMPHONIES 5, 8, AND 9, AS WELL AS MAHLER’S NINTH SYMPHONY, THE WORK MR. NELSONS LED THE FIRST TIME HE EVER CONDUCTED THE BSO BSO 2015-16 SEASON ENDS WITH EIGHT-CONCERT TOUR TO GERMANY, AUSTRIA, AND LUXEMBOURG, MAY 3-12, UNDER THE DIRECTION OF ANDRIS NELSONS BSO INTRODUCES NEW YOUNG AUDIENCE INITIATIVE: THREE BSO CASUAL FRIDAY CONCERTS OFFER PATRONS SPECIALLY PRICED TICKETS, EXCLUSIVE BEHIND-THE-SCENES DIGITAL MEDIA CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH SMARTPHONES AND TABLETS, A CHANCE TO HEAR THE CONDUCTOR AND SOLOISTS SPEAK FROM THE STAGE; IN A RELAXED ATMOSPHERE WHERE CASUAL ATTIRE AND MINGLING WITH FELLOW-CONCERT GOERS AT PRE- AND POST-CONCERT GATHERINGS IS ABSOLUTELY ENCOURAGED BSO’S HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL $20 TICKETS FOR PEOPLE UNDER 40, COLLEGE CARD, HIGH SCHOOL CARD, AND RUSH TICKET PROGRAMS—ALL OFFERING SIGNIFICANTLY DISOUNTED TICKETS TO CONCERT- GOERS—TO CONTINUE IN 2015-16 SEASON TO VIEW THE PORTION OF THE BSO’S 2015-16 SEASON ANNOUNCEMENT THAT OUTLINES ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS FEATURING AN ILLUSTRIOUS SCHEDULE OF GUEST CONDUCTORS SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR THE BSO’S 2015-2016 SEASON ARE AVAILABLE NOW BY CALLING
THE 2015-16 SEASON IS SPONSORED BY BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons will lead the Boston Symphony Orchestra in thirteen extraordinarily wide-ranging programs in the 2015-16 BSO season, highlighted by new programming and recording initiatives around the music of Shostakovich, three weeks of thematic concerts honoring the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, concert performances of Strauss’s Elektra with Christine Goerke in the title role, and new works by Hans Abrahamsen, Sebastian Currier, Giya Kancheli, and George Tsontakis. Subscriptions for the BSO’s 2015-16 season are available now by calling 888-266-7575 or visiting www.bso.org; single tickets, $25-$145, go on sale August 3. In conjunction with the BSO’s 2015-16 season announcement, the BSO and Deutsche Grammophon have announced a multi-year collaboration beginning with a series of live recordings of works by Dmitri Shostakovich. The project—five albums to be released in three installments between summer 2015 and summer 2017—will initially focus on music written by Shostakovich during the most intense period of his difficult relationship with Stalin and the Soviet regime—starting with his fall from favor in the mid-1930s, the composition and highly acclaimed premiere of his Fifth Symphony through Stalin’s death in 1953, and the premiere of the composer’s Tenth Symphony. (click here for the full announcement) The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s 134th season will open on Thursday, October 1, with an all-Russian program featuring the incomparable Evgeny Kissin, who joins Mr. Nelsons and the orchestra for Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, on a program with works by Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff. Andris Nelsons, in his second full season with the orchestra, brings the BSO’s season to a close on April 23 with a program featuring soprano Kristine Opolais in the “Letter Scene” from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. The program opens with Dutilleux’s Métaboles, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the composer’s birth; it will also include music of Rachmaninoff, Ravel, and Debussy. To honor the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, Andris Nelsons leads three programs of Shakespeare-inspired music in January and February, to include not only such popular repertoire staples as Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream music, Weber’s Overture to Oberon, music from Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet, and Tchaikovsky’s overture-fantasy of that name, but also such rarities as Strauss’s Macbeth, Dvořák’s Othello Overture, and a suite from Shostakovich’s incidental music to Hamlet, as well as Hans Werner Henze’s BSO-commissioned, Midsummer-Night’s-Dream-inspired Symphony No. 8, premiered here in 1993. Also highlighting these weeks will be a series of related events, to encompass lecture, panel discussion, and film presentations. The Shakespeare celebration also includes a new work by Danish composer Hans Abrahamsen—let me tell you, based on texts from Hamlet, featuring, in her BSO debut, Canadian soprano Barbara Hannigan; and the world premiere of American composer George Tsontakis’ Sonnets, a BSO commission written for BSO English horn player Robert Sheena. Other new works under the direction of Mr. Nelsons in 2015-16 include a BSO co-commission (with the Seattle Symphony) of American composer Sebastian Currier’s Divisions for orchestra andthe American premiere