2011/12 Season Catalog

2011/12

EPIC MUSIC

Join us for a season of traditional and innovative musical explorations

INTIMATE

SOUND

CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Global Sponsor of the CSO

RICCARDO MUTI Music Director

SYMPHONY CENTER PRESENTS

312-294-3000 • CSO.ORG

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RICCARDO MUTI Music Director

World’s Best. Chicago’s Own. • 312-294-3000 • cso.org

AN EXCITING SEASON DEAR FRIENDS, I am delighted to share with you the 2011/12 Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Center Presents season. The music we have selected to perform and present will take the musicians of the CSO and you, our audience, on a fantastic journey.

During this season, we look back 100 years, to a time when music was changing in ways people never anticipated. A time when our orchestra was inventing itself within a changing world. A time when traditions began and foundations were built to ensure that we would be where we are today—an unparalleled orchestra in a wonderful city, both held in the highest regard by people around the world.

The responsibility of maintaining this global reputation is something I take very seriously. I look forward to upholding the values of artistic excellence and bringing forward new traditions that keep the Chicago Symphony Orchestra committed to serving all audiences and the city of Chicago. I look forward to celebrating the 2011/12 season with you.

Sincerely,

Riccardo Muti Music Director

12 F RIDAY MATINE E S ............................................................................. 16 F RIDAY E VE NINGS ............................................................................. 18 S ATU RDAY E VE NINGS ......................................................................... 20 S U BS C RIBE R RE WARD S & S E ATING GU ID E ......................................... 22 S E AS O N G RI D ................................................... Center fold-out S U NDAY MATINE E S ............................................................................ 28 TU E S DAY E VE NINGS .......................................................................... 30 BE YOND TH E S C ORE ........................................................................ 32 AF TE RWORK MAS TE RWORKS ............................................................ 33 F RIDAY NIGH T AT TH E MOVIE S ........................................................... 34 SYMP H ONY BALL ............................................................................... 34 C S O S P E C IAL C ONC E RTS ................................................................... 35 SYMP H ONY C E NTE R P RE S E NTS C H AMBE R MU S IC S E RIE S ................... 36 SYMP H ONY C E NTE R P RE S E NTS ORC H E S TRA S E RIE S .......................... 37 SYMP H ONY C E NTE R P RE S E NTS P IANO S E RIE S ................................... 38 Musi cNOW ......................................................................................... 40 SYMP H ONY C E NTE R P RE S E NTS JAZZ S E RIE S ..................................... 40 C S O FAMILY MATINE E S ...................................................................... 41 H OLIDAY C ONC E RTS .......................................................................... 42 SYMP H ONY C E NTE R P RE S E NTS S P E C IAL C ONC E RTS .......................... 43 TH U RS DAY E VE NINGS ........................................................................

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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In the 2011/12 season, the CSO examines a RICH PERIOD IN MUSIC HISTORY from a century ago.

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EXUBERANT ERA

he Chicago Symphony Orchestra examines a time in history that parallels today, with a spectrum of musical styles. One hundred years ago, composers such as Mahler, Strauss, Debussy and Stravinsky created works reflective of the changing world around them. Works that were both groundbreaking and traditional lived in equal exuberance. The CSO takes audiences on a journey offering 21st-century insights into these pieces and examining how the past informed the future then, and how that cycle continues today.

November 10–15 RAVEL SUITE No. 2 FROM DAPHNIS AND CHLOE Commissioned in 1909, Ravel’s sumptuous ballet score Daphnis and Chloe, one of the landmarks of the orchestral repertoire, tells the tragic tale of an unlucky couple. Ravel’s fascination with the past comes to life with rich and unforgettable orchestral colors.

November 17–20 STRAUSS EIN HELDENLEBEN

February 24–28 SCHOENBERG PIERROT LUNAIRE

A CSO favorite, Ein Heldenleben is a musical self-portrait on the grandest scale, and a display of orchestral virtuosity like no other.

It’s full of fascinating references and inside jokes, with musical nods to Strauss’ heroes Wagner and Beethoven.

Using a variety of classical forms, Schoenberg brings the story of Pierrot, Columbine and Brighella vividly to life in a melodrama based on poems by Albert Giraud. Schoenberg’s fascination with numerology is evident in Opus 21, which contains 21 poems and was begun on March 12, 1912.

Gris, Juan (1887-1927). Harlequin with Guitar. 1919. Oil on canvas.

Photo Credit: CNAC/MNAM/Dist. Réunion des Musées Nationaux/Art Resource, NY, Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France

World’s Best. Chicago’s Own. • 312-294-3000 • cso.org

GROUNDBREAKING & TIMELESS THE CSO PAYS TRIBUTE TO GUSTAV MAHLER In the year that marks the centenary of Gustav Mahler’s death, the CSO examines a composer who truly bridged the eras of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Mahler remains one of the orchestral repertoire’s most prominent and significant composers and his influence continues to be heard today.

Riccardo Muti

Bernard Haitink

Esa-Pekka Salonen

Pierre Boulez

October 6–8 MAHLER’S FAREWELL

December 1–3 MAHLER 1

December 15–17 MAHLER 6

Riccardo Muti pays tribute to the revolutionary composer with a special reprise of the final concert program Mahler conducted in New York City before his death, which featured Romantic Italian music.

Energetic Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden leads Mahler’s groundbreaking First Symphony, a gorgeous cornucopia of musical memories and dreams filled with folk tunes, children’s songs, Klezmer music and Viennese waltzes.

October 20–22 MAHLER 4

December 8–10 MAHLER BLUMINE

Renowned Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen returns to lead the Orchestra in Mahler’s dramatic Sixth Symphony. From the opening march to the searing finale with its famous hammer blows, this is Mahler’s most deeply personal work—one he originally titled Tragic.

Mahler’s Fourth Symphony artfully paints the sublime and the comic, the grotesque and the beautiful, the awkward and the graceful.

Former CSO principal conductor Bernard Haitink returns to continue our Mahler tribute.

A short lyrical piece featuring a tender trumpet solo, Blumine was originally the second movement from Mahler’s First Symphony.

Mahler removed the movement after just three performances of the First Symphony.

This early composition foreshadows the distinct techniques Mahler used throughout his career.

March 1–3 MAHLER DAS LIED VON DER ERDE CSO Helen Regenstein Conductor Emeritus Pierre Boulez leads the CSO in this final installment of our season-long exploration of Mahler. Das Lied von der Erde is more symphony than song cycle, the sonorous vocal lines weaving in and out of the rich orchestral texture.

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The unique chemistry between Maestro Muti and the CSO continues with a season of EPIC AND INTIMATE concerts.

ELECTRIFYING EXPERIENCE

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rom Orff’s exhilarating Carmina burana to Brahms’ cheerful Symphony No. 2,

Maestro Muti takes audiences into dramatic worlds through timeless masterpieces and epic works of the orchestral repertoire. In June, Muti will also lead Beyond the Score®, the CSO’s acclaimed multimedia series, featuring Beethoven’s groundbreaking Fifth Symphony. Riccardo Muti and the CSO are an exceptional tour de force, exploring musical horizons while also continuing to uphold the grand traditions of our long history.

World’s Best. Chicago’s Own. • 312-294-3000 • cso.org

CONTEMPORARY & CLASSIC BOLD SOUNDS AND BELOVED MASTERPIECES

September 23 & 27 MUTI AND DUFOUR

January 26–31 MUTI CONDUCTS CARMINA BURANA

June 14–19 MUTI CONDUCTS BEETHOVEN 5

Riccardo Muti conductor Maria Grazia Schiavo soprano Max Emanuel Cencic countertenor Stéphane Degout baritone Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Orff Carmina burana

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti conductor Ildar Abdrazakov bass Prokofiev The Meeting of the Volga and the Don Shostakovich Suite on Verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti Beethoven Symphony No. 5

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti conductor Yefim Bronfman piano Verdi Overture to Giovanna d’Arco Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2 Verdi “The Four Seasons” from I vespri siciliani

March 7–10 MUTI AND ZUKERMAN

June 15­& 17 BEYOND THE SCORE ® : BEETHOVEN 5

September 30–October 4 MUTI CONDUCTS LISZT’S BICENTENNIAL

March 15­–17 MUTI CONDUCTS CHERUBINI REQUIEM

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti conductor Michele Campanella piano Eric Cutler tenor Men of the Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Wagner Huldigungsmarsch Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 Liszt A Faust Symphony

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti conductor Alberto Mizrahi narrator Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Brahms Schicksalslied for Chorus and Orchestra Schoenberg Kol Nidre Cherubini Requiem in C Minor

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti conductor Mathieu Dufour flute Rota Suite from The Leopard Ibert Flute Concerto Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5

September 24 SYMPHONY BALL

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti conductor Pinchas Zukerman violin Brahms Violin Concerto Brahms Symphony No. 2

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti conductor Gerard McBurney narrator and host Beethoven Symphony No. 5

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EXTRAORDINARY FAMILY Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus Yo-Yo Ma

Riccardo Muti

Duain Wolfe

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Pierre Boulez and Bernard Haitink

Anna Clyne and Mason Bates

he finest musical talent the world has to offer can be heard right here in Chicago at Symphony Center. Music Director

Riccardo Muti leads the CSO with his inspired vision and commitment, supported by Helen Regenstein Conductor Emeritus Pierre Boulez and former Principal Conductor Bernard Haitink. Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant and world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma spearheads the Citizen Musician initiative, engaging our community through the power of music. Mead Composers-inResidence Mason Bates and Anna Clyne curate innovative MusicNOW programs and contribute original works to CSO concerts.

The Chicago Symphony Chorus, under the direction of Duain Wolfe, lend their powerful voices to choral works and celebrations.

And our very own CSO members demonstrate their extraordinary talents each week, with several featured as soloists during the 2011/12 season.

