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The most illustrious names in classical music perform dazzling virtuosic recitals and intimate collaborations. Delight in two programs featuring legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma, plus watch as superstar pianist Mitsuko Uchida leads the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in two of Mozart’s greatest piano concertos. Explore three famous piano trios performed by three outstanding soloists and recitals by renowned violinists Maxim Vengerov, returning to Symphony Center after a 17-year absence, and CSO Artist-in-Residence Hilary Hahn.
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YO-YO MA
HILARY HAHN
MITSUKO UCHIDA
CSO.ORG 5
MAXIM VENGEROV
Oct 22
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Lisa Batiashvili & Gautier Capuçon
Jean-Yves Thibaudet PIANO
Lisa Batiashvili VIOLIN
Gautier Capuçon CELLO
HAYDN Piano Trio in E Major, Hob. XV:28
RAVEL Piano Trio
MENDELSSOHN Piano Trio No. 2
Three superstar virtuosos team up to perform piano trios spanning three centuries. Delight in the wit and virtuosity of Haydn, the exquisite colors and Basque folk rhythms of Ravel and the rich melodies of Mendelssohn. “What impressed most was the perfect balance between the three: Capuçon’s rich walnut tone, Batiashvili’s leaner, lyrical sweetness and Thibaudet’s lightly pedaled luminosity” (Bachtrack).
Apr 7
PRIORITY ACCESS CONCERT
Yo-Yo Ma & Kathryn Stott
Yo-Yo Ma CELLO
Kathryn Stott PIANO
FAURÉ Berceuse
SÉRGIO ASSAD Menino
DVOŘÁK Songs My Mother Taught Me FAURÉ Papillon
KABALEVSKY Cello Sonata
PÄRT Spiegel im Spiegel
FRANCK Sonata
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Kathryn Stott, longtime friends and collaborators, offer an afternoon filled with musical intimacy and expressive fireworks. Their program encompasses the grand, richly melodic sonatas of Franck and Kabalevsky, the lilting warmth of Dvořák’s Songs My Mother Taught Me and the meditative beauty of Pärt’s “Mirror in Mirror,” plus lyrical gems by Fauré and Sérgio Assad.
June 9
Hilary Hahn & Friends
Hilary Hahn VIOLIN
CSO Artist-in-Residence and Musical America’s 2023 Artist of the Year Hilary Hahn returns to Symphony Center for an afternoon showcasing the intimate beauty of chamber music. Hahn “cuts a tightly controlled, even economical figure on stage, letting her multilayered tone — decadent, dense, yet ringing with an irresistible sheen — speak for itself” (Chicago Tribune).
CHAMBER A 1 3 – CONCERT SERIES | SUNDAYS AT 3:00
JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET
KATHRYN STOTT
LISA BATIASHVILI
6
GAUTIER CAPUÇON
Nov 10 FRIDAY 7:30
Maxim Vengerov
Maxim Vengerov VIOLIN
Polina Osetinskaya PIANO
CLARA SCHUMANN
Three Romances, Op. 22
BRAHMS Scherzo in C Minor from the F.A.E. Sonata
SCHUMANN Violin Sonata No. 3 in A Minor
PROKOFIEV Five Melodies
PROKOFIEV Violin Sonata in D Major, Op. 94bis
With his golden tone and dazzling technical prowess, Maxim Vengerov is a standard-bearer for the great Russian violin tradition. An artist of searching curiosity, Vengerov performs three intertwined works by Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms. Prokofiev’s mellifluous Five Melodies and exuberant sonata complete the program.
Feb 3 SATURDAY 7:30
Ax, Kavakos & Ma
Emanuel Ax PIANO
Leonidas Kavakos VIOLIN
Yo-Yo Ma CELLO
Featuring an all-Beethoven program
Previous visits by this classical superstar trio have been essential events on the Chicago cultural calendar. The three return with an all-Beethoven program that includes the composer’s symphonic music arranged for piano trio. “One could only marvel at how intuitive and spontaneous these performances were,” raves the Chicago Tribune, “with each player kindling immediate responses from his colleagues.”
Mar 26 TUESDAY 7:30
Mahler Chamber Orchestra & Mitsuko Uchida
Mahler Chamber Orchestra
Mitsuko Uchida
PIANO AND CONDUCTOR
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 17, K. 453
WIDMANN Choralquartett
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 22, K. 482
Mitsuko Uchida leads the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in two of Mozart’s greatest piano concertos — both rich in emotional layers with moods ranging from the majestic to the melancholy. Uchida “stands as one of the leading Mozarteans of our day,” writes the Chicago Tribune, celebrated for “the sense of wonder and discovery she characteristically brings to his music.”
CHAMBER A 2 3 – CONCERT SERIES | EVENINGS AT 7:30
MAHLER CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
LEONIDAS KAVAKOS
CSO.ORG 7
EMANUEL AX
Symphony Center welcomes two of the world’s finest orchestras led by today’s most distinguished conductors.
Former CSO Music Director Daniel Barenboim returns to Chicago leading the venerable Staatskapelle Berlin in an all-Brahms program, and Sir Simon Rattle brings Mahler’s mighty Sixth Symphony in his first U.S. tour as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra’s chief conductor.