of Georgian composer Giya Kancheli’s Dixi for chorus and orchestra, featuring the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. The prestigious list of guest artists and ensembles joining Mr. Nelsons and the BSO for the 2015-16 season includes pianists Yefim Bronfman (Bartók Piano Concerto No. 2), Paul Lewis (Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3), and Nikolai Lugansky (Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini); mezzo-soprano Nadezhda Serdyuk (Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky); violinist Isabelle Faust (Berg Violin Concerto); BSO Concertmaster Malcolm Lowe and Principal Viola Steven Ansell (Mozart Sinfonia Concertante); and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus (choral works of Bach, Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky, Kancheli’s Dixi, and Strauss’s Elektra). Throughout the 2015-16 season, Mr. Nelsons continues to spotlight the orchestra through performances of such major symphonic works as Brahms’s Symphony No. 2, Bruckner’s Symphony No. 3, Debussy’s La Mer, Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet, Ravel’s La Valse, Shostakovich’s Symphonies Nos. 5, 8, and 9, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 1, Winter Daydreams, as well as Mahler’s Ninth Symphony, the work Mr. Nelsons led the first time he ever conducted the BSO, in March 2011, before becoming its music director in fall 2014. Following the BSO’s 2015-16 season at Symphony Hall, Andris Nelsons will lead the orchestra in a European tour, May 3-12, 2016 to eight cities in Germany, Austria, and Luxembourg. This will be Andris Nelsons’ second tour with the BSO; he leads his first tour as BSO music director in August/September 2015—an eight-city tour to major European capitals, including Berlin, Cologne, London, Milan, and Paris, as well as the Lucerne, Salzburg, and Grafenegg festivals. The Boston Symphony Orchestra performs October through April in internationally-acclaimed Symphony Hall, which has been consistently ranked as one of the top three concert halls in the world since its opening as the BSO’s home in 1900; information about the BSO can be found at www.bso.org. During the 2015-16 season, the BSO and Andris Nelsons also perform a three-concert series at Carnegie Hall, October 20, 21, and 22; Carnegie Hall release available here. The orchestra’s summer season takes place at Tanglewood—this country’s preeminent summer music festival and the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1937—located in the Berkshire Hills between Stockbridge and Lenox, MA; details about the 2015 Tanglewood season available at www.tanglewood.org. Click here for the complete BSO 2015-16 season listing QUOTE FROM ANDRIS NELSONS: Every aspect of the season offers something deeply special for an audience of every age and experience: from powerful Shostakovich performances and a recording cycle with the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon, to a Shakespeare festival of some of the greatest music inspired by the master writer, to new world premieres, some of the most remarkable and beloved works of our musical canon, and a wonderful list of international guest conductors and soloists. Our hope is that our performances will convey the deep passion and commitment that we feel about the music and how it has truly become food for our souls. Our greatest wish is that it will become just that for all who come to hear the BSO in the acoustical sensation that is Symphony Hall.” PROGRAM DETAILS FOR 2015-16 BSO SEASON WITH ANDRIS NELSONS ANDRIS NELSONS LEADS OPENING AND CLOSING CONCERTS OF 2015-16 SEASON Andris Nelsons, the Ray and Maria Stata Music Director, leads the final program of the 2015-16 season on April 21-23. The program will feature soprano Kristine Opolais in the “Letter Scene” from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Rachmaninoff’s Zdes’khorosho (How fair this place), Op. 21, No. 7. The program opens with Dutilleux’s Métaboles, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the composer’s birth and his longstanding ties to the BSO, dating back to the music directorship of Charles Munch and continuing through the tenures of Seiji Ozawa and James Levine. The program will also include Mr. Nelsons leading the orchestra in two core works of the French repertoire—Debussy’s La Mer and Ravel’s La Valse—music for which the Boston Symphony has been particularly well-known throughout its history. STRAUSS’S ELEKTRA WITH CHRISTINE GOERKE IN THE TITLE ROLE