World’s Best. Chicago’s Own. • 312-294-3000 • cso.org

MUSIC MAKERS & VISIONARIES CSO’s OWN CONDUCTORS, COMPOSERS AND COLLABORATORS

Mathieu Dufour

Robert Chen

Pierre-Laurent Aimard

J. Lawrie Bloom

September 23 & 27 MUTI AND DUFOUR

December 1–3 MAHLER 1

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti conductor Mathieu Dufour flute Rota Suite from The Leopard Ibert Flute Concerto Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Jaap van Zweden conductor David McGill bassoon Stucky Rhapsodies for Orchestra Mozart Bassoon Concerto Mahler Symphony No. 1

October 13–18 MÄLKKI AND BLOOM

February 2–7 MUTI CONDUCTS BATES

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Susanna Mälkki conductor J. Lawrie Bloom bass clarinet Ives The Unanswered Question Musgrave Autumn Sonata Ives Three Places in New England Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra

October 20–22 HAITINK CONDUCTS MAHLER 4 Chicago Symphony Orchestra Bernard Haitink conductor Frank Peter Zimmermann violin Klara Ek soprano Berg Violin Concerto Mahler Symphony No. 4

October 27–29 HAITINK CONDUCTS HAYDN THE CREATION Chicago Symphony Orchestra Bernard Haitink conductor Klara Ek soprano Ian Bostridge tenor Hanno Müller-Brachmann bass-baritone Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Haydn The Creation

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti conductor Honegger Pacific 231 Bates Alternative Energy [CSO commission, world premiere] Franck Symphony in D Minor

February 9–11 MUTI CONDUCTS CLYNE Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti conductor Schubert Entr’acte No. 3 from Rosamunde Clyne New Work [CSO commission, world premiere] Schubert Symphony No. 9 (Great)

February 25 & 28 BOULEZ CONDUCTS THE SOLDIER’S TALE Chicago Symphony Orchestra Pierre Boulez conductor Kiera Duffy soprano Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano Stravinsky The Soldier’s Tale Schoenberg Pierrot lunaire

Christopher Martin

David McGill

March 1–3 BOULEZ CONDUCTS MAHLER Chicago Symphony Orchestra Pierre Boulez conductor Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano Michelle DeYoung mezzo-soprano Stuart Skelton tenor Schoenberg Piano Concerto Mahler Das Lied von der Erde

March 22 & 24 PETRENKO, HAMELIN AND MARTIN Chicago Symphony Orchestra Kirill Petrenko conductor Marc-André Hamelin piano Christopher Martin trumpet Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1 Rachmaninov Symphony No. 3

May 10 & 11 YO-YO MA PLAYS HAYDN Chicago Symphony Orchestra Ton Koopman conductor Yo-Yo Ma cello Haydn Symphony No. 6 (Le matin) Haydn Cello Concerto in D Major Mozart Symphony No. 20

June 23 & 24 MUTI AND CHEN Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti conductor Robert Chen violin Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1 Bruckner Symphony No. 6

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“Whether played in the comfort of your home, in collaboration with friends or on stage with a full orchestra, the piano is a versatile and accessible instrument that opens unlimited avenues of expression and creativity to the performer. As artists, we want to explore these possibilities, how the piano speaks to us today in its various forms.” —EMANUEL AX

EXPRESSIVE

AFFAIR

Emanuel Ax

Bill Charlap

Trevor Pinnock

Gerard McBurney

Stephen Hough

World’s Best. Chicago’s Own. • 312-294-3000 • cso.org

KEYS TO THE CITY PIANO FESTIVAL MAY 20 –JUNE 12, 2012 The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Center Presents’ 2011/12 season explores the wide-ranging repertoire of the piano, culminating in a three-week festival from May 20 to June 12. Since Bartolomeo Cristofori built the very first piano over 300 years ago, the instrument has become a favorite among all music-lovers, young or old, amateur or professional, classical or jazz. Piano Festival curator and frequent CSO collaborator Emanuel Ax has assembled an array of engaging recitals, dynamic symphonic concerts and captivating collaborations that delve into the varied facets of the piano in genres ranging from classical to jazz to pop.

May 20 EMANUEL AX piano with special guests DONG-HYEK LIM, ORION WEISS and MARY SAUER

May 26 PIANO AFTER DARK featuring IGUDESMAN & JOO and EMANUEL AX

Known for his poetic temperament and unsurpassed virtuosity, Emanuel Ax returns to Symphony Center as curator of the 2012 Keys to the City Piano Festival. He will be joined by special guests in a recital showcasing piano works for four hands. The orchestral versions of these works will be featured on CSO concerts during the festival.

May 27 CHICAGO PIANO DAY

May 22 GERSHWIN RHAPSODY IN BLUE Chicago Symphony Orchestra David Robertson conductor Emanuel Ax piano Orion Weiss piano Dong-Hyek Lim piano Ravel Mother Goose Suite Mozart Concerto for Two Pianos Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue Ravel La valse

May 24–26 AX PLAYS BEETHOVEN EMPEROR Chicago Symphony Orchestra David Robertson conductor Emanuel Ax piano Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances

May 25 JAZZ PIANO SHOWCASE Pianists to include: Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes Join us for a special celebration of the stylistic spectrum of jazz piano.

Join us for a late-night treat at Symphony Center when internet sensation Igudesman & Joo take the stage with their unique and humorous approach to the piano as a collaborative instrument.

David Hyde Pierce and Emanuel Ax host a day of free events at Symphony Center, celebrating the piano in its many forms and pianists of all ages. Delve into the rich history of the instrument and enjoy a wide variety of performances by pianists from near and far.

Calling all amateur pianists—stay tuned for more information about opportunities to participate as a performer! FREE

May 29 EVOLUTION OF THE PIANO CONCERTO Civic Orchestra of Chicago Gerard McBurney host Join host Gerard McBurney and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago for an in-depth exploration of the piano concerto’s evolution from Vivaldi to Bartók. FREE

June 3 THE COLLABORATIVE PIANIST JEREMY DENK piano with guests including: STEFAN JACKIW violin Jeremy Denk and others perform a unique and innovative recital exploring the role of a “collaborative pianist” and what it takes to create a solid artistic partnership on an intimate scale.

June 7 & 8 BEETHOVEN TRIPLE CONCERTO Chicago Symphony Orchestra Trevor Pinnock conductor Stefan Jackiw violin Pavel Gomziakov cello Kristian Bezuidenhout piano Debussy Marche écossaise Beethoven Triple Concerto Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3 (Scottish)

June 9 & 12 MOZART CONCERTO FOR THREE PIANOS Chicago Symphony Orchestra Trevor Pinnock conductor and piano Kristian Bezuidenhout piano Stephen Hough piano Debussy Marche écossaise Mozart Concerto for Three Pianos Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3 (Scottish)

June 10 SYMPOSIUM: MUSIC FOR KEYBOARDS, ANCIENT AND MODERN Trevor Pinnock piano Kristian Bezuidenhout piano Gerard McBurney narrator Today, the piano, with its familiar 88 black and white keys, is a beloved instrument played throughout the world. But once upon a time, other keyboard instruments reigned supreme.

Trevor Pinnock, Kristian Bezuidenhout and Gerard McBurney combine forces to explore music written throughout the centuries for the piano and its predecessors. FREE

June 10 STEPHEN HOUGH piano

Beethoven Sonata in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2 (Moonlight) Hough Empty Branches Scriabin Sonata No. 4 in F-sharp Major Scriabin Sonata No. 5, Op. 53 Liszt Sonata in B Minor

STAY TUNED! More information about the Keys to the City Piano Festival will be announced in the coming months.

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THURSDAY A 10 CONCERTS AT 8:00 / 5 CONCERT SERIES: THU F OR THU G OCT

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October 13 F MÄLKKI CONDUCTS STRAUSS Susanna Mälkki conductor J. Lawrie Bloom bass clarinet Ives The Unanswered Question Musgrave Autumn Sonata Ives Three Places in New England Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra

October 27 G HAYDN’S CREATION Bernard Haitink conductor Klara Ek soprano Ian Bostridge tenor Hanno Müller-Brachmann bass-baritone Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Haydn The Creation

November 17 F STRAUSS EIN HELDENLEBEN

Jaap van Zweden

Semyon Bychkov conductor Katia Labèque piano Marielle Labèque piano Poulenc Concerto for Two Pianos Strauss Ein Heldenleben

December 1 G MAHLER 1 David McGill

Jaap van Zweden conductor David McGill bassoon Stucky Rhapsodies for Orchestra Mozart Bassoon Concerto Mahler Symphony No. 1

THURSDAY A SERIES HIGHLIGHTS: December is “Mahler Month” at Symphony Center! Energetic Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden leads Mahler’s groundbreaking First Symphony, a gorgeous cornucopia of musical memories and dreams filled with folk tunes, children’s songs, Klezmer music and Viennese waltzes.

Shostakovich described the subjects of his Suite on Verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti, composed shortly before his death, as “wisdom, love, creation, death and immortality.” It will be sung by Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov, familiar to Chicago audiences from Riccardo Muti’s landmark Verdi Requiem performances. This reflective work is contrasted with Muti’s charged and riveting approach to Beethoven’s seminal Fifth Symphony.

January 19 G DVOŘÁK 8 Manfred Honeck conductor Till Fellner piano Strauss Overture to Die Fledermaus Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 Dvořák Symphony No. 8

February 9 F MUTI CONDUCTS SCHUBERT Riccardo Muti conductor Schubert Entr’acte No. 3 from Rosamunde Clyne New Work [CSO commission, world premiere] Schubert Symphony No. 9 (Great)

March 22 F RUSSIAN MASTERS Kirill Petrenko conductor Marc-André Hamelin piano Christopher Martin trumpet Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1 Rachmaninov Symphony No. 3

April 12 G DUTOIT CONDUCTS DEBUSSY Charles Dutoit conductor Gautier Capuçon cello Dukas La Péri Dutilleux Tout un monde lointain…

Debussy Images

May 10 F YO-YO MA PLAYS HAYDN Ton Koopman conductor Yo-Yo Ma cello Haydn Symphony No. 6 (Le matin) Haydn Cello Concerto in D Major Mozart Symphony No. 20

June 14 G MUTI CONDUCTS BEETHOVEN 5 Riccardo Muti conductor Ildar Abdrazakov bass Prokofiev The Meeting of the Volga and the Don Shostakovich Suite on Verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti Beethoven Symphony No. 5

World’s Best. Chicago’s Own. • 312-294-3000 • cso.org

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THURSDAY B 10 CONCERTS AT 8:00 / 5 CONCERT SERIES: THU H OR THU I

October 6 H MAHLER’S FAREWELL Riccardo Muti conductor Gerhard Oppitz piano Sinigaglia Overture to Le baruffe chiozzotte Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4 (Italian) Martucci Piano Concerto No. 2 Busoni Berceuse élégiaque Bossi Intermezzi from Goldoniani

