February 13, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Music Director Carlos Kalmar and the Oregon Symphony announce the 109th season, which features a continued focus on core repertoire of both familiar and lesser-known works, the world premiere of a two-part symphonic work to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, a two-week Brahms Festival in conjunction with Chamber Music Northwest and Reed College that will feature the Brahms Requiem; unforgettable Pops concerts including a Beatles’ retrospective, “Classical Mystery Tour,” a salute to big band music featuring vocalist Shirley Nanette and Celtic fiddle sensation Eileen Ivers and her band Immigrant Soul; Kalmar’s first appearance on the Kids’ Series with “Peter and the Wolf” and special performances including a recital by violinist Itzhak Perlman, a one-woman show by comedian Lily Tomlin and a Christmas production of Handel’s “Messiah.”
The 2004-2005 season will also feature an appearance by Laureate Music Director James DePreist and the return of two guest conductors: Michael Stern, whose conducting associations include Chief Conductor of Germany’s Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra and Yakov Kreizberg, the Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Netherlands Philharmonic and Netherlands Chamber Orchestras. Other guest conductors include Emil de Cou, Associate Conductor of the National Symphony, Alastair Willis, former Resident Conductor of the Seattle Symphony, Michael Christie, Chief Conductor of The Queensland Orchestra in Australia and Music Director of the Colorado Music Festival, Bernard Labadie, the newly-appointed Artistic Director of L’Opéra de Montréal and Artistic and founding Music Director of Les Violons du Roy, Christoph Campestrini, Conductor-in Residence with the Karintische Summer Festival and Tania Miller, Music Director of the Victoria Symphony in British Columbia and Assistant Conductor of the Vancouver (B.C.) Symphony Orchestra.
Kalmar will continue to present a combination of familiar and newer works as part of his long-term goals for the orchestra, which includes a continued focus on core symphonic repertoire. As he did last year during his inaugural season, all Kalmar’s concerts for the 2004-2005 season will feature an overall theme, which will connect each work on the program. In addition, Kalmar will also provide all the pre-concert talks for his concerts.
2004 marks the 200th anniversary of the launching of Lewis & Clark’s pioneering expedition through the then-unknown western part of America. To commemorate this event, the Oregon Symphony will present a the second half of a two-part symphonic work commissioned in partnership with the St. Louis Symphony, the first half to be premiered in St. Louis, the starting point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and the second half, “The Corps of Discovery,” written by Oregon composer Kevin Walczyk, to be performed in the Symphony’s Classical Series on May 14-16, 2005. The spirit of excitement and fresh possibility embodied in this collaboration characterizes the whole 2004-05 season as well. “Come with us and enjoy the adventure,” invites Kalmar. “Music should be always an adventure, as I think it covers so many aspects of what we do and reflects so well what we feel. It will be like visiting a different part of our musical soul every time we meet in the Schnitzer.”
In February 2005, the Symphony will team with Chamber Music Northwest and Reed College to host a two-week-long festival of music of Johannes Brahms featuring two of his most important works: the “German Requiem,” last performed by the Symphony in 1975, and the monumental Symphony No. 2 in D major.
Violinist Leila Josefowicz, whom the Chicago Sun-Times describes as “playing with a zest and fiery personality that has guaranteed her a distinctive profile among the current pack of twenty-something violinists” will return to perform John Adams’ technically demanding Violin Concerto on Jan. 29-31, 2005, and renowned English pianist Stephen Hough, a recent recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” grant whom The Guardian has called “the immaculate, perfectly poised pianist,” will play Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C, K. 467 on Feb. 19-21, 2005. Other soloists include violinist Nikolaj Znaider, whose playing has been characterized by critics as “dreamy” and “touching the heart…with wanton spirituality” will perform Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D minor on March 12-14, 2005; pianist Louis Lortie, who has earned praise for “the fresh perspective and individuality he brings to a deliberately broad spectrum of the keyboard canon,” will perform Rachmaninoff’s challenging Piano Concerto No. 3 on Oct. 2-4, 2004 and cellist Daniel Müller-Schott, a protégé of Annie-Sophie Mütter whose phrasing has been described by critics as “echoing that of Casals” will perform Dvorák’s Cello Concerto in B minor on Feb. 5-7, 2005.
Repertoire highlights for the Classical season include Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring,” Beethoven’s Symphonies Nos. 3 “Eroica” and 6 “Pastoral,” Debussy’s “La Mer,” Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 and “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini,” Elgar’s “Enigma Variations,” Copland’s “Billy the Kid Suite” Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5.
The Symphony’s 2004-2005 Pops series will feature seven programs of popular music at its best, featuring return performances by vocalist extraordinaire Shirley Nanette and the ever-popular “Yuletide Celebration,” the holiday concert that has received rave audience reviews for the past several seasons which will debut an all-new production. The Pops series will also present a Big Band concert starring the entire Symphony; a salute to the divas of Broadway featuring six stunning female vocalists; a special performance by Celtic fiddle sensation Eileen Ivers and her band Immigrant Soul; a trip down memory lane with the Beatles retrospective “Classical Mystery Tour,” performed by veterans from the smash hit “Beatlemania;” and an evening of Russian music featuring balalaika by Eugene’s the popular Trio Voronezh.