SHOSTAKOVICH RECORDING AND PERFORMANCE CYLCE In addition to the opening night performance of Shostakovich Symphony No. 9 (see full opening night program description above), music of Shostakovich will be performed as part of three programs throughout the season. The BSO and Andris Nelsons will perform Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony—one of his first works to be closely watched by the Russian authorities—on a program with Berg’s Violin Concerto with soloist Isabelle Faust, November 19-21. This program will also feature the BSO and Tanglewood Festvial Chorus in Bach’s motet Komm, Jesu, komm! and chorale Es ist genug. Shostakovich’s Suite from the incidental music to Hamlet opens the February 4-6 program, the full details of which are described below under the section about the BSO’s three-week Shakespeare celebration. Shostakovich’s massive Symphony No. 8 closes the fourth program of the season to feature works of Shostakovich, March 24-26; this program opens with the American premiere of Kancheli’s Dixi for chorus and orchestra, featuring the Tanglewood Festival Orchestra, followed by Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with pianist Nikolai Lugansky. All of the performances of Shostakovich’s music will be recorded live for future release on Deutsche Grammophon. Mr. Nelsons—born in Riga, Latvia in 1978, when it was still a part of the Soviet Union—is certain to bring a unique perspective to the performances and recordings of Shostakovich’s music. One of the last conductors trained under the Soviet music tradition, and having studied extensively in St Petersburg, Andris Nelsons now represents the last of a distinct musical voice which is influenced heavily by both those great Russian masters and later those of Western Europe in the core Germanic repertoire. In conjunction with the performances and recordings of Shostakovich’s works, the BSO will provide enhanced online materials detailing the BSO’s history with Shostakovich, including Serge Koussevitzky’s close advocacy of Shostakovich’s music during his BSO music directorship, 1925-49; an interview with Andris Nelsons about his early experiences and strong ties to Shostakovich’s music; and fascinating details on the August 14, 1942 American concert premiere of Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony by the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra with Koussevitzky conducting. THREE-WEEK SHAKESPEARE CELEBRATION HONORING THE 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BARD’S DEATH Shostakovich’s suite from the incidental music to Hamlet, a program rarity, opens the February 4-6 programs, which will also include Prokofiev’s Suite from Romeo and Juliet. The highly acclaimed Canadian soprano Barbara Hannigan, in her BSO debut, will be featured in the American premiere of Hans Abrahamsens’s Hamlet-inspired let me tell you—which was given its world premiere on December 20, 2013 with the Berlin Philharmonic, with Ms. Hannigan as soloist, under the direction of Mr. Nelsons. A world premiere performance of Tsontakis’s Sonnets, written for BSO English horn player Robert Sheena, will be a highlight of the following week’s program, February 11-13, also dedicated to the Shakespeare anniversary. Strauss’s Macbeth, not performed by the BSO since 1911, opens the program, followed by Dvořák’s Othello Overture, with Tchaikovsky’s powerful Romeo and Juliet concluding the program. BSO “INSIGHTS SERIES” WITH FILM SCREENINGS, ARTIST CONVERSATIONS, AND FREE CHAMBER CONCERTS TO TAKE PLACE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BSO’S SHAKESPEARE PROJECT Highlights of the 2015-16 Insights Series, January 23-February 14, will include Monday night film screenings at Symphony Hall of seminal 20th-century Shakespeare films featuring scores by major composers; highlights will include the 1971 film King Lear (music by Shostakovich) and the 1955 film Richard III (music by Walton). “Conversations with Creators” will take place on Tuesday nights at Symphony Hall moderated by Professor Kelly. Initial plans for this project include a conversation between the actors from the BSO’s performances of Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream music and Bill Barclay of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London; a discussion of Hans Abrahamsen’s let me tell you with soprano Barbara Hannigan, writer Paul Griffiths (lyricist for the work), and the composer; and a discussion of the compositional process with George Tsontakis and BSO English horn principal Robert Sheena. Preceding the Thursday-evening Shakespeare-based BSO concerts at Symphony Hall, free chamber concerts—featuring BSO musicians and students from the New England Conservatory—will explore vocal music settings of Shakespeare works. The BSO will also produce concert preview audio podcasts and/or videos of performer interviews for dissemination via the BSO’s online Media Center. BSO INTRODUCES NEW YOUNG AUDIENCE INITIATIVE: “CASUAL FRIDAYS” The BSO’s highly successful $20 tickets for people under the age of 40, College Card, High School Card, and Rush Ticket programs—all offering significantly discounted tickets to concert-goers—will continue in the 2015-16 season. _______________________________________________________________________