November 3 I HANDEL’S WATER MUSIC Bernard Labadie conductor Richard Paré organ Handel Organ Concerto No. 1 in G Minor Handel Organ Concerto No. 4 in F Major Handel Water Music (complete)

December 15 H MAHLER 6 Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor Baird Dodge violin Matheson Violin Concerto [CSO co-commission, world premiere] Mahler Symphony No. 6

Mahler

Das Lied von der Erde

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January 5 I BERLIOZ, BYRON AND SHAKESPEARE

April 5 H DUTOIT CONDUCTS STRAUSS

Sir Mark Elder conductor Lawrence Power viola Berlioz The Corsair Overture Berlioz Queen Mab Scherzo and Romeo at the Tomb of the Capulets from Romeo and Juliet Readings from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Berlioz Harold in Italy

Charles Dutoit conductor John Sharp cello Charles Pikler viola Nikolai Lugansky piano Strauss Don Quixote Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3

February 2 H MUTI CONDUCTS FRANCK

Jaap van Zweden conductor Program to include: Haydn Symphony No. 92 (Oxford) Beethoven Symphony No. 7

Riccardo Muti conductor Honegger Pacific 231 Bates Alternative Energy [CSO commission, world premiere] Franck Symphony in D Minor

March 1 I MAHLER DAS LIED VON DER ERDE Pierre Boulez conductor Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano Michelle DeYoung mezzo-soprano Stuart Skelton tenor Schoenberg Piano Concerto Mahler Das Lied von der Erde

May 17 I BEETHOVEN 7

May 31 H RAPSODIE ESPAGNOLE Ludovic Morlot conductor Stewart Goodyear piano Women of the Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Messiaen Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine Falla Nights in the Gardens of Spain Ravel Rapsodie espagnole

March 15 I MUTI CONDUCTS CHERUBINI REQUIEM Riccardo Muti conductor Alberto Mizrahi narrator Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Brahms Schicksalslied for Chorus and Orchestra Schoenberg Kol Nidre Cherubini Requiem in C Minor

THURSDAY B SERIES HIGHLIGHTS: Renowned Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen returns to lead the Orchestra in Mahler’s dramatic Sixth Symphony. From the opening march to the searing finale with its famous hammer blows, this is Mahler’s most deeply personal work—one he originally titled Tragic. This program concludes our December tribute to Gustav Mahler and his monumental orchestral works.

CSO Helen Regenstein Conductor Emeritus Pierre Boulez leads the CSO in the final installment of our season-long exploration of Mahler. Das Lied von der Erde is more symphony than song cycle, the sonorous vocal lines weaving in and out of the rich orchestral texture. “Michelle DeYoung, a proven Mahler singer, brought an earthy yet sumptuous voice and beautifully direct emotional expression to her singing, especially her poignant account of The Farewell.”—The New York Times

RICCARDO MUTI Music Director

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THURSDAY C 10 CONCERTS AT 8:00 / 5 CONCERT SERIES: THU D OR THU E OCT

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October 20 D MAHLER 4 Bernard Haitink conductor Frank Peter Zimmermann violin Klara Ek soprano Berg Violin Concerto Mahler Symphony No. 4

November 10 E RAVEL DAPHNIS AND CHLOE Stéphane Denève conductor Leonidas Kavakos violin Prokofiev Suite from The Love for Three Oranges Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2 Roussel The Spider’s Feast Ravel Suite No. 2 from Daphnis and Chloe

December 8 D TILSON THOMAS CONDUCTS BEETHOVEN Michael Tilson Thomas conductor Jeremy Denk piano Mahler Blumine Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 Brahms, orch. Schoenberg Piano Quartet No. 1

January 12 E TCHAIKOVSKY, ELGAR AND SHAKESPEARE

March 29 E UCHIDA PLAYS MOZART

Sir Mark Elder conductor Delius The Walk to the Paradise Garden Elgar Falstaff Rimsky-Korsakov Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet

Mitsuko Uchida conductor and piano Stravinsky Concerto in D Major for String Orchestra Mozart Piano Concerto No. 9 (Jeunehomme) Mozart Adagio and Fugue in C Minor Mozart Piano Concerto No. 18

January 26 D MUTI CONDUCTS CARMINA BURANA

May 24 D AX PLAYS BEETHOVEN EMPEROR

Riccardo Muti conductor Maria Grazia Schiavo soprano Max Emanuel Cencic countertenor Stéphane Degout baritone Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Orff Carmina burana

David Robertson conductor Emanuel Ax piano Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances

February 23 D CHABRIER AND BIZET Alain Altinoglu conductor Chabrier España Bizet Symphony in C Schmitt La tragédie de Salomé

March 8 E MUTI AND ZUKERMAN

June 7 E BEETHOVEN TRIPLE CONCERTO Trevor Pinnock conductor Stefan Jackiw violin Pavel Gomziakov cello Kristian Bezuidenhout piano Debussy Marche écossaise Beethoven Triple Concerto Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3 (Scottish)

Riccardo Muti conductor Pinchas Zukerman violin Brahms Violin Concerto Brahms Symphony No. 2

THURSDAY C SERIES HIGHLIGHTS: The CSO honors the 100th anniversary of the death of Gustav Mahler by including almost half of his symphonic output in the 2011/12 season. Mahler’s Fourth Symphony artfully paints the sublime and the comic, the grotesque and the beautiful, the awkward and the graceful. Former CSO principal conductor Bernard Haitink returns to celebrate Mahler with the CSO. Blumine was the original second movement of Mahler’s First Symphony. This gem was lost, but rediscovered 70 years later and is befitting to our season-long Mahler tribute. “[Jeremy] Denk, clearly, is a pianist you want to hear...both for his penetrating intellectual engagement with the music and for the generosity of his playing,” exclaimed the New York Times in a recent review.

Denk makes his CSO debut in Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto.

Jeremy Denk

After a recent brilliant performance of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, the New York Times said Emanuel Ax “...played with youthful brio, incisive rhythm, bountiful imagination, delicacy when called for and thundering power when the piano fought back.” Ax, in his role as curator of the 2012 Keys to the City Piano Festival, will also appear in piano recitals and special concerts during his May residency.

World’s Best. Chicago’s Own. • 312-294-3000 • cso.org

beethoven

Emanuel Ax

piano concerto no. 5

emperor David Robertson

Riccardo Muti

Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus

Mitsuko Uchida

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September 23 MUTI AND DUFOUR

November 11 RAVEL DAPHNIS AND CHLOE

Riccardo Muti conductor Mathieu Dufour flute Rota Suite from The Leopard Ibert Flute Concerto Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5

Stéphane Denève conductor Leonidas Kavakos violin Prokofiev Suite from The Love for Three Oranges Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2 Roussel The Spider’s Feast Ravel Suite No. 2 from Daphnis and Chloe

October 14 MÄLKKI CONDUCTS STRAUSS

December 16 MAHLER 6

Susanna Mälkki conductor J. Lawrie Bloom bass clarinet Ives The Unanswered Question Musgrave Autumn Sonata Ives Three Places in New England Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra

Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor Baird Dodge violin Matheson Violin Concerto [CSO co-commission, world premiere] Mahler Symphony No. 6

February 10 MUTI CONDUCTS SCHUBERT Riccardo Muti conductor Schubert Entr’acte No. 3 from Rosamunde Clyne New Work [CSO commission, world premiere] Schubert Symphony No. 9 (Great)

March 2 MAHLER DAS LIED VON DER ERDE Pierre Boulez conductor Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano Michelle DeYoung mezzo-soprano Stuart Skelton tenor Schoenberg Piano Concerto Mahler Das Lied von der Erde Riccardo Muti

Mathieu Dufour

FRIDAY A SERIES HIGHLIGHTS: Music Director Riccardo Muti opens the new season with music by celebrated Italian film composer Nino Rota, best known for his Oscar®-winning score to The Godfather. The Chicago Tribune wrote of CSO Principal Flute Mathieu Dufour, who performs Ibert’s spirited concerto, “...he confirmed his uncanny mastery of color and dynamics, filling the hall with a vibrant, crystalline sound.” Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony is sure to mesmerize from its funereal beginning to triumphant conclusion.

CSO Helen Regenstein Conductor Emeritus Pierre Boulez leads the CSO in this final installment of our season-long exploration of Mahler. Das Lied von der Erde is more symphony than song cycle, the sonorous vocal lines weaving in and out of the rich orchestral texture.

After a recent brilliant performance of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, the New York Times said Emanuel Ax “...played with youthful brio, incisive rhythm, bountiful imagination, delicacy when called for and thundering power when the piano fought back.” Ax, in his role as curator of the 2012 Keys to the City Piano Festival, will also appear in piano recitals and special concerts during his May residency.

April 6 DUTOIT CONDUCTS STRAUSS Charles Dutoit conductor John Sharp cello Charles Pikler viola Nikolai Lugansky piano Strauss Don Quixote Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3

May 25 AX PLAYS BEETHOVEN EMPEROR David Robertson conductor Emanuel Ax piano Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances

World’s Best. Chicago’s Own. • 312-294-3000 • cso.org

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FRIDAY B 8 CONCERTS AT 1:30

October 7 MAHLER’S FAREWELL Riccardo Muti conductor Gerhard Oppitz piano Sinigaglia Overture to Le baruffe chiozzotte Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4 (Italian) Martucci Piano Concerto No. 2 Busoni Berceuse élégiaque Bossi Intermezzi from Goldoniani

October 21 MAHLER 4

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January 13 TCHAIKOVSKY, ELGAR AND SHAKESPEARE Sir Mark Elder conductor Delius The Walk to the Paradise Garden Elgar Falstaff Rimsky-Korsakov Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet

March 16 MUTI CONDUCTS CHERUBINI REQUIEM

Bernard Haitink conductor Frank Peter Zimmermann violin Klara Ek soprano Berg Violin Concerto Mahler Symphony No. 4

December 9 TILSON THOMAS CONDUCTS BEETHOVEN Michael Tilson Thomas conductor Jeremy Denk piano Mahler Blumine Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 Brahms, orch. Schoenberg Piano Quartet No. 1

Riccardo Muti conductor Alberto Mizrahi narrator Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Brahms Schicksalslied for Chorus and Orchestra Schoenberg Kol Nidre Cherubini Requiem in C Minor

May 18 BEETHOVEN 7 Jaap van Zweden conductor Program to include: Haydn Symphony No. 92 (Oxford) Beethoven Symphony No. 7

June 1 RAPSODIE ESPAGNOLE Ludovic Morlot conductor Stewart Goodyear piano Women of the Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Messiaen Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine Falla Nights in the Gardens of Spain Ravel Rapsodie espagnole

April 13 DUTOIT CONDUCTS DEBUSSY Charles Dutoit conductor Gautier Capuçon cello Dukas La Péri Dutilleux Tout un monde lointain…

Debussy Images

Stewart Goodyear

FRIDAY B SERIES HIGHLIGHTS: On February 21, 1911, Gustav Mahler led the New York Philharmonic in what was to be his final public appearance. In honor of the 100th anniversary of Mahler’s death, Riccardo Muti and the CSO will recreate this historic concert of Italian repertoire and Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony.

