September 23 & 25 program

BNY MELLON GRAND CLASSICS | HEINZ HALL

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2022 AT 8:00 P.M. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2022 AT 2:30 P.M.

Osmo Vänskä, conductor Alisa Weilerstein, cello

John Stafford Smith The Star-Spangled Banner

Leonard Bernstein Overture to Candide

Joan Tower

A New Day for Cello and Orchestra I. Daybreak II. Working Out III. Mostly Alone IV. Into the Night

Ms. Weilerstein

Intermission

Hector Berlioz

Symphonie Fantastique, Opus 14 I. Reveries and Passions: Largo — Allegro agitato e appassionato assai II. A Ball. Valse: Allegro non troppo III. Scene in the Country: Adagio IV. March to the Scaffold: Allegretto non troppo V. Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath: Larghetto — Allegro

GRAND CLASSICS TITLE SPONSOR MEDIA SPONSOR

COMMON THREADS

Musical Love Letters & Leading Ladies Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique and Joan Tower’s A New Day for Cello and Orchestra may draw from different points of inspiration, but they share one important common thread: love. It was Berlioz’s total infatuation with, and unrequited love towards, Harriet Smithson that led him to compose his wild tale of passion, obsession and hallucination. A very different sort of musical love letter comes to life with leading American composer Joan Tower’s new Concerto inspired by Joan’s husband and partner of more than 50 years. Dedicated “with love to Jeff,” the Concerto contemplates the gift of their deep partnership while also recognizing the precious time that they have left together.

Across the program, another thread is that of leading ladies. From the charms of Cunégonde in Voltaire’s Candide, to the dynamic creative synergy between Joan Tower and Alisa Weilerstein and finally the enchanting specter of Harriet Smithson, these leading ladies have motivated these fascinating musical works.

IN THE NEWS

“Weilerstein is a throwback to an earlier age of classical performers: not content merely to serve as a vessel for the composer’s wishes, she inhabits a piece fully and turns it to her own ends.” -The New York Times

“Berlioz tells it like it is. You take a trip, you wind up screaming at your own funeral.” -Leonard Bernstein “Rarely do the music of a composer and her personality match as well as those of Joan Tower. After only a few minutes into a conversation with the gregarious, thoughtful and intense woman, her inviting and energetic music makes even more sense. Hardly a point is made without a hearty, easygoing laugh —the sort of warm color that streams through her rhythmically charged music.” –Andrew Druckenbrod/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

PITTSBURGH CONNECTIONS

Osmo Vänskä made his debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony in October 2001, and last conducted here in October 2021.

Alisa Weilerstein made her debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony in February 2005, and last performed here in October 2017.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Art of Commissioning A commission is a process by which an individual or organization becomes an active participant in the creation of a new work of art, paying a composer to write a new piece for a specific purpose or event. Joan Tower’s A New Day was commissioned for cellist Alisa Weilerstein by the Colorado Music Festival, The Cleveland Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra. This weekend marks the PSO premiere of the Concerto and we are honored to have composer Joan Tower in Pittsburgh with us for the rehearsals and Friday night performance.

VOICES OF TODAY PITTSBURGH + JOAN TOWER An icon among American composers, Joan Tower’s relationship with Pittsburgh dates back to 1998, when the late Music Director Mariss Jansons and the Pittsburgh Symphony commissioned and premiered her work Tambor. Pittsburgh audiences were immersed in her works throughout the 2010-2011 season when she served as Composer of the Year, which included performances of For the Uncommon Woman, Sequoia, Stroke, Made in America, and the Concerto for Clarinet featuring Principal Clarinet Michael Rusinek. Join us for our next Voices of Today program on October 7 & 9, featuring the U.S premiere of Samy Moussa’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, “Adrano”.