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DANIEL BARENBOIM
STAATSKAPELLE BERLIN
Nov 28 TUESDAY 7:30
Staatskapelle Berlin
Daniel Barenboim CONDUCTOR
Featuring an all-Brahms program
Daniel Barenboim, who has enriched Chicago’s musical life for more than a half century, returns with the venerable Staatskapelle Berlin for an all-Brahms program. One of the world’s oldest orchestras, the Staatskapelle was established in the 16th century and later gave the premieres of major works by Mendelssohn, Wagner and Richard Strauss.
Apr 28 SUNDAY 3:00
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle CONDUCTOR
MAHLER Symphony No. 6
Marking his first season as its chief conductor, Sir Simon Rattle leads the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Mahler’s mighty Sixth Symphony. Sir Simon has been celebrated for his “complete command” (The New York Times) of this piece, one of the composer’s darkest and most impassioned symphonies. Its vast panorama includes cowbells to evoke the Austrian countryside and fateful hammer blows in its final movement.
ORCHESTRAS A 2 – CONCERT SERIES | NOTE DAYS AND TIMES
SIR SIMON RATTLE
CSO.ORG 9
BAVARIAN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Revel in solo and duo piano performances
by acclaimed recitalists assembled on the Symphony Center Presents Piano series.
Hear piano masterworks by Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, Liszt and Prokofiev, along with a new work by Australian composer Brett Dean, performed by Symphony Center favorites including Evgeny Kissin, Sir András Schiff and Yefim Bronfman, as well as series debuts by Lucas & Arthur Jussen and Bruce Liu.
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PIERRE-LAURENT AIMARD
LUCAS & ARTHUR JUSSEN
BENJAMIN GROSVENOR 10
EVGENY KISSIN
HÉLÈNE GRIMAUD
Jan 21
Lucas & Arthur Jussen SCP DEBUT
MOZART Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K. 448
SCHUBERT Fantasy in F Minor, D. 940
KULENTY VAN...
STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring
Dutch brothers Lucas and Arthur Jussen comprise one of today’s most soughtafter piano duos. Critics have marveled at how they “move as a single organism” (The Boston Globe) and play with “flair and instinctive collusion” (The Scotsman). Their Symphony Center recital debut features music by Mozart, Schubert and Kulenty, capped off with Stravinsky’s ferocious two-piano version of The Rite of Spring.
Feb 25
Pierre-Laurent Aimard
MOZART Fantasy in D Minor, K. 397
SWEELINCK Fantasia chromatica
MOZART Fantasy in C Minor, K. 475
VOLKONSKY Musica stricta (Fantasia ricercata)
MOZART Fantasy in F Minor
C.P.E. BACH Fantasy in C Major
MOZART Fantasy in C Minor, K. 396
BEETHOVEN Fantasy in G Minor, Op. 77
BENJAMIN Fantasy on Iambic Rhythm
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, “a brilliant musician and an extraordinary visionary” (The Wall Street Journal), presents an enthralling exploration of the keyboard fantasy. Anchored by four of Mozart’s kaleidoscopic fantasies, Aimard’s program spans the glittering intricacies of Dutch Baroque master Sweelinck, Beethoven’s mercurial Op. 77 and Benjamin’s 1985
Fantasy on Iambic Rhythm
Mar 10
Benjamin Grosvenor
CHOPIN Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23
CHOPIN Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 35
BRETT DEAN New Work
SCP CO-COMMISSION
LISZT Sonata in B Minor
Following his 2022 CSO debut with Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto, British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor returns to Symphony Center with two of the composer’s commanding solo pieces. Completing the program is Liszt’s wild and visionary Sonata in B Minor paired with a new work by Australian composer Brett Dean. “Grosvenor’s playing is thoughtful and fresh, with flecks of rubato, quizzical pauses and tumbling fast-fingered runs” (The Times of London).
May 19
Evgeny Kissin
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 27 in E Minor, Op. 90
BRAHMS Four Ballades, Op. 10 RACHMANINOV
Moments musicaux, Op. 16
PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, Op. 83
An Evgeny Kissin recital is unfailingly an event, showcasing the Russian pianist’s “formidable blend of technical prowess and exploratory fervor” (San Francisco Chronicle). This season in Orchestra Hall, Kissin surveys the lyrical charm and invention of Beethoven’s Op. 90 Sonata, Brahms’ deeply melodic Four Ballades, Rachmaninov’s ruminative, jewel-like Moments musicaux and Prokofiev’s incisive and hard-driving Sonata No. 7.
PIANO A 1 4 – CONCERT SERIES | SUNDAYS AT 3:00
CSO.ORG 11
Nov 12
Sir András Schiff
Hungarian-born pianist Sir András Schiff has put his stamp on an extensive repertoire of piano literature, from works by Bach and Beethoven to Schumann, Bartók and Janáček. Described by The Seattle Times as “a master of nuance and musical wisdom,” Schiff has earned his standing as a longtime favorite of Chicago audiences.