MAHLER

4

The CSO honors the 100th anniversary of the death of Gustav Mahler by including almost half of his symphonic output in the 2011/12 season. Mahler’s Fourth Symphony artfully paints the sublime and the comic, the grotesque and the beautiful, the awkward and the graceful. Former CSO principal conductor Bernard Haitink returns to celebrate Mahler with the CSO. Stewart Goodyear, whose artistry has been described as “breathtaking” and “phenomenal,” returns to Symphony Center for Falla’s sultry work, inspired by gypsy and flamenco music. You’ll also hear the sounds of Spain as heard through the ears of Ravel in his Rapsodie espagnole. Messiaen said his Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine have “a Europeanized Hindi or Balinese instrumentation,” including soft prayers celestially chanted by the Women of the Chicago Symphony Chorus.

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September 30 MUTI CONDUCTS LISZT’S BICENTENNIAL Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti conductor Michele Campanella piano Eric Cutler tenor Men of the Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Wagner Huldigungsmarsch Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 Liszt A Faust Symphony

November 4 HANDEL’S WATER MUSIC Bernard Labadie conductor Richard Paré organ Handel Organ Concerto No. 1 in G Minor Handel Organ Concerto No. 4 in F Major Handel Water Music (complete)

January 20 DVOŘÁK 8 Manfred Honeck conductor Till Fellner piano Strauss Overture to Die Fledermaus Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 Dvořák Symphony No. 8

February 24 CHABRIER AND BIZET Alain Altinoglu conductor Chabrier España Bizet Symphony in C Schmitt La tragédie de Salomé

May 11 YO-YO MA PLAYS HAYDN

Yo-Yo Ma

FRIDAY C SERIES HIGHLIGHT: Yo-Yo Ma joins the CSO in an intimate setting for Haydn’s Cello Concerto in D Major, a work of extraordinary beauty and elegance. Baroque music authority Ton Koopman conducts Mozart’s youthful Symphony No. 20, expertly paired with Haydn’s Symphony No. 6, which depicts the rising of the morning sun.

Ton Koopman conductor Yo-Yo Ma cello Haydn Symphony No. 6 (Le matin) Haydn Cello Concerto in D Major Mozart Symphony No. 20

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FRIDAY D 5 CONCERTS AT 8:00

the Creation Haydn

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October 28 HAYDN’S CREATION Bernard Haitink conductor Klara Ek soprano Ian Bostridge tenor Hanno Müller-Brachmann bass-baritone Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Haydn The Creation

December 2 MAHLER 1 Jaap van Zweden conductor David McGill bassoon Stucky Rhapsodies for Orchestra Mozart Bassoon Concerto Mahler Symphony No. 1

February 3 MUTI CONDUCTS FRANCK Riccardo Muti conductor Honegger Pacific 231 Bates Alternative Energy [CSO commission, world premiere] Franck Symphony in D Minor

March 30 UCHIDA PLAYS MOZART Mitsuko Uchida conductor and piano Stravinsky Concerto in D Major for String Orchestra Mozart Piano Concerto No. 9 (Jeunehomme) Mozart Adagio and Fugue in C Minor Mozart Piano Concerto No. 18

June 8 BEETHOVEN TRIPLE CONCERTO Trevor Pinnock conductor Stefan Jackiw violin Pavel Gomziakov cello Kristian Bezuidenhout piano Debussy Marche écossaise Beethoven Triple Concerto Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3 (Scottish)

FRIDAY D SERIES HIGHLIGHT: From the first kindling of light as a surprising burst of radiant sunshine in C major, to the vivid portrayal of nature’s birds and beasts with imaginative word painting, Haydn’s landmark oratorio The Creation is one of the great masterworks in the choral canon. Bernard Haitink leads the versatile Chicago Symphony Chorus and a stellar cast of soloists in this evocative score.

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December 3 F MAHLER 1

Riccardo Muti conductor Gerhard Oppitz piano Sinigaglia Overture to Le baruffe chiozzotte Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4 (Italian) Martucci Piano Concerto No. 2 Busoni Berceuse élégiaque Bossi Intermezzi from Goldoniani

Jaap van Zweden conductor David McGill bassoon Stucky Rhapsodies for Orchestra Mozart Bassoon Concerto Mahler Symphony No. 1

October 29 E HAYDN’S CREATION

Manfred Honeck conductor Till Fellner piano Strauss Overture to Die Fledermaus Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 Dvořák Symphony No. 8

Bernard Haitink conductor Klara Ek soprano Ian Bostridge tenor Hanno Müller-Brachmann bass-baritone Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Haydn The Creation

November 12 F RAVEL DAPHNIS AND CHLOE Stéphane Denève conductor Leonidas Kavakos violin Prokofiev Suite from The Love for Three Oranges Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2 Roussel The Spider’s Feast Ravel Suite No. 2 from Daphnis and Chloe

January 21 E DVOŘÁK 8

February 4 F MUTI CONDUCTS FRANCK Riccardo Muti conductor Honegger Pacific 231 Bates Alternative Energy [CSO commission, world premiere] Franck Symphony in D Minor

March 3 E MAHLER DAS LIED VON DER ERDE Pierre Boulez conductor Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano Michelle DeYoung mezzo-soprano Stuart Skelton tenor Schoenberg Piano Concerto Mahler Das Lied von der Erde

March 17 F MUTI CONDUCTS CHERUBINI REQUIEM Riccardo Muti conductor Alberto Mizrahi narrator Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Brahms Schicksalslied for Chorus and Orchestra Schoenberg Kol Nidre Cherubini Requiem in C Minor

May 5 E YO-YO MA AND CARLOS MIGUEL PRIETO Carlos Miguel Prieto conductor Yo-Yo Ma cello Moncayo (García) Huapango Beethoven Symphony No. 2 Dvořák Cello Concerto

June 9 F MOZART CONCERTO FOR THREE PIANOS Trevor Pinnock conductor and piano Kristian Bezuidenhout piano Stephen Hough piano Debussy Marche écossaise Mozart Concerto for Three Pianos Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3 (Scottish)

SATURDAY A SERIES HIGHLIGHTS: From the first kindling of light as a surprising burst of radiant sunshine in C major, to the vivid portrayal of nature’s birds and beasts with imaginative word painting, Haydn’s landmark oratorio The Creation is one of the great masterworks in the choral canon. Bernard Haitink leads the versatile Chicago Symphony Chorus and a stellar cast of soloists in this evocative score.

CSO Helen Regenstein Conductor Emeritus Pierre Boulez leads the CSO in the final installment of our season-long exploration of Mahler. Das Lied von der Erde is more symphony than song cycle, the sonorous vocal lines weaving in and out of the rich orchestral texture. “Michelle DeYoung, a proven Mahler singer, brought an earthy yet sumptuous voice and beautifully direct emotional expression to her singing, especially her poignant account of The Farewell.”—The New York Times

Pierre Boulez

Trevor Pinnock plays double duty as conductor and one of three astonishing soloists featured in Mozart’s Concerto for Three Pianos, a perfect finale to the CSO’s three-week Keys to the City Piano Festival. He is joined by piano virtuosos Kristian Bezuidenhout and Stephen Hough.

Mendelssohn paid homage to the British Isles, one of his favorite places, with his rousing Scottish Symphony.

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BO X S EA T S MEL K MA I N FL O O R 1M Main Floor 2M Main Floor 3M Main Floor 4M Main Floor 5M Main Floor

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G RA Y T ERRA CE Left and Right Center Left and Center Right

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GALLERY

UPPER BALCONY

LOWER BALCONY

TERRACE

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RICCARDO MUTI Music Director

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SATURDAY B 10 CONCERTS AT 8:00 / 5 CONCERT SERIES: SAT G OR SAT H

October 1 G MUTI CONDUCTS LISZT’S BICENTENNIAL Riccardo Muti conductor Michele Campanella piano Eric Cutler tenor Men of the Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Wagner Huldigungsmarsch Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 Liszt A Faust Symphony

November 5 H HANDEL’S WATER MUSIC Bernard Labadie conductor Richard Paré organ Handel Organ Concerto No. 1 in G Minor Handel Organ Concerto No. 4 in F Major Handel Water Music (complete)

November 19 G STRAUSS EIN HELDENLEBEN Semyon Bychkov conductor Katia Labèque piano Marielle Labèque piano Poulenc Concerto for Two Pianos Strauss Ein Heldenleben

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December 17 H MAHLER 6

April 7 H DUTOIT CONDUCTS STRAUSS

Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor Baird Dodge violin Charles Dutoit conductor Matheson Violin Concerto [CSO co-commission, world premiere] John Sharp cello Charles Pikler viola Mahler Symphony No. 6 Nikolai Lugansky piano January 28 H Strauss Don Quixote MUTI CONDUCTS Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3

CARMINA BURANA

Riccardo Muti conductor Maria Grazia Schiavo soprano Max Emanuel Cencic countertenor Stéphane Degout baritone Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Orff Carmina burana

March 10 G MUTI AND ZUKERMAN Riccardo Muti conductor Pinchas Zukerman violin Brahms Violin Concerto Brahms Symphony No. 2

March 24 G RUSSIAN MASTERS

May 19 G BEETHOVEN 7 Jaap van Zweden conductor Program to include: Haydn Symphony No. 92 (Oxford) Beethoven Symphony No. 7

June 2 H RAPSODIE ESPAGNOLE Ludovic Morlot conductor Stewart Goodyear piano Women of the Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Messiaen Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine Falla Nights in the Gardens of Spain Ravel Rapsodie espagnole

Kirill Petrenko conductor Marc-André Hamelin piano Christopher Martin trumpet Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1 Rachmaninov Symphony No. 3

SATURDAY B SERIES HIGHLIGHTS: The ominous “O fortuna” chant explodes without warning, unleashing the raw power of both the CSO and the Chorus. The tenors and basses burst into a raucous drinking song. A singular soprano line soars into the stratosphere in ecstasy. Witness these and other iconic moments in Carl Orff’s thrilling cantata Carmina burana under Riccardo Muti’s intense and electrifying command from the podium.

