Sunday, March 24, 2013

Hartford Symphony Orchestra Posts 70th Anniversary Season

A Hartford Symphony Orchestra performance in October 2012. Photo: Alan Grant
Hartford Symphony Orchestra Music Director Carolyn Kuan has announced programming for the  70th Anniversary Season, including the 2013-2014 Masterworks Series and the 2013-2014 Pops Series that will be presented at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford, CT.

Kuan's contract with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra has been extended through to May 31, 2016, two years beyond her initial contract’s end date.

70th Season Highlights:

Opening Night 70th Anniversary Celebration October 11, 2013:
The HSO is rolling out the red carpet for Opening Night! Two of the most famous works in the organ repertoire, Saint-Saëns’ massive Symphony No. 3 and Bach’s glorious Toccata and Fugue, will be played on The Bushnell’s historic, Hartford-made Austin pipe organ. Matched with the delicacy of the pipa – a Chinese lute – played by virtuoso Wu Man, recently named Musical America’s 2013 Instrumentalist of the Year. The concert will also feature a side by side performance with the Connecticut Youth Symphony.

HSO and Hartford Stage to Collaborate on A Midsummer Night’s Dream:
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra and the Hartford Stage Company will join during their respective 70th and 50th anniversary seasons to present a new concert staging of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, combining a theatrical performance of Shakespeare's timeless story with Mendelssohn's incidental music. Hartford Stage Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak and HSO Music Director Carolyn Kuan will combine their artistic visions for this once-in-a-lifetime collaboration.

Pops Series to Open with Disney’s Fantasia; Holiday Cirque Spectacular Back by Popular Demand:
This season’s Pops concerts each have something to delight music lovers of all ages. From the movie masterpiece Disney’s Fantasia, to music inspired by delectable food to holiday favorites accompanied by high-flying Cirque acrobats, and music from some of the most popular composers of the last 40 years, from Stephen Sondheim to Billy Joel to Les Misérables.

Season to Feature Guest Appearances from former Music Directors Michael Lankester and Edward Cumming:
Former HSO music directors Michael Lankester and Edward Cumming return to the podium in celebration of the HSO’s legacy in this community. Each maestro imprinted his unique style and propelled the orchestra to artistic excellence, as the audience will experience this season.

2013-2014 Guest Artist Highlights to Include:
Michael Cavanaugh, vocals and piano; Cirque de la Symphonie; Connecticut Youth Symphony; David Finckel, cello (Emerson String Quartet); The Hartford Chorale; Sirena Huang, violin; Wu Man, pipa; Greig Shearer, HSO Principal flute; Leonid Sigal, HSO Concertmaster; Joel Smirnoff, guest conductor; Tim Stella, guest conductor; The University of Connecticut Drumline; Mariangela Vacatello, piano; Peter Winograd, violin (son of former HSO music director Arthur Winograd)

See the complete list of concert programs that follows:

2013 – 2014 Masterworks Series
HARTFORD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 70th Anniversary Season
Carolyn Kuan, Music Director
The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts

70TH ANNIVERSARY OPENING NIGHT!
October 11 & 12, 2013
Friday & Saturday, 8pm
Mortensen Hall
Carolyn Kuan conductor
Wu Man pipa
Edward Clark organ
Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3, “Organ”
Bach Toccata and Fugue in D minor
with Connecticut Youth Symphony, Daniel D’Addio, music director
Harrison Concerto for Pipa and String Orchestra
We’re rolling out the red carpet for Opening Night! Two of the most famous works in the organ repertoire, Saint-Saëns’ massive Symphony No. 3 and Bach’s glorious Toccata and Fugue, will be played on The Bushnell’s historic, Hartford-made Austin pipe organ. Matched with the delicacy of the pipa – a Chinese lute – played by virtuoso Wu Man, recently named Musical America’s 2013 Instrumentalist of the Year. Concert Benefactor: Hartford Hospital

BEETHOVEN & BERNSTEIN
November 7 – 10, 2013
Thursday 7:30pm | Friday & Saturday 8pm | Sunday 3pm
Belding Theater
Carolyn Kuan conductor
Peter Winograd violin
Beethoven Symphony No. 7
Piazzolla Four Seasons of Buenos Aires
Bernstein Fancy Free
Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony is paired with Piazzolla’s tango-inspired Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, featuring violinist Peter Winograd, son of HSO’s esteemed former music director Arthur Winograd. Plus, hear the ballet score Fancy Free – the first work in the HSO’s season-long tribute to composer Leonard Bernstein.