Feb 4
Hélène Grimaud
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 30 in
E Major, Op. 109
BRAHMS Three Intermezzos, Op. 117
BRAHMS Fantasies, Op. 116
J.S. BACH (ARR. BUSONI)
Chaconne from BWV 1004
Prodigious pianist Hélène Grimaud, whose “performances attempt, whenever possible, to shake up conventional pianistic wisdom” (The New Yorker), climbs four summits of the piano literature. Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 109, a work of volatility and ravishing poetry, paves the way for Brahms’ heart-warming Fantasies and his wistfully nostalgic Three Intermezzos, as well as Busoni’s colossal arrangement of Bach’s solo-violin Chaconne.
Apr 14
Yefim Bronfman
Program to include:
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 7 in D Major, Op. 10, No. 3
SCHUBERT Sonata in A Minor, D. 784
SCHUMANN Carnival Scenes from Vienna
June 2
Bruce Liu SCP DEBUT
HAYDN Sonata in B Minor, Hob. XVI:32
CHOPIN Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 35
KAPUSTIN Variations, Op. 41
RAMEAU Selections from Pièces de clavecin
LISZT Réminiscences de Don Juan
Following a meteoric rise “to rock-star status in the classical music world” (Globe and Mail) sparked by winning the 2021 International Chopin Piano Competition, Bruce Liu makes his much-anticipated Chicago debut. He brings to Symphony Center works by Liszt and Kapustin, inventive keyboard compositions by Rameau, Haydn’s delicate Sonata in B Minor and Chopin’s emotionally complex Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor.
Yefim Bronfman, a pianist who plays “with blazing power in the big Russian manner, tempered with subtlety and nuance” (Chicago Tribune), brings a selection of remarkable compositions. The program includes Schubert’s A Minor Sonata, a deeply personal work written just as the composer was coming to terms with his incurable illness; Schumann’s romantic spectacle Carnival Scenes from Vienna, and Beethoven’s Sonata No. 7 in D Major with its contrasting themes and enigmatic ending.
PIANO A 2 4 – CONCERT SERIES | SUNDAYS AT 3:00
BRUCE LIU
YEFIM BRONFMAN
SIR ANDRÁS SCHIFF
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SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CENTER PRESENTS Seating CHAMBER ORCHESTRAS PIANO A 6 concerts Save 30% A1 3 concerts Save 20% A2 3 concerts Save 20% A 2 concerts Save 30% A 8 concerts Save 30% A1 4 concerts Save 20% A2 4 concerts Save 20% 1M 451 252 260 232 431 272 216 2M 379 211 222 190 368 240 176 3M 341 191 196 162 304 198 147 4M 310 175 178 134 261 169 129 5M 278 155 162 92 213 124 116 1B 735 399 439 350 734 438 399 1L 499 280 288 302 525 334 265 2L 413 231 239 246 434 273 222 3L 381 212 220 194 367 238 179 4L 381 212 220 194 367 238 179 5L 353 198 206 138 331 217 161 1G 222 123 130 78 213 124 116 2G 222 123 130 78 213 124 116 1T 369 207 212 148 457 289 233 2T 285 159 164 106 457 289 233
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Pair CHAMBER A1 with The Rite of Spring & Kavakos
Nov 16–19
Leonidas Kavakos brings an “intense, silken, mercurial” sound (The Guardian) to his rendition of Szymanowski’s folkinspired Second Violin Concerto.
Pair CHAMBER A2 with The Elements with Joshua Bell
June 13–15
Joshua Bell performs The Elements, a suite of five works for violin and orchestra, commissioned by Bell and written by leading American composers Jake Heggie (Fire), Jennifer Higdon (Air), Edgar Meyer (Water), CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence Jessie Montgomery (Ether) and Kevin Puts (Earth).
Pair ORCHESTRAS A with Mahler 1
Oct 26–28
Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Mahler’s colossal Symphony No. 1.
Pair PIANO A1 with Tchaikovsky Pathétique & Trifonov
June 20–23
Daniil Trifonov takes the spotlight in former CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence Mason Bates’ Piano Concerto, a journey through three stylistic sound worlds, from Renaissance dance music to Romantic-era brooding to a contemporary finale imbued with strains of jazz and minimalism
Pair PIANO A2 with Klaus Mäkelä & Yuja Wang
Apr 4–6
Bartók’s Second Piano Concerto is an exhilarating showcase for Yuja Wang, whom the San Francisco Chronicle called “quite simply the most dazzlingly, uncannily gifted pianist in the concert world today.”
KLAUS M Ä KEL Ä
YUJA WANG
JOSHUA BELL NIKOLAJ
LEONIDAS KAVAKOS
SZEPS-ZNAIDER DANIIL TRIFONOV
Leonidas Kavakos Hilary Hahn Staatskapelle Berlin Gautier Capuçon Yo-Yo Ma Sir András Schiff Evgeny Kissin Maxim Vengerov Mahler Chamber Orchestra & Mitsuko Uchida SYMPHONY CENTER 220 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60604 HOME OF THE CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Follow @chicagosymphony CSO.ORG /SUBSCRIBE | 312-294-3000 Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Chicago Symphony Orchestra Order now and save up to 30%!
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RICCARDO MUTI
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