Jaap van Zweden leads Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, which the composer himself called “one of my best works.” Haydn’s Oxford Symphony was actually commissioned by a French nobleman, but received its moniker after being included on a program Haydn conducted in 1791 when he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Oxford University.

Esa-Pekka Salonen

Renowned Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen returns to lead the Orchestra in Mahler’s dramatic Sixth Symphony. From the opening march to the searing finale with its famous hammer blows, this is Mahler’s most deeply personal work—one he originally titled Tragic. This program concludes our December tribute to Gustav Mahler and his monumental orchestral works.

World’s Best. Chicago’s Own. • 312-294-3000 • cso.org

Orff

Carmina

burana

Chicago Symphony Chorus

Riccardo Muti

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October 22 MAHLER 4 Bernard Haitink conductor Frank Peter Zimmermann violin Klara Ek soprano Berg Violin Concerto Mahler Symphony No. 4

the , soldier s tale STRAVINSKY

January 14 TCHAIKOVSKY, ELGAR AND SHAKESPEARE Sir Mark Elder conductor Delius The Walk to the Paradise Garden Elgar Falstaff Rimsky-Korsakov Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet

February 25 BOULEZ CONDUCTS THE SOLDIER’S TALE Pierre Boulez conductor Kiera Duffy soprano Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano Stravinsky L’Histoire du soldat (The Soldier’s Tale) Schoenberg Pierrot lunaire

March 31 UCHIDA PLAYS MOZART

SATURDAY C SERIES HIGHLIGHTS: The CSO honors the 100th anniversary of the death of Gustav Mahler by including almost half of his symphonic output in the 2011/12 season. Mahler’s Fourth Symphony artfully paints the sublime and the comic, the grotesque and the beautiful, the awkward and the graceful. Former CSO principal conductor Bernard Haitink returns to continue our Mahler tribute.

Sir Mark Elder, curator and director of the CSO’s wildly successful 2009 Dvořák Festival, continues his focus on the influence of Shakespeare with Tchaikovsky’s exquisite Romeo and Juliet. Elder pairs the orchestral fantasy with works by fellow Englishmen: a lush intermezzo from Delius’ opera A Village Romeo and Juliet, and Elgar’s larger-than-life portrayal of Falstaff.

In February, the CSO offers a rare opportunity to experience two of the most significant theatrical chamber works of the 20th century, led by the incomparable Pierre Boulez.

With a cast of formidable actors and musicians, you’ll witness Stravinsky’s Faustian “pocket play” about a soldier who makes a bargain with the devil, and the dark musings of a moonstruck Pierrot set to Schoenberg’s deliciously chilling score.

Mitsuko Uchida conductor and piano Stravinsky Concerto in D Major for String Orchestra Mozart Piano Concerto No. 9 (Jeunehomme) Mozart Adagio and Fugue in C Minor Mozart Piano Concerto No. 18

June 23 MUTI CONDUCTS BRUCKNER 6 Riccardo Muti conductor Robert Chen violin Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1 Bruckner Symphony No. 6

World’s Best. Chicago’s Own. • 312-294-3000 • cso.org

SATURDAY D 5 CONCERTS AT 8:00 OCT

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Emanuel Ax

October 15 MÄLKKI CONDUCTS STRAUSS Susanna Mälkki conductor J. Lawrie Bloom bass clarinet Ives The Unanswered Question Musgrave Autumn Sonata Ives Three Places in New England Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra

December 10 TILSON THOMAS CONDUCTS BEETHOVEN Michael Tilson Thomas conductor Jeremy Denk piano Mahler Blumine Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 Brahms, orch. Schoenberg Piano Quartet No. 1

January 7 BERLIOZ, BYRON AND SHAKESPEARE Sir Mark Elder conductor Lawrence Power viola Berlioz The Corsair Overture Berlioz Queen Mab Scherzo and Romeo at the Tomb of the Capulets from Romeo and Juliet Readings from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Berlioz Harold in Italy

February 11 MUTI CONDUCTS SCHUBERT

Michael Tilson Thomas

Riccardo Muti conductor Schubert Entr’acte No. 3 from Rosamunde Clyne New Work [CSO commission, world premiere] Schubert Symphony No. 9 (Great)

SATURDAY D SERIES HIGHLIGHTS:

May 26 AX PLAYS BEETHOVEN EMPEROR

Susanna Mälkki

The bass clarinet is a key member of every orchestra’s wind section, but rarely does the instrument step into the spotlight. Hear the deep, resonant tones of solo bass clarinet when CSO musician J. Lawrie Bloom delivers an expert performance of Musgrave’s Autumn Sonata. Forever associated with Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, the introduction to Also sprach Zarathustra is one of the most thrilling orchestral moments ever composed.

After a recent brilliant performance of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, the New York Times said Emanuel Ax “...played with youthful brio, incisive rhythm, bountiful imagination, delicacy when called for and thundering power when the piano fought back.” Ax, in his role as curator of the 2012 Keys to the City Piano Festival, will also appear in piano recitals and special concerts during his May residency.

David Robertson conductor Emanuel Ax piano Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances

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SUNDAY A 5 CONCERTS AT 3:00 / OUR MOST POPULAR SERIES... SUBSCRIBE NOW! NOV

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November 6 HANDEL’S WATER MUSIC Bernard Labadie conductor Richard Paré organ Handel Organ Concerto No. 1 in G Minor Handel Organ Concerto No. 4 in F Major Handel Water Music (complete)

January 15 TCHAIKOVSKY, ELGAR AND SHAKESPEARE Sir Mark Elder conductor Delius The Walk to the Paradise Garden Elgar Falstaff Rimsky-Korsakov Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet

April 1 UCHIDA PLAYS MOZART Mitsuko Uchida conductor and piano Stravinsky Concerto in D Major for String Orchestra Mozart Piano Concerto No. 9 (Jeunehomme) Mozart Adagio and Fugue in C Minor Mozart Piano Concerto No. 18

Robert Chen

Sir Mark Elder

SUNDAY A SERIES HIGHLIGHTS: Whether the court was commemorating the end of a war or simply entertaining guests at a festive barge party, George Friedrich Handel was often commissioned to write special music for royal parties. Bernard Labadie—a sought-after Baroque music specialist—leads the CSO in the popular Water Music. Richard Paré shows off the Symphony Center organ in Handel’s Organ Concertos No. 1 in G Minor and No. 4 in F Major.

Sir Mark Elder, curator and director of the CSO’s wildly successful 2009 Dvořák Festival, continues his focus on the influence of Shakespeare with Tchaikovsky’s exquisite Romeo and Juliet. Elder pairs the orchestral fantasy with works by fellow Englishmen: a lush intermezzo from Delius’ opera A Village Romeo and Juliet, and Elgar’s larger-than-life portrayal of Falstaff.

CSO Concertmaster Robert Chen, praised for his tremendous capacity as both soloist and ensemble leader, steps into the spotlight for Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1. Influenced

by Rossini, this virtuosic showpiece has incredible musical depth and elegant melodic shape.

Bruckner’s Sixth Symphony is known for beautiful harmonies and colorful instrumentation, a perfect finale to Riccardo Muti’s second season as music director.

May 6 YO-YO MA AND CARLOS MIGUEL PRIETO Carlos Miguel Prieto conductor Yo-Yo Ma cello Moncayo (García) Huapango Beethoven Symphony No. 2 Dvořák Cello Concerto

June 24 MUTI CONDUCTS BRUCKNER 6 Riccardo Muti conductor Robert Chen violin Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1 Bruckner Symphony No. 6

World’s Best. Chicago’s Own. • 312-294-3000 • cso.org

Handel

Water

Bernard Labadie

Mitsuko Uchida

Carlos Miguel Prieto

Yo-Yo Ma

Riccardo Muti

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TUESDAY A 6 CONCERTS AT 7:30 CSO Tuesday series concerts are sponsored by United Airlines:

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October 4 MUTI CONDUCTS LISZT’S BICENTENNIAL Riccardo Muti conductor Michele Campanella piano Eric Cutler tenor Men of the Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Wagner Huldigungsmarsch Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 Liszt A Faust Symphony

October 18 MÄLKKI CONDUCTS STRAUSS Susanna Mälkki conductor J. Lawrie Bloom bass clarinet Ives The Unanswered Question Musgrave Autumn Sonata Ives Three Places in New England Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra

January 10 BERLIOZ, BYRON AND SHAKESPEARE Sir Mark Elder conductor Lawrence Power viola Berlioz The Corsair Overture Berlioz Queen Mab Scherzo and Romeo at the Tomb of the Capulets from Romeo and Juliet Readings from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Berlioz Harold in Italy

February 7 MUTI CONDUCTS FRANCK Riccardo Muti conductor Honegger Pacific 231 Bates Alternative Energy [CSO commission, world premiere] Franck Symphony in D Minor

June 5 RAPSODIE ESPAGNOLE

Riccardo Muti

TUESDAY A SERIES HIGHLIGHT: Shostakovich described the subjects of his Suite on Verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti, composed shortly before his death, as “wisdom, love, creation, death and immortality.” It will be sung by Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov, familiar to Chicago audiences from Riccardo Muti’s landmark Verdi Requiem performances.

This reflective work is contrasted with Muti’s charged and riveting approach to Beethoven’s seminal Fifth Symphony.

