Symphony Center Presents Chamber Music

SYMPHONY CENTER CHAMBER MUSIC

INTIMATE CONCERTS. INSPIRING COLLABORATIONS.

6-CONCERT SERIES

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 3:00 CHRISTIAN TETZLAFF violin LARS VOGT piano Mozart Violin Sonata in B-flat Major, K. 454 Bartók Violin Sonata No. 1 Webern Four Pieces for Violin and Piano,

Op. 7 Beethoven Violin Sonata in C Minor,

Op. 30, No. 2 Revered German violinist Christian Tetzlaff and his frequent collaborator Lars Vogt launch the 2013/14 SCP Chamber Music series with Bartók’s blazingly virtuosic First Sonata and Beethoven’s passionate Sonata in C Minor. “Tetzlaff plays with consummate technique and intelligent musicianship … He is a bold artist with an instinctive feeling for the wild side in music” (New York Times).

SUNDAY, JANUARY 26, 3:00 ANNE SOFIE VON OTTER mezzo-soprano EMANUEL AX piano Brahms Four Serious Songs, Op. 121 Brahms Selected Songs Brahms Selected Solo Piano Works Nico Muhly New Commission for

Mezzo-Soprano and Piano

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 8:00 JOSHUA BELL violin Celebrated American violinist Joshua Bell returns for an intimate evening of musicmaking. Don’t miss his only Symphony Center appearance of the 2013/14 season! “Bell has evolved from a technical whiz to a true artist and intellectual whose music feeds both your brain and your heart” (Newsweek).

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 8:00 EMANUEL AX piano YO-YO MA cello Brahms Cello Sonata No. 1 Brahms Cello Sonata No. 2 Anders Hillborg New Commission for

Cello and Piano

SUNDAY, MARCH 23, 3:00

AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Richard Tognetti conductor Olli Mustonen piano Shostakovich Two Pieces for String Octet,

Op. 11 Prokofiev Suite from Visions fugitives Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1 Prokofiev Five Melodies for Violin and Strings (arr. Swenson) Britten Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge Noted for their “electric, spontaneous rapport” (Chicago Tribune), the Australian Chamber Orchestra presents works by Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Britten, a fitting precursor to the CSO’s Truth to Power exploration. Shostakovich’s propulsive First Piano Concerto bears his distinctive tongue-in-cheek humor, including gallops, can-cans and comedic quotations. Paying affectionate tribute to his composition teacher, Frank Bridge, Britten’s variations each capture a different facet of their close relationship, including vitality, humor, enthusiasm and warmth.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 8:00 PINCHAS ZUKERMAN violin and viola YEFIM BRONFMAN piano Program to include: Schubert Violin Sonatina in A Minor, D. 385 Brahms Viola Sonata No. 1 Israeli-born violinist Pinchas Zukerman marvels audiences worldwide with his infectious musicality and prodigious technique. Multiple Grammy® Award-winner Yefim Bronfman possesses commanding technique and lyrical expressiveness. These two longtime collaborators and Chicago favorites join forces for an evening of superb virtuosity.

SYMPHONY CENTER SPOTLIGHT BRAHMS:

COMPOSER AND MUSE

Led by Emanuel Ax

“I have loved Johannes’ Brahms music since I was a teenager. The more I got to know his music and personal story, the more I admired both. After studying his music for 40 years, I wish I had another 40 to understand it better.

Brahms’s personal motto was Frei aber froh—Free, but happy. We have asked some of the most exceptional composers of our time to use the notes FAF as a point of inspiration for new works, and we are very excited to share this music with you.” —EMANUEL AX

Frequent Symphony Center guest and a favorite among Chicago audiences, pianist Emanuel Ax has invited mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and composers Nico Muhly, Anders Hillborg, Brett Dean and Missy Mazzoli to join him in a celebration of Johannes Brahms as both composer and muse. Spanning three concerts, Ax and his collaborators will pair Brahms’ own works with newly commissioned pieces inspired by the great German composer.

Programs include the SCP Chamber Music concerts on January 26 and February 21, 2014 and the SCP Piano recital featuring Emanuel Ax on May 18, 2014 (see page 39).