IN ADDITION TO THE THIRTEEN PROGRAMS LED BY ANDRIS NELSONS DURING HIS SECOND Click here for the complete BSO 2015-16 season listing
CONDUCTORS FRANÇOIS-XAVIER ROTH AND CHARLES DUTOIT JOIN ANDRIS NELSONS IN CELELBRATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF HENRI DUTILLEUX’S BIRTH WITH PERFORMANCES OF THE COMPOSER’S LES TEMPS L’HORLOGE (ROTH, 1/14 & 16) AND TIMBRES, ESPACE, MOUVEMENT (DUTOIT, 2/25-27) (MR. NELSONS LEADS MÉTABOLES 4/21-23) BSO CONDUCTOR EMERITUS BERNARD HAITINK—CELEBRATING FORTY-FIVE YEARS AS PART OF THE BSO FAMILY THIS SEASON—LEADS MAHLER’S SYMPHONY NO. 1 AND BEETHOVEN’S PIANO CONCERTO NO. 4 WITH SOLOIST MURRAY PERAHIA (3/31-4/5) THE 2015-16 SEASON FEATURES FOUR WORLD AND AMERICAN PREMIERE PERFORMANCES, INCLUDING CHRISTOPH VON DOHNÁNYI CONDUCTING THE WORLD PREMIERE OF JEAN-FREDERIC NEUBURGER’S AUBEAND BSO ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR KEN-DAVID MASUR LEADING THE BSO IN THE AMERICAN PREMIERE OF UNSUK CHIN’S MANNEQUIN MASTER CONDUCTOR HERBERT BLOMSTEDT IS JOINED BY PIANIST GARRICK OHLSSON FOR AN
PINCHAS ZUKERMAN RETURNS TO THE BSO PODIUM AS CONDUCTOR AND SOLOIST FOR A PROGRAM OF TCHAIKOVSKY, ELGAR, AND SCHUBERT (10/29-31); MEMBERS OF THE BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PERFORM AN ALL-DVOŘÁK CONCERT WITHOUT CONDUCTOR (10/24) THREE BSO PROGRAMS THIS SEASON FEATURE BSO PRINCIPAL PLAYERS AS SOLOIST: ELIZABETH ROWE AND JESSICA ZHOU IN MOZART’S DOUBLE CONCERTO FOR FLUTE AND HARP (1/7-12 & 15); ROBERT SHEENA IN THE WORLD PREMIERE OF TSONTAKIS’S SONNETS, CONCERTO FOR ENGLISH HORN AND ORCHESTRA (2/11-12); AND MALCOLM LOWE AND STEVEN ANSELL IN MOZART’S SINFONIA CONCERTANTE FOR VIOLIN, VIOLA, AND ORCHESTRA (4/7-12) INSTRUMENTALISTS JOINING THE BSO’S 2014-15 SEASON INCLUDE PIANISTS VOCALISTS JOINING THE BSO INCLUDE SOPRANO RENÉE FLEMING (Dutilleux’s Les Temps l’Horloge and selections from Canteloube’s Songs of the Auvergne), TENOR PAUL GROVES (Berlioz’s Te Deum), MEZZO-SOPRANO DANIELA MACK, TENORS BENJAMIN HULETT AND FRANCOIS PIOLINO, AND BARITONE JEAN-LUC BALLESTRA (BSO DEBUTS), AND BASS-BARITONE DAVID WILSON-JOHNSON (Ravel’s L’Heure espagnole); THE TANGLEWOOD FESTIVAL CHORUS IS ALSO FEATURED IN BERLIOZ’S TE DEUM
BSO INTRODUCES NEW YOUNG AUDIENCE INITIATIVE: THREE BSO CASUAL FRIDAY CONCERTS OFFER PATRONS SPECIALLY PRICED TICKETS, EXCLUSIVE BEHIND-THE-SCENES DIGITAL MEDIA CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH SMARTPHONES AND TABLETS, A CHANCE TO HEAR THE CONDUCTOR AND SOLOISTS SPEAK FROM THE STAGE; IN A RELAXED ATMOSPHERE WHERE CASUAL ATTIRE AND MINGLING WITH FELLOW-CONCERT GOERS AT PRE- AND POST-CONCERT GATHERINGS IS ABSOLUTELY ENCOURAGED BSO’S HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL $20 TICKETS FOR PEOPLE UNDER 40, COLLEGE CARD, HIGH SCHOOL CARD, AND RUSH TICKET PROGRAMS—ALL OFFERING SIGNIFICANTLY DISOUNTED TICKETS TO CONCERT- GOERS—TO CONTINUE IN 2015-16 SEASON SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR THE BSO’S 2015-2016 SEASON ARE AVAILABLE NOW BY CALLING
THE 2015-16 SEASON IS SPONSORED BY In addition to the programs detailed separately that Andris Nelsons will lead during his second season as BSO Music Director, the BSO’s 2015-16 season, October 1, 2015-April 23, 2016, also features an impressive array of renowned guest conductors and legendary soloists in newer works, indispensible rarities and undisputed masterworks in the orchestral repertoire. The 135th season of the Boston Symphony Orchestra takes place October 1, 2015-April 23, 2016. Subscriptions for the BSO’s 2015-16 season are available now by calling 888-266-7575 or visiting www.bso.org. Single tickets go on sale August 3. 2015-16 BSO SEASON HIGHLIGHTS Veteran conductor Herbert Blomstedt will be joined by American pianist Garrick Ohlsson in an all-Beethoven program (3/10-15); conductor Jiři Bělohlávek returns to the podium for an all-Czech program with cellist Johannes Moser, who made his debut with the orchestra in January 2015; and Vladimir Jurowski introduces violinist Alina Ibragimova to BSO audiences with two rarely performed violin works by Hartmann and Haydn. François-Xavier Roth leads two programs focused on music with French connections, including selections from Canteloube’s Songs of the Auvergne with soprano Renée Fleming (1/7-16); world renowned musician Pinchas Zukerman will take the stage as conductor and violinist on a program of Tchaikovsky, Elgar, and Shubert (10/29-31); and French-Maestro Stéphane Denève conducts a program featuring Gil Shaham in John Williams’ Violin Concerto.