Ludovic Morlot conductor Stewart Goodyear piano Women of the Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Messiaen Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine Falla Nights in the Gardens of Spain Ravel Rapsodie espagnole

June 19 MUTI CONDUCTS BEETHOVEN 5 Riccardo Muti conductor Ildar Abdrazakov bass Prokofiev The Meeting of the Volga and the Don Shostakovich Suite on Verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti Beethoven Symphony No. 5

World’s Best. Chicago’s Own. • 312-294-3000 • cso.org

TUESDAY B 6 CONCERTS AT 7:30 SEP

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September 27 MUTI AND DUFOUR Riccardo Muti conductor Mathieu Dufour flute Rota Suite from The Leopard Ibert Flute Concerto Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5

November 15 RAVEL DAPHNIS AND CHLOE Stéphane Denève conductor Leonidas Kavakos violin Prokofiev Suite from The Love for Three Oranges Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2 Roussel The Spider’s Feast Ravel Suite No. 2 from Daphnis and Chloe Leonidas Kavakos

Strauss

Don Quixote

January 31 MUTI CONDUCTS CARMINA BURANA Riccardo Muti conductor Maria Grazia Schiavo soprano Max Emanuel Cencic countertenor Stéphane Degout baritone Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Orff Carmina burana

February 28 BOULEZ CONDUCTS THE SOLDIER’S TALE Pierre Boulez conductor Kiera Duffy soprano Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano Stravinsky L’Histoire du soldat (The Soldier’s Tale) Schoenberg Pierrot lunaire

April 10 DUTOIT CONDUCTS STRAUSS Charles Dutoit conductor John Sharp cello Charles Pikler viola Nikolai Lugansky piano Strauss Don Quixote Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3

June 12 MOZART CONCERTO FOR THREE PIANOS Trevor Pinnock conductor and piano Kristian Bezuidenhout piano Stephen Hough piano Debussy Marche écossaise Mozart Concerto for Three Pianos Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3 (Scottish)

TUESDAY B SERIES HIGHLIGHTS: “We were in the presence of something very rare: someone with technical mastery, artistic insight and an almost otherworldly possession,” wrote the Chicago Sun-Times about the marvelous Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos. He gives a commanding delivery of Prokofiev’s thrilling Violin Concerto No. 2. Two gorgeous French ballet suites follow after intermission.

Pianist Nikolai Lugansky, who “is a big technique, very much a product of the Russian school, with brilliant clarity and the capacity for formidable weight” (The Telegraph), performs Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto, one of the most difficult works in the repertoire.

CSO principals John Sharp and Charles Pikler are featured soloists in Strauss’ score depicting the misadventures of the Man of La Mancha.

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RICCARDO MUTI Music Director

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BEYOND THE ®

SCORE Classical Music Exposed

3 FRIDAYS AT 1:30 or 3 SUNDAYS AT 3:00 GO BEYOND THE SCORE WITH THE CSO. ONE OF OUR MOST POPULAR SERIES!

Gerard McBurney

“If Beyond the Score can achieve anything, I hope it makes people feel that these pieces belong to them.”

—GERARD McBURNEY

The CSO’s highly successful multimedia series Beyond the Score reveals the story behind great masterworks with live dramatized commentary and audiovisual illustrations.

Orchestras across the nation are presenting Beyond the Score programs for their incredible ability to engage both newcomers to classical music and seasoned listeners. Experience the newest productions first right here in Chicago! Visit beyondthescore.org for more information and for FREE downloads of previous Beyond the Score productions.

Friday, November 18, 1:30 Sunday, November 20, 3:00 STRAUSS EIN HELDENLEBEN

Friday, February 24, 1:30 Sunday, February 26, 3:00 SCHOENBERG PIERROT LUNAIRE

Friday, June 15, 1:30 Sunday, June 17, 3:00 BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO. 5

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Semyon Bychkov conductor Gerard McBurney narrator & host

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Pierre Boulez conductor Kiera Duffy soprano Mathieu Dufour flute J. Lawrie Bloom clarinet Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano Robert Chen violin/viola John Sharp cello Gerard McBurney narrator & host

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti conductor Gerard McBurney narrator & host

Richard Strauss’ outrageously exuberant, exaggerated and deliberately tongue-in-cheek self-portrait for an enormous symphony orchestra dates from the very end of the 19th century. This was a time of wild social and artistic flux when traditional European values were being challenged both by the experiments of modernism and by the rapidly growing power of commercial mass culture, and Strauss’ score brilliantly and gaudily reflects the overwhelming vulgarity and self-confidence that surrounded him at this critical moment.

Vienna in the years leading up to the first World War was one of the most intellectually and artistically daring cities in Europe. In 1912, the young Arnold Schoenberg composed his extraordinary “three times seven poems,” a miniature drama for one singer and five instruments. To its astonished first listeners, this eerily beautiful music seemed like no musical sounds that they had ever heard before.

Few pieces in the history of music have achieved the iconic power and reputation of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. In this awe-inspiringly concentrated composition, Beethoven not only invented a musical language of an unparalleled originality and overpowering force which still influences us today, but swept music out of the concert hall and into the wider world of human thought and experience.

For more than 200 years, this symphony has shown us that music has the power to transform the way we live and think.

beyondthescore.org

World’s Best. Chicago’s Own. • 312-294-3000 • cso.org

AFTERWORK

MASTERWORKS 4 WEDNESDAYS AT 6:30 UNWIND AFTER WORK WITH THE CSO. EARLY START, EARLY FINISH.

Relax after a long day at the office with Afterwork Masterworks concerts. This mid-week series features four concerts with early start times, usually without an intermission so you can be on your way home by 8:00 pm. Every Afterwork Masterworks program is followed by a casual and entertaining meet-and-greet reception with the guest artists and musicians from the Orchestra. Enjoy complimentary wine and an engaging Q&A session in Grainger Ballroom. This year’s series features acclaimed artists including Pinchas Zukerman, Till Fellner, and the CSO’s own Music Director Riccardo Muti.

Bernard Labadie

Manfred Honeck

Riccardo Muti

November 2 HANDEL’S WATER MUSIC Chicago Symphony Orchestra Bernard Labadie conductor Richard Paré organ Handel Water Music Suite No. 1 Handel Organ Concerto No. 1 in G Minor Handel Water Music Suite No. 2

January 18 DVOŘÁK 8 Chicago Symphony Orchestra Manfred Honeck conductor Till Fellner piano Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 Dvořák Symphony No. 8

Jaap van Zweden

March 7 MUTI AND ZUKERMAN Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti conductor Pinchas Zukerman violin Brahms Violin Concerto Brahms Symphony No.2

May 16 BEETHOVEN 7 Chicago Symphony Orchestra Jaap van Zweden conductor Haydn Symphony No. 92 (Oxford) Beethoven Symphony No. 7

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RICCARDO MUTI Music Director

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FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE

MOVIES 3 FRIDAYS AT 8:00

NOVEMBER 25 • JANUARY 6 • MARCH 23 THE MOVIES YOU KNOW, THE MUSIC YOU LOVE!

SPECIAL RECEIVE SUBSCRIBER-PREFERRED PRICES WHEN YOU ADD THESE SPECIAL EVENTS TO YOUR SUBSCRIPTION. CALL 312-294-3000 OR VISIT CSO.ORG FOR PRICES.

Saturday, September 24, 7:00

Symphony Ball Friday Night at the Movies brings your favorite film scores to life!

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra performs music from blockbuster movies while memorable footage from each movie is shown on the big screen. Presenting movies from older classics to newer hits, Friday Night at the Movies is a great series for film buffs and music lovers.

NOTE: QUALITY IS FAIR. NG YOU CAN DO AN UP OR MAKE SHARPER? Next season will include Casablanca, which is, according to

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti conductor Yefim Bronfman piano Verdi Overture to Giovanna d’Arco Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2 Verdi “The Four Seasons” from I vespri siciliani The Women’s Board of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association is honored to present a festive gala evening of music and celebration featuring Music Director Riccardo Muti and Grammy® Award-winning pianist Yefim Bronfman, regarded as one of the most talented virtuosos performing today. Enjoy a concert of romantic Italian favorites featuring Verdi’s stormy Overture to Giovanna d’Arco and the ballet score from Verdi’s exuberant I vespri siciliani. These works are paired with Prokofiev’s dramatic masterpiece performed by Bronfman, whom the Chicago Tribune praised for his “leonine power, thunderous brio and glinting virtuosity.”

Guests with Symphony Ball gala packages will enjoy postconcert cocktails, dinner and dancing at the Hilton Chicago.

Concert-only ticket holders will enjoy a postconcert celebration in Symphony Center.

Roger Ebert, “probably on more lists of the greatest films of all time than any other single title.” Its soundtrack includes Max Steiner’s evocative score and the memorable classic, “As Time Goes By.” Witness the CSO bring this enchanting masterpiece— which tells the timeless story of a man torn between love and virtue—to life on January 6.

Next season’s complete blockbuster lineup will be announced in March 2011!

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

World’s Best. Chicago’s Own. • 312-294-3000 • cso.org

CONCERTS David Robertson

Emanuel Ax

Friday, January 27, 8:00 MUTI CONDUCTS CARMINA BURANA

June 16, 8:00 MUTI CONDUCTS BEETHOVEN 5

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti conductor Maria Grazia Schiavo soprano Max Emanuel Cencic countertenor Stéphane Degout baritone Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe director Orff Carmina burana The ominous “O fortuna” chant explodes without warning, unleashing the raw power of both the CSO and the Chorus.

The tenors and basses burst into a raucous drinking song. A singular soprano line soars into the stratosphere in ecstasy. Witness these and other iconic moments in Carl Orff’s thrilling cantata Carmina burana under Muti’s intense and electrifying command from the podium.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti conductor Ildar Abdrazakov bass Prokofiev The Meeing of the Volga and the Don Shostakovich Suite on Verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti Beethoven Symphony No. 5 Shostakovich described the subjects of his Suite on Verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti, composed shortly before his death, as “wisdom, love, creation, death and immortality.” It will be sung by Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov, familiar to Chicago audiences from Riccardo Muti’s landmark Verdi Requiem performances.

This reflective work is contrasted with Muti’s charged and riveting approach to Beethoven’s seminal Fifth Symphony.

Tuesday, May 22, 7:30 Keys to the City Piano Festival: GERSHWIN RHAPSODY IN BLUE Chicago Symphony Orchestra David Robertson conductor Emanuel Ax piano Orion Weiss piano Dong-Hyek Lim piano Ravel Mother Goose Suite Mozart Concerto for Two Pianos Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue Ravel La valse An all-star pianist lineup teams up with the world-renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra for a special performance featuring George Gershwin’s masterpiece Rhapsody in Blue.

Also on this program, which includes Keys to the City Piano Festival curator Emanuel Ax, is Mozart’s well-known Concerto for Two Pianos and Ravel’s frantically climactic La valse.

Riccardo Muti

Symphony Ball, October 2010

Symphony Ball, October 2010

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SYMPHONY CENTER PRESENTS

CHAMBER MUSIC

5-CONCERT SERIES Symphony Center Presents brings together the world’s finest musicians for five afternoons of extraordinary chamber music.

Whether focused on the intimate interactions of a violin recital to the soaring sonorities of the chamber orchestra, this season’s star-studded offerings explore the expressive power of collaboration between great artists.