GREENSLEEVES & SIRENA
December 12 – 15, 2013
Thursday 7:30pm | Friday & Saturday 8pm | Sunday 3pm
Belding Theater
Joel Smirnoff guest conductor
Sirena Huang violin
Vaughan Williams Fantasia on Greensleeves
Sibelius Concerto for Violin in D minor
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 3, “Polish”
Connecticut’s own violin sensation Sirena Huang returns with guest conductor Joel Smirnoff. This festive program includes Vaughan Williams’ gorgeous setting of Greensleeves and Sibelius’ virtuosic Violin Concerto. The Koski Memorial Concert.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
January 9 – 12, 2014
Thursday 7:30pm | Friday & Saturday 8pm | Sunday 3pm
Belding Theater
Carolyn Kuan conductor
Darko Tresnjak stage director
Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra and the Hartford Stage Company will join during our respective 70th and 50th anniversary seasons to present a new concert staging of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, combining a theatrical performance of Shakespeare's timeless story with Mendelssohn's incidental music. Concert Sponsor: Legrand.

WEST SIDE STORY
February 13 – 16, 2014
Thursday 7:30pm | Friday & Saturday 8pm | Sunday 3pm
Belding Theater
Carolyn Kuan conductor
Mariangela Vacatello piano
R. Strauss Der Rosenkavalier Suite
Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Bernstein Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
This romantic Valentine features several moving love stories told through music, including Richard Strauss’ comic opera, Rachmaninoff’s balletic interpretation, and Bernstein’s theatrical retelling of Romeo and Juliet. The Tina Mahar McNally and Alexander Campbell McNally Memorial Concert. Guest artist sponsored by Ron and Nancy Compton.

MICHAEL LANKESTER CONDUCTS ENIGMA VARIATIONS
March 20 – 23, 2014
Thursday 7:30pm | Friday & Saturday 8pm | Sunday 3pm
Belding Theater
Michael Lankester guest conductor, HSO music director from 1985-2000
Elgar Enigma Variations
Bruckner Symphony No. 3
Michael Lankester makes a triumphant return to the Hartford Symphony Orchestra to lead two pieces of expressive personality. Lankester's fellow Englishman Edward Elgar dedicated his Enigma Variations to "my friends pictured within" – and made each variation an affectionate portrayal. This is followed by Bruckner's grand, dramatic, and brassy Third Symphony.

MOZART’S REQUIEM
April 10 – 13, 2014
Thursday 7:30pm | Friday & Saturday 8pm | Sunday 3pm
Belding Theater
Carolyn Kuan conductor
Patricia Schuman soprano
Tamara Mumford mezzo-soprano
Andrew Stenson tenor
Tyler Simpson bass-baritone
The Hartford Chorale
Richard Coffey music director
Bernstein Symphony No. 1, “Jeremiah”
Mozart Requiem, K. 626
Hear music inspired by faith in its full glory! The HSO is joined by the Hartford Chorale and soloists to perform Bernstein’s setting of the moving biblical story of the prophet Jeremiah, along with Mozart’s final work, a Requiem Mass known for its melodic beauty and fiery evocations of the composer's own mortality.

EDWARD CUMMING CONDUCTS BRAHMS’ DOUBLE CONCERTO
May 8 – 11, 2014
Thursday 7:30pm | Friday & Saturday 8pm | Sunday 3pm
Belding Theater
Edward Cumming guest conductor, HSO music director from 2001-2011
Leonid Sigal violin
David Finckel cello
Dvořák Slavonic Dances, Op. 46, No. 2
Brahms Concerto for Violin and Violoncello, “Double Concerto”
Dvořák Symphony No. 6
Edward Cumming conducts music that defined his signature style. Slavonic Dances, commissioned for piano four hands, catapulted Dvořák to fame – while Symphony No. 6 showcased his experimental technique. Brahms combined violin and cello for the solo portions of his final orchestral work to create a “super” instrument of sonority and range.

BOLERO!
June 5 – 8, 2014
Thursday 7:30pm | Friday & Saturday 8pm | Sunday 3pm
Belding Theater
Carolyn Kuan conductor
Greig Shearer HSO Principal flute
Tchaikovsky Capriccio Italien
Mozart Concerto for Flute No. 1 in G Major, K. 313
Bates Alternative Energy for Orchestra and Electronica
Ravel Bolero
with The University of Connecticut Drumline, David Mills, director
The 70th season finale is a not-to-be missed, blockbuster celebration! Join the HSO as we perform musical selections both new and timeless, grand and intimate to highlight the versatility and power of the HSO’s musicians to unite our community through live performance. Concert Sponsor: The Saunders Fund for Innovative Programming.
Ticket Information: Subscriptions to the Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s 2013-2014 Masterworks and Pops Series are available by calling HSO Ticket Services at (860)244-2999. More information about subscribing is available at www.hartfordsymphony.org. Tickets for individual concerts will go on sale in August 2013.



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