2014-15 BSO SEASON OVERVIEW OF PROGRAMS WITH GUEST CONDUCTORS CHARLES DUTOIT AND FRANÇOIS-XAVIER ROTH MARK THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF DUTILLEUX’S BIRTH WITH PERFORMANCES OF HIS WORKS In January, François-Xavier Roth conducts the song cycle Les Temps l’Horloge (originally a BSO 125th Anniversary Commission) with soprano Renée Fleming, who sang the American premiere with the BSO in 2007. This program also includes Debussy’s late orchestral work, Jeux, selections of Canteloube’s Songs of the Auvergne with Ms. Fleming, and Stravinsky’s brilliantly orchestrated Petrushka. Later in the season, Charles Dutoit will lead Dutilleux’s masterfully atmospheric Timbres, espaces, movement, a work dedicated to Charles Munch. The program will include two works by Berlioz—the Resurrexit from the Messe solennelle and the Te Deum with tenor Paul Groves, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and Voices Boston. Andris Nelsons’ season-ending program in April will feature the composer’s Métaboles. BSO FAMILY TIES Five BSO principal musicians will be featured as soloist through the BSO season. In January, Elizabeth Rowe and Jessica Zhou perform Mozart’s Double Concerto for Flute and Harp with François-Xavier Roth and the BSO. In February, BSO English horn Robert Sheena will be featured in the world premiere performances of George Tsontakis’s Sonnets for English horn and orchestra (a BSO commission, led by Andris Nelsons), and in April, Malcolm Lowe and Steven Ansell take on soloist roles for Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante for violin, viola, and orchestra with Mr. Nelsons conducting. The winds and strings of the BSO will take center stage for one night, October 24, in a conductor-less program featuring Dvořák’s Wind Serenade, Nocturne for strings, and the Serenade for Strings. RETURNING FAVORITES Massachusetts-born Swedish conductor Herbert Blomstedt is joined by American pianist Garrick Ohlsson March 10-15 for an all-Beethoven program pairing the composer’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the ever-popular Symphony No. 7. Frequent BSO guest and audience favorite Stéphane Denève leads the BSO in Jennifer Higdon’s Blue Cathedral, John Williams’ Violin Concerto with soloist Gil Shaham and Saint-Saëns’ magesterial Symphony No. 3, Organ. Czech Conductor Jiři Bělohlávek, who made his BSO subscription series debut in 2011, returns to Symphony Hall January 21-23 for an all-Czech program including Smetana’s The Moldau and Martinů’s Sixth Symphony, Fantaisies symphoniques (a BSO 75th anniversary commission premiered in 1955). German-Canadian cellist Johannes Moser, who made his debut with the BSO in January 2015, joins Mr. Bělohlávek for Dvořák’s Cello Concerto. NEW FACES PERFORMING WITH THE BSO In March, Spanish pianist Javier Perianes will make his BSO debut with conductor Charles Dutoit in Falla’s brilliant Nights in the Gardens of Spain on a program of Spanish-inspired music. Four vocalists make their BSO debuts in performances of Ravel’s one-act comedic opera, L’Heure espagnole, about a woman’s attempts to get her watchmaker husband out of the way so she can juggle her other lovers. The March 3-5 performances will feature mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack as Concepción; tenor François Piolino as her husband, Torquemada; tenor Benjamin Hulett as the poet Gonzalve, and baritone Jean-Luc Ballestra as one of her lovers, Ramiro, all in their BSO debuts. Bass-baritone David Wilson-Johnson sings the role of Don Iñigo, another of Concepción’s lovers. Russian-born violinist Alina Ibragimova will join Vladimir Jurowski February 18-20 in her BSO debut, performing two rarely heard works: Hartmann’s Concerto funèbre for violin and strings, a piece never before performed by the BSO; and Haydn’s Violin Concerto No. 1, last performed by the orchestra on just two occasions more than 30 years ago. BOSTON SYMPHONY CHAMBER PLAYERS 2015-16 SEASON