Hilary Hahn

Joshua Bell

Sunday, October 23, 3:00 HILARY HAHN violin

Valentina Lisitsa piano Program to include: Bach Sonata No. 1 in G Minor for Solo Violin, BMV 1001 Beethoven Sonata in A Major, Op. 2, No. 2 Brahms Sonatensatz After a phenomenal Symphony Center recital debut in 2009, the Chicago Sun-Times declared, “With a single encore… Hilary Hahn closed one of the best recitals not only of the year, but of many years. She is a marvel.” The young violin maven returns for an afternoon of works by Bach, Beethoven and Brahms, plus newly commissioned pieces written just for her.

Sunday, January 29, 3:00 JOSHUA BELL violin

Sam Haywood piano For more than two decades, Joshua Bell has enchanted audiences worldwide with his breathtaking virtuosity and tone of rare beauty.

Named 2010 Instrumentalist of the Year by Musical America, Bell is equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra leader. He presents a thrilling recital with collaborative pianist Sam Haywood.

Yo-Yo Ma

Dawn Upshaw

Sunday, March 18, 3:00 YO-YO MA cello Musicians from the CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The CSO continues to enjoy its long, rewarding relationship with Yo-Yo Ma, who is now embarking on his second season as the CSO’s Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant. As part of this multifaceted partnership, Ma joins musicians from the CSO for an unforgettable afternoon of chamber music.

Sunday, April 15, 3:00 AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA DAWN UPSHAW soprano

Program to include: Grieg/Tognetti String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 27 Maria Schneider New Work Described by The Washington Post as having “the energy and vibe of a rock band with the ability of a crack classical chamber group,” the Australian Chamber Orchestra makes its Symphony Center debut with consummate soprano Dawn Upshaw. They present a brand-new, jazz-inflected score by the adventurous Maria Schneider, one of today’s most exciting composers.

Jeremy Denk

Stefan Jackiw

Sunday, June 3, 3:00 Keys to the City Piano Festival: THE COLLABORATIVE PIANIST JEREMY DENK piano with guests including: STEFAN JACKIW violin

Throughout the CSO’s end-of-season Keys to the City Piano Festival, we explore the various facets of the piano through solo recitals, chamber performances and grand concertos.

This Sunday afternoon, Jeremy Denk and and others perform a unique and innovative recital exploring the role of “collaborative pianist” and what it takes to create a solid artistic partnership on an intimate scale.

312-294-3000 • cso.org

ORCHESTRA Chicago Symphony Orchestra

4-CONCERT SERIES

Encounter the finest ensembles from across the globe at Chicago’s Symphony Center. These four distinctive orchestras will present a broad range of programming, from Tchaikovsky’s sweeping Fifth Symphony to Ives’ bold Concord Symphony. We conclude the season with the world’s best, Chicago’s own CSO, led by music director Riccardo Muti and featuring concertmaster Robert Chen.

Monday, October 31, 8:00 BUDAPEST FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA

Budapest Festival Orchestra

Iván Fischer conductor Bartók Hungarian Peasant Songs Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet Schubert Overture to Rosamunde Schubert Symphony No. 5 Just 27 years old, the Budapest Festival Orchestra is the youngest of Europe’s elite orchestras and has rapidly risen to become one of Hungary’s most prized cultural institutions. Hear their fresh, exciting sound in this program featuring Tchaikovsky’s classic Romeo and Juliet and Schubert’s Fifth Symphony.

Sunday, January 22, 3:00 ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

San Francisco Symphony

Charles Dutoit conductor Jean-Yves Thibaudet piano Kodály Dances of Galánta Liszt Piano Concerto No. 2 Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 The Times (London) says, “The RPO’s athletic response to this impressive score of interruptions and luminous twinklings augured well for Dutoit’s new reign as the orchestra’s principal conductor.” Charles Dutoit leads Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, a work that is sure to mesmerize from its funereal beginning to triumphant conclusion, and is joined by French keyboard virtuoso Jean-Yves Thibaudet in Liszt’s mighty Second Piano Concerto.

Wednesday, March 21, 8:00 SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY Michael Tilson Thomas conductor St. Lawrence String Quartet Cowell Synchrony Adams New Work for String Quartet and Orchestra Ives Concord Symphony (orch. Henry Brant) The San Francisco Symphony, famous for its electrifying performances and adventurous, engaging programming, celebrates its 100th anniversary this season. Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas, a champion of contemporary and American music, conducts works from his American Mavericks Festival, including a new piece by Bay Area resident and legendary composer John Adams and an orchestral arrangement of Ives’ Concord Sonata which pays homage to the great American literary figures of the 19th century.

Friday, June 22, 8:00 CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Riccardo Muti conductor Robert Chen violin Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1 Bruckner Symphony No. 6 CSO Concertmaster Robert Chen, praised for his tremendous capacity as both soloist and ensemble leader, steps into the spotlight for Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1. Influenced

by Rossini, this virtuosic showpiece has incredible musical depth and elegant melodic shape. Bruckner’s Sixth Symphony is known for beautiful harmonies and colorful instrumentation, a perfect finale to Riccardo Muti’s second season as music director.

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SYMPHONY CENTER PRESENTS

PIANO 10 or 5 SUNDAYS AT 3:00 10-CONCERT SERIES: E / 5-CONCERT SERIES: A or B Prepare to be captivated by the exceptional pianists featured in this year’s Symphony Center recital series. The 2011/12 season culminates with two performances in the Keys to the City Piano Festival, a celebration of this beloved instrument and its prominent role in classical, jazz, and pop genres. Exclusive access to artists! Only piano series subscribers are invited to postconcert receptions following select recitals, including light refreshments and a Q&A with the pianists!

Evgeny Kissin

October 16 B PAUL LEWIS piano

Schubert Four Impromptus, D. 935 Schubert Six moments musicaux, D. 780 Schubert Fantasy in C Major, D. 760 (Wanderer) Paul Lewis continues his multi-season exploration of Schubert’s piano works, an acclaimed series which earned rave reviews and awards when he performed it at concerts throughout the UK and on various recordings. His third concert at Symphony Center features the oft-paired Four Impromptus and Six moments musicaux and concludes with the Wanderer Fantasy, Schubert’s most technically demanding composition for piano.

David Fray

December 11 A DAVID FRAY piano

Program includes works by Mozart and Beethoven 2008 was a banner year for young pianist David Fray: he released his second CD, a collection of works by Bach and Boulez; and was voted “Newcomer of the Year”

by BBC Music Magazine. In 2011, Fray makes his debut appearance at Symphony Center.

His playing is “beautifully balanced: delicate yet incisive,” wrote the New York Times.

Mitsuko Uchida

STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES! MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE KEYS TO THE CITY PIANO FESTIVAL CONCERTS AND EVENTS WILL BE UNVEILED IN THE COMING MONTHS .

Paul Lewis

312-294-3000 • cso.org Richard Goode

Leif Ove Andsnes

Maurizio Pollini

February 19 B LEIF OVE ANDSNES piano

April 22 B EVGENY KISSIN piano

Chopin Nocturne in B Major, Op. 62, No. 1 Debussy Estampes Chopin Nocturne in E Major, Op. 62, No. 2 Debussy Images, Book I Chopin Four Ballades With his commanding technique and searching interpretations, the celebrated Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes has won worldwide acclaim. Andsnes returns to Orchestra Hall with a program pairing two of Chopin’s exquisite nocturnes and the Four Ballades with Debussy’s evocative Estampes and Images.

The popular and enigmatic Evgeny Kissin comes to Symphony Center for his only appearance of the 2011/12 season. After his February 2009 solo recital, the Chicago Tribune wrote that Kissin played “with such astonishing power and accuracy at top speed that audience members were up on their feet in an instant, clapping wildly.”

April 29 A PAUL LEWIS piano

Richard Goode is hailed for his music-making of tremendous power, depth and sensitivity.

The Chicago Tribune says, “…the music flowed through him with such mellow insights, deep emotional involvement and self-effacing pianism that you felt as though you were confronting the composers’ thought processes directly rather than through an interpreter.”

Schubert 16 German Dances, D. 783 Schubert Sonata in A Minor, D. 784 Schubert Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915 Schubert Sonata in A Minor, D. 845 In the fourth installment of his multi-season Schubert series, Paul Lewis pairs two of the composer’s sonatas in A minor, D. 784 and 845. The first, a work of rolling rhythms and eruptions, contrasts starkly against the dramatic and sweeping themes of the second. He rounds out this concert with two lighter works, the Allegretto in C Minor and the German Dances.

March 25 A MITSUKO UCHIDA piano

May 13 A MAURIZIO POLLINI piano

March 4 B RICHARD GOODE piano

Schubert Sonata in C Minor, D. 958 Schubert Sonata in A Major, D. 959 Schubert Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960 A frequent guest conductor and soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Mitsuko Uchida makes her first recital appearance at Symphony Center in six years. The Independent wrote that “Uchida conveys a unique rapture in this music—and it’s all in the touch and the timing.”

The Chicago Tribune declared Maurizio Pollini’s April 2010 recital at Symphony Center “a marvel of lucid, dignified elegance, delivered with a unique brand of refinement that has retained its integrity into a sixth decade.”

Hear one of the greatest pianists of our time as he returns to Chicago for an afternoon of exceptional music-making.

Emanuel Ax

Stephen Hough

May 20 B Keys to the City Piano Festival: EMANUEL AX piano with special guests DONG-HYEK LIM, ORION WEISS and MARY SAUER

Brahms Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56b Ravel La Valse Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances, Op. 45 Known for his poetic temperament and unsurpassed virtuosity, Emanuel Ax returns to Symphony Center as curator of the 2012 Keys to the City Piano Festival. He will be joined by special guests in a recital showcasing piano works for four hands. Orchestral versions of these works will be featured on CSO concerts during the festival.

June 10 A Keys to the City Piano Festival: STEPHEN HOUGH piano

Beethoven Sonata in C-sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2 (Moonlight) Hough Empty Branches Scriabin Sonata No. 4 in F-sharp Major Scriabin Sonata No. 5, Op. 53 Liszt Sonata in B Minor With a singular artistic vision that transcends musical fashions and trends, Stephen Hough is widely regarded as one of the most important and distinctive pianists of his generation.

Here he combines Beethoven’s beloved Moonlight Sonata with one of his own original compositions and Scriabin’s daringly unorthodox Fourth and Fifth Piano Sonatas. Hough completes the afternoon with Liszt’s innovative Sonata in B Minor.