WEEK-BY-WEEK PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS OF THE BSO’S 2015-16 SEASON ANDRIS NELSONS KICKS OFF THE BSO’S 2015-16 SEASON OCTOBER 1-3 WITH THE FIRST OF TWO ALL-RUSSIAN PROGRAMS FEATURING SHOSTAKOVICH’S SYMPHONY NO. 9, TCHAIKOVSKY’S PIANO CONCERTO WITH SOLOIST EVGENY KISSIN, AND RACHMANINOFF’S SYMPHONIC DANCES MAESTRO NELSONS AND THE ORCHESTRA ARE JOINED BY MEZZO-SOPRANO NEDEZHDA SERDYUK FOR PROKOFIEV’S ALEXANDER NEVSKY, OCTOBER 6 & 16 PIANIST PAUL LEWIS JOINS ANDRIS NELSONS AND THE BSO FOR BEETHOVEN’S PIANO CONCERTO
SOPRANO CHRISTINE GOERKE JOINS ANDRIS NELSONS, THE BSO, TANGLEWOOD FESTIVAL CHORUS, AND A CAST OF DISTINGUISHED VOCALISTS FOR CONCERT PERFORMANCES OF STRAUSS’S ELEKTRA, OCTOBER 15 & 17
PINCHAS ZUKERMAN LEADS THE ORCHESTRA AS CONDUCTOR AND VIOLINIST OCTOBER 29-31
BSO ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR KEN-DAVID MASUR LEADS THE BSO IN THE AMERICAN PREMIERE OF UNSUK CHIN’S MANNEQUIN, AS WELL AS SCHUMANN’S SYMPHONY NO. 3 AND LISZT’S TOTENTANZ WITH PIANIST LOUIS LORTIE IN HIS BSO SUBSCRIPTION DEBUT, NOVEMBER 5-10 GERMAN MAESTRO CHRISTOPH VON DOHNÁNYI CONDUCTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF JEAN-FREDERIC NEUBURGER’S AUBE ON A PROGRAM FEATURING MARTIN HELMCHEN IN BEETHOVEN’S PIANO CONCERTO NO. 5, EMPEROR, NOVEMBER 12-14 ANDRIS NELSONS, JOINED BY VIOLINIST ISABELLE FAUST AND THE TANGLEWOOD FESTIVAL CHORUS, RETURNS TO SYMPHONY HALL FOR MUSIC OF BACH, BERG, AND SHOSTAKOVICH, NOVEMBER 19-21 PIANIST YEFIM BRONFMAN JOINS ANDRIS NELSONS AND THE BSO FOR BARTÓK’S PIANO CONCERTO NO 2; NELSONS ALSO LEADS HAYDN SYMPHONY NO. 30 AND TCHAIKOVSKY SYMPHONY NO. 1, NOVEMBER 24-28
BSO PRINCIPALS ELIZABETH ROWE AND JESSICA ZHOU FEATURE IN MOZART’S DOUBLE CONCERTO FOR FLUTE AND HARP ON THE FIRST OF TWO PROGRAMS LED BY FRANÇOIS-XAVIER ROTH, JANUARY 7-12 FRANÇOIS-XAVIER LEADS HIS SECOND FRENCH-INSPIRED PROGRAM WITH WORLD FAMOUS SOPRANO RENÉE FLEMING AS SOLOIST, JANUARY 14 & 16 The program on Friday, February 15, will feature BSO principals Elizabeth Rowe and Jessica Zhou in Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp along with Stravinsky’s Petrushka. JIŘI BELOHLÁVEK LEADS AN ALL-CZECH PROGRAM FEATURING CELLIST JOHANNES MOSER IN DVOŘÁK’S CELLO CONCERTO, JANUARY 21-23 ANDRIS NELSONS LEADS THE BSO IN THREE PROGRAMS HONORING SHAKESPEARE, HONORING THE 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BARD’S DEATH; JANUARY 28-FEBRUARY 2 PROGRAM DEDICATED TO WORKS INSPIRED BY A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM FEBERUARY 4-6 PROGRAM FEATURES WORKS INSPIRED BY HAMLET AND ROMEO AND JULIET BSO ENGLISH HORN ROBERT SHEENA IS SOLOIST IN THE WORLD PREMIERE OF GEORGE TSONTAKIS’S SONNETS, FEBRUARY 11-13, ON A PROGRAM WITH MUSIC INSPIRED BY MACBETH, OTHELLO, AND ROMEO AND JULIET RUSSIAN CONDUCTOR VLADIMIR JUROWSKI RETURNS TO THE BSO PODIUM FEBRAURY 18-20 WITH VIOLINIST ALINA IBRAGIMOVA (IN HER BSO DEBUT) FEATURED IN TWO RARELY PERFORMED WORKS CHARLES DUTOIT LEADS BERLIOZ’S TE DEUM FEATURING TENOR PAUL GROVES, THE TANGLEWOOD FESTIVAL CHORUS, AND VOICES BOSTON, FEBRUARY 25-27 MAESTRO DUTOIT LEADS A PROGRAM OF SPANISH-FLAVORED MUSIC BY RAVEL AND FALLA, MARCH 3-5 HERBERT BLOMSTEDT IS JOINED BY PIANIST GARRICK OHLSSON FOR AN ALL-BEETHOVEN PROGRAM, MARCH 10-15
FRENCH CONDUCTOR STÉPHANE DENÈVE JOINS THE BSO MARCH 17-19 FOR MUSIC OF HIGDON, WILLIAMS, AND SAINT-SAËNS, WITH GUEST VIOLINIST GIL SHAHAM ANDRIS NELSONS LEADS THE AMERICAN PREMIERE OF GIYA KANCHELI’S DIXI ON A PROGRAM INCLUDING MUSIC BY RACHMANINOFF AND SHOSTAKOVICH, MARCH 24-29 On Tuesday, March 29, Shostakovich’s suite from the incidental music to Hamlet replaces Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini on this program. BSO CONDUCTOR EMERITUS BERNARD HAITINK CELEBRATES 45 YEARS AS PART OF THE BSO FAMILY WITH PERFORMANCES OF MAHLER’S SYMPHONY NO. 1 AND BEETHOVEN’S PIANO CONCERTO NO. 4 WITH SOLOIST MURRAY PERAHIA, MARCH 31-APRIL 5