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SYMPHONY CENTER PRESENTS

JAZZ

MUSIC

NOW

AT SYMPHONY CENTER

HIGHLIGHTS

4 MONDAYS AT 7:00

OCTOBER 17 • DECEMBER 12 • MARCH 5 • MAY 14 HARRIS THEATER FOR MUSIC AND DANCE 205 E.RANDOLPH DR. MusicNOW is Chicago’s most exciting new music series, with performances that include musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Join Mead Composers-in-Residence Mason Bates and Anna Clyne, along with principal conductor Cliff Colnot, for an innovative, creative and energetic 4-concert series.

10 OR 5 FRIDAYS AT 8:00 WATCH FOR THE COMPLETE SEASON LINEUP ON SALE APRIL 2011!

Symphony Center brings the best live jazz to its stage with 10 spectacular nights of world-class performances. This season features the incomparable Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and an intimate evening with Brad Mehldau and Joshua Redman.

“The place to be for both makers of new music and their fans.”

—Chicago Sun-Times

Friday, April 13, 8:00 BRAD MEHLDAU AND JOSHUA REDMAN

MusicNOW receives funding through a leadership grant from Irving Harris Foundation, Joan W. Harris. Major sponsorship is provided

by Cindy Sargent with additional support provided by a generous grant from the Sally Mead Hands Foundation.

Witness a stunning duet session between two of today’s hottest jazz stars! Expect an evening filled with exquisite improvisation and remarkable musical conversation between these two imaginative musicians.

Joshua Redman

Media Support:

Friday, April 27, 8:00 JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA with Wynton Marsalis

Mason Bates

Anna Clyne

Cliff Colnot

Wynton Marsalis

Returning for a special residency in 2011/12, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, led by Wynton Marsalis, celebrates jazz’s largeensemble tradition by performing masterpieces by legends of the genre. The Orchestra is known worldwide for its stylistic authenticity and unmatchable sense of swing.

Friday, May 25, 8:00 Keys to the City Piano Festival: JAZZ PIANO SHOWCASE

Harris Theater

Bill Charlap

Pianists to include: Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes With its dazzling harmonic and melodic capabilities, the piano has played a leading role in developing the sound of jazz. Join us for a special celebration of the stylistic spectrum of jazz piano featuring Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes, crowned a “jazz world royal couple”

by The New Yorker.

SUBSCRIBE NOW! cso.org/musicnow 4 CONCERTS: $60 STUDENTS: $20 Meet the musicians at postconcert receptions with FREE food and drink!

PLEASE NOTE: Jazz concerts cannot be purchased as add-ons until the series is on sale.

Jazz at Symphony Center is sponsored by Harris Bank.

312-294-3000 • cso.org

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CSO FAMILY

MATINEE SERIES

3 SATURDAYS AT 11:00 A and 12:45 B NOVEMBER 5 • FEBRUARY 4 • MAY 12 FREE PRECONCERT ACTIVITIES COME EARLY FOR MORE FAMILY FUN!

Music Comes Alive!

Symphony Center is the only place in town where your family can experience rich musical traditions combined with great family-friendly programs featuring members of the world-renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra! In 2011/12, Music Comes Alive for you and your family when the CSO presents three programs that use theater, storytelling and demonstration to bring musical masterpieces to life for children ages 5–10 years old.

Join us for a journey through Stravinsky’s playful Pulcinella. Learn about orchestras and music-making in Britten’s entertaining Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Rimsky-Korsakov’s dazzling and colorful Sheherazade will take audiences on a fantastic journey through ancient stories of the Arabian Nights.

Subscribers get to add on these special family friendly concerts first: October 29, 3:00 HALLOWED HAUNTS featuring Civic Orchestra of Chicago April 28, 1:00 JAZZ FOR YOUNG PEOPLE ® : Who is Duke Ellington? featuring Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

NEW FOR 2011/12!

Once Upon a Symphony is a series for children ages 3-5. These interactive concerts feature small ensembles of CSO musicians and storytellers, giving preschoolers a fun and up-close look at the Orchestra. Stay tuned for more information this summer!

cso.org/family

RICCARDO MUTI Music Director

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HOLIDAY

CONCERTS

Welcome Yule!

AT SYMPHONY CENTER RECEIVE SUBSCRIBER-PREFERRED PRICES WHEN YOU ADD THESE SPECIAL EVENTS TO YOUR SUBSCRIPTION. CALL 312-294-3000 OR VISIT CSO.ORG FOR PRICES.

Vienna Boys Choir

Chanticleer

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass

Saturday, November 26, 3:00 VIENNA BOYS CHOIR

Tuesday, December 6, 7:30 Wednesday, December 7, 7:30

Wednesday, December 14, 3:00 CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA BRASS

One of the oldest boys choirs existing in the world and a symbol of Austria for nearly 500 years, Vienna Boys Choir returns to Symphony Center with a variety of traditional and holiday songs that are sure to delight the whole family.

Kick off your holiday celebration with this popular and essential Thanksgiving weekend event!

Welcome Yule! is sponsored by Fidelity Investments.

FOURTH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 126 EAST CHESTNUT STREET

[NOTE LOCATION]

A CHANTICLEER CHRISTMAS The Grammy®Award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer presents its beloved holiday program at Fourth Presbyterian Church. Known as “an orchestra of voices” for the seamless blend of its twelve members, Chanticleer has developed a worldwide reputation for its impeccable musicianship, beauty of sound and wide-ranging repertoire. A holiday tradition that is not to be missed!

For six years in a row, the highly popular Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass program has thrilled audiences with its mighty sound and spectacular power. They will showcase traditional brass favorites and symphonic masterworks arranged for brass ensemble.

December 16–23 WELCOME YULE! Members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe conductor and director Whether you’re young or old, naughty or nice, Welcome Yule! is just the ticket for heartwarming holiday cheer. The merry musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus promise a delightful program of new arrangements, cherished carols and some musical surprises! Join in the fun with sing-alongs and rollicking traditional tunes, including “Christmas in Chicago!”

S Y M P World’s H O NBest.

Y Chicago’s C E NOwn. TER • 312-294-3000 P R E S E• Ncso.org TS

SPECIAL

CONCERTS

Wynton Marsalis

AT SYMPHONY CENTER: World Music • Jazz • and MORE! RECEIVE SUBSCRIBER-PREFERRED PRICES WHEN YOU ADD THESE SPECIAL EVENTS TO YOUR SUBSCRIPTION. CALL 312-294-3000 OR VISIT CSO.ORG FOR PRICES.

Sunday, October 9, 3:00 MARIACHI VARGAS DE TECALITLÁN

Friday, March 2, 8:00 THE CHIEFTAINS 50th Anniversary Concert

Saturday, April 28, 1:00 JAZZ FOR YOUNG PEOPLE ® : Who is Duke Ellington?

An annual favorite at Symphony Center, Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán returns once again for a spectacular afternoon of joyful Mexican music. The versatile members of the oldest and greatest of mariachis will bring you to your feet and lift your spirits with their powerful voices and infectious energy.

The Chieftains, the popular Grammy®Awardwinning Irish folk band, appears at Symphony Center as part of their 50th anniversary tour.

Start your St. Patrick’s Day celebration early with Ireland’s musical ambassadors!

Friday, October 14, 8:00 GORAN BREGOVIĆ and his WEDDING AND FUNERAL ORCHESTRA

The Soweto Gospel Choir brings an inspirational program that blends African gospel, Negro spirituals, reggae and popular music to Symphony Center.

The Scotsman says of their energetic performances, “Nothing can really prepare you for the riot of exuberance and depth of emotion.” Their music will stir your soul and leave you dancing in the aisles!

Saturday, April 28, 8:00 JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA with Wynton Marsalis

Saturday, April 14, 8:00 ZAKIR HUSSAIN AND THE MASTERS OF PERCUSSION

Sunday, April 29, 7:00 YO-YO MA cello SÉRGIO and ODAIR ASSAD guitars KATHRYN STOTT piano

Balkan music icon and film composer Goran Bregovic´ brings his 30-piece Wedding and Funeral Orchestra to Symphony Center for an evening of lively folk music. Goran Bregovic´ and his Weddings and Funerals Orchestra “had the audience eating out of their hands Bregovic´ makes a music that runs the spectrum from ecstatic, robustly earthy dance music, to naughty pop tunes, to vocal and string arrangements ripe with sentimentality… a lyrical, beautifully paced evening.”

—Daily Star, Lebanon

Saturday, October 29, 3:00 HALLOWED HAUNTS Civic Orchestra of Chicago

Join us for a spine-chilling afternoon of Halloween fun at Symphony Center! Perfect for trick-or-treaters of all ages, our annual Hallowed Haunts concert features the Civic Orchestra of Chicago performing some of the most deliciously spooky music ever composed. Don your Halloween costumes and come early for fun activities in the “Haunted Ballroom” from 1:30 to 2:30. Recommended for ages 5 and up.

Sunday, March 11, 3:00 SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR

A national treasure of India, tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain was called “a living genius whose unadulterated performances of Indian music are among the most thrilling anywhere” by the New York Times. Hussain’s impressive dexterity combined with the virtuosity of the finest percussionists from India’s classical and folk traditions will inspire and amaze.

Friday, April 20, 8:00 PACO DE LUCíA guitar

Paco de Lucía, one of the greatest guitarists in the world, brings an evening of passionate flamenco to Symphony Center. Witness a true master bring the intense, emotional art form of flamenco to life in what is sure to be a magical evening.

Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will inspire children of all ages with their incredible dedication and enthusiasm for jazz, America’s most original art form.

Bring the young people in your life to explore the music of American jazz legend Duke Ellington. Recommended for ages 5 and up.

This concert led by trumpeter Wynton Marsalis caps off the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s Chicago residency. Stay tuned for more details about this special concert featuring the finest jazz orchestra in America!

Enjoy a special evening of rhythm and passion with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Brazilian guitarists Sérgio and Odair Assad.

Frequent collaborators, they received a Grammy® Award for their album Obrigado Brazil.

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W O R L D ’ S B E S T. C H I C A G O ’ S O W N .

2 2 0 S O U T H M I C H I G A N AV E N U E

C H I C A G O , I L L I N O I S 6 0 6 0 4

3 1 2 - 2 9 4 - 3 0 0 0

C S O . O R G