MAESTRO NELSONS CONDUCTS BRUCKNER’S SYMPHONY NO. 3 AND MOZART’S SINFONIA CONCERTANTE FOR VIOLIN, VIOLA, AND ORCHESTRA WITH BSO PRINCIPALS MALCOLM LOWE AND STEVEN ANSELL, APRIL 7-12 ANDRIS NELSONS CONDUCTORS MAHLER’S NINTH SYMPHONY, APRIL 14-19
ANDRIS NELSONS AND THE BSO CLOSE THE 2015-16 SEASON APRIL 21-23 WITH SOPRANO KRISTINE OPOLAIS ON A PROGRAM FEATURING WORKS BY DUTILLEUX, RACHMANINOFF, TCHAIKOVSKY, DEBUSSY, AND RAVEL TICKET, SPONSORSHIP, AND OTHER PATRON INFORMATION A limited number of Rush Tickets for Boston Symphony Orchestra subscription concerts on Tuesday, Thursday, 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. For Friday afternoon concerts Rush Tickets are available beginning at 10 a.m. For Tuesday and Thursday evening concerts Rush Tickets are available beginning at 5 p.m. The BSO’s <40=$20 program allows patrons under the age of 40 to purchase tickets for $20. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis on both the orchestra and balcony levels. There is a limit of one pair per performance, but patrons may attend as many performances as desired. The Boston Symphony Orchestra offers groups advanced ticket reservations and flexible payment options for BSO concerts at Symphony Hall. Groups of 20 or more may take advantage of ticket discounts, backstage tours, clinics, and master classes. Pre- and post-concert dining options and private function space are available. More information is available through the group sales office at [email protected] The BSO College Card and High School Card are the best way for students and aspiring young musicians to experience the BSO on a regular basis. For only $25 (College Card) or $10 (High School Card) students can attend most BSO concerts at no additional cost by registering the card online to receive notifications of ticket availability. American Express, MasterCard, Visa, Diners Club, and Discover (in person or by mail) and cash (in person only) are all accepted at the Symphony Hall Box Office. 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 Access Services Administrator at 617-638-9431 or TDD/TTY 617-638-9289. EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES AT SYMPHONY HALL This season will introduce “Casual Fridays,” encouraging both patrons and the orchestra to come dressed in comfortable clothing. The three evening “Casual Friday” concerts in January, February, and March are priced from $25-$45 and will feature both a pre-concert reception and post-concert reception with live music until midnight. In addition, a limited number of iPads will be distributed to concert-goers with pre-loaded content related to the evening’s performance including music scores, program notes, and guest artist information. “BSO 101: Are You Listening?” returns in 2015-16. In this popular Wednesday-evening series, BSO Director of Program Publications Marc Mandel is joined by members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for presentations designed to enhance one’s listening abilities and general appreciation of music by focusing on works from the BSO’s repertoire. No prior musical training, or attendance at any previous session, is required, since each session is self-contained. Each of these “BSO 101” sessions takes place from 5:30-6:45 p.m., and each is followed by a free guided tour of Symphony Hall, as well as a reception offering beverages, hors d’oeuvres, and further time to share thoughts with other attendees. Though the “BSO 101” sessions are free, please note that there is a nominal charge for the reception. Full details of the 2015-16 “BSO 101” schedule will be announced at a later date. The popular Friday Preview Talks continue to take place from 12:15-12:45 p.m. before each Friday-afternoon subscription concert; the Symphony Hall doors open at 11:30 a.m. Given by BSO Director of Program Publications Marc Mandel, Assistant Director of Program Publications Robert Kirzinger, and occasional guest speakers, these informative half-hour talks incorporate recorded examples from the music to be performed. The BSO also offers talks before each of the season’s four Thursday-morning Open Rehearsals at Symphony Hall. These take place from 9:30-10 a.m. The Symphony Hall doors open at 9 a.m., and the Open Rehearsal itself begins at 10:30 a.m. Admission to the Friday Preview Talks and Open Rehearsal Talks is free of charge free to ticket holders for the Friday-afternoon subscription concerts and Thursday-morning Open Rehearsals. Paid content includes digital music downloads produced and published under the BSO’s music label BSO Classics and includes performances by the BSO, Boston Pops, Boston Symphony Chamber Players, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and Tanglewood Music Center Fellows. The BSO Media Center is available by visiting BSO.org/mediacenter. BSO.org is mobile device compatible. Patrons can visit BSO.org on their mobile device to access performance schedules, purchase tickets as well as pre-performance food and beverages, download program notes, listen to radio broadcasts, music clips, and concert previews, watch video exclusives, and make donations to the BSO—all in the palm of their hand. FOOD SERVICES AT SYMPHONY HALL Additionally, casual pre-concert and intermission dining, including sandwiches, light appetizers, and desserts, is available at the bars in Symphony Hall’s Cabot-Cahners Room and O’Block-Kay Room. Light appetizers and sandwiches can also be ordered and picked up at the snack bar outside the O’Block-Kay Room. A tapas style menu is available in the Symphony Café Lounge area alongside Huntington Avenue. Reservations for the Lounge can be made by calling 617-638-9328. Patrons can order in advance a pre-concert package that features an appetizer and half-bottle of wine and they can also take advantage of the hall-wide beverage service by purchasing beverage coupons in advance through the BSO’s website at www.bso.org/dining. SYMPHONY HALL SHOP AND TOURS The Boston Symphony Association of Volunteers offers weekly public and private tours of Symphony Hall during the BSO and Pops seasons. For more information on taking an Irving W. and Charlotte F. Rabb Symphony Hall tour, please visit us at www.bso.org. You may also email [email protected], or call 617-638-9390 to confirm specific dates and times. Schedules are subject to change. SPONSORSHIPS As a company with employees and clients in more than 40 countries around the world, Bank of America is committed to a diverse program of cultural support, designed to engage individuals, organizations, communities and cultures in creative ways to build mutual respect and understanding of the arts. By partnering with our stakeholders, we create shared value that empowers individuals and communities to thrive and contributes to the long-term success of our business. Bank of America is one of the world’s leading corporate supporters of the arts, supporting thousands of arts organizations worldwide. For additional information, please visit: http://museums.bankofamerica.com/arts/Default.aspx “The BSO attracts visitors from around the world with engaging programming and a history steeped in powerful performances,” said Bob Gallery, Bank of America Massachusetts president. “It’s long been a source of pride for the Massachusetts arts community, and a driver of local economies from Boston to the Berkshires.” The BSO is proud to announce that the Arbella Insurance Foundation, a longtime sponsor, will continue its support this season with its sponsorship of the BSO College Card and BSO Youth and Family Concerts. Fairmont Copley Plaza begins its 14th season as the Official Hotel of the BSO, and Commonwealth Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation begins its 13th season as the Official Chauffeured Transportation Provider of the BSO. # # # |