The innovative, “closer look at classical music” Front Row Center series will feature concerts that focus on music of three cities that have made major contributions to classical music during specific points in history: Vienna, Moscow and Paris. Kalmar will lead the first of three programs of the 2004-05 season, which will feature the music of Vienna with an emphasis on its signature dance, the waltz; Emil de Cou, Associate Conductor of the National Symphony, will present an evening of pre-and post-revolutionary music from Moscow and Alastair Willis, former Resident Conductor of the Seattle Symphony, will return to lead a concert of music from Paris during the rise of modernism (1894-1920).
Three popular programs are scheduled for the Kids Concert series,
which will feature Kalmar in his Kids concert debut leading the Symphony
in a performance of Prokofiev’s classic “Peter and the Wolf” on
Nov. 14, 2004, as well as the acclaimed Madcap Puppet Theatre’s
presentation of “Fairy Tale Fantasies” on Jan. 16, 2005 and
the return of Magic Circle Mime presenting a brand-new
program, “Orchestra X from Outer Space” on Mar. 6, 2005.
The Sundays at Two series will present four Sunday afternoon concerts featuring audience favorites including Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1, excerpts from Handel’s “Messiah” and Saint Saëns’ “Introduction and Rondo capriccioso.” This series will also mark the solo debut of the Symphony’s new concertmaster, along with solo performances by Symphony Principal Viola Joël Belgique and Symphony French horn Joe Berger.
These shorter concerts (starting at 2 p.m. and ending by 3:30 p.m.) offer an opportunity to connect with the music and musicians. Each concert features a member of the Symphony who will talk as well as play, sharing his or her background and passion for making music.
The Symphony’s 2004-05 Special Events Series features a dazzling array of eclectic world-class performers from the classical music world and beyond, with Perlman’s solo recital appearance on Jan. 5, 2005 as the highlight. The Minneapolis Star Tribune said of him that “his superstar reputation is well deserved,” and he is arguably the greatest violinist of his generation, playing with both emotional depth and stunning technical virtuosity.
Comedian Lily Tomlin, described by New York Magazine as “A performer of awesome ability, agility, psychological and verbal acuity,” and a recent recipient of the coveted Mark Twain Humor Prize, will conclude the Symphony’s Special Events series with a one-woman show on April 30, 2005, while Portland favorite Aaron Meyer, a concert rock violinist whose theatrical performances cross boundaries of both style and genre, opens the series on Nov. 27, 2004.
Another featured highlight will be a period-styled performance of Handel’s “Messiah” with the Portland Symphonic Choir and an exciting quartet of singers specially selected for Portland on Dec. 11, 2004 and the return of Gospel Christmas, a Portland holiday tradition featuring the Northwest Gospel Choir under the direction of Charles Floyd on Dec. 3, 4 and 5, 2004.
In addition to full and half series Classical subscriptions and subscriptions to the Pops, Front Row Center, Kids and Sundays at Two series, the Symphony offers a Music Max option, which may be redeemed for 12 tickets to any of the Symphony’s series concerts (Special Events excluded). Subscribers get the best seats, don’t have to wait in line for tickets and don’t run the risk of concerts being sold out. They also receive first-choice seating and discounts on all Special Event concerts. Subscribers can exchange subscription tickets to fit their taste or schedule, and save as much as 33 percent on single ticket prices, as well as saving 20 percent on additional single tickets to Classical, Pops or Front Row Center concerts. Seniors and students are entitled to discounted subscriptions to Classical series concerts. Additional information on subscriber benefits may be obtained by calling the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office at 503-228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 or by visiting the Symphony’s Web site at www.orsymphony.org.
Subscriptions to a series of select Classical and Pops concerts to be presented at Willamette University’s Smith Auditorium are available through the Oregon Symphony Association in Salem. Contact 503-364-0149 for more information.
In addition to a full season of concerts at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, the Oregon Symphony addresses the needs of the larger community through its Education and Community programs, which include annual Community Music Partnerships immersing Oregon communities in music education activities that leave tools in place for long-term development of local programs. A wide range of programs for schools include on-site ensemble-based Kinderkonzerts (for K-2 students) and full orchestra Youth concerts, with free resources to support both music specialists and classroom teachers alike. “Oregon Symphony in the Neighborhoods,” for which the Symphony partners with the City of Portland and the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC), features free festival-style concerts in Portland’s neighborhood parks and culminates with the traditional summer-ending Symphony concert at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Other community-based programs include Symphony Storytimes, an innovative partnership with the Multnomah County Library System.
Subscriptions to the Oregon Symphony’s 2004-2005 season are available in several packages. Subscriptions for all 14 classical concerts are as low as $182; a seven-concert Classical series costs as little as $112. Pops subscriptions start at $126; Kids Concerts subscriptions start at $21 for adults and $18 for children 12 & under; and Front Row Center subscriptions begin at $42. Sundays at Two is a series of four concerts with general admission seating at $66 for adults and $46 for students/seniors. The Symphony also offers Music Max, a flexible 12-concert package, for $384 or a 6-concert Mini Music Max for $210. Music Max may be redeemed for tickets to concerts on the Classical, Pops, Front Row Center, Sundays at Two or Kids Concert series.
Subscriptions may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office in downtown Portland at 923 S.W. Washington, or charged by phone at 503-228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 weekdays (and Saturdays, Sept. through May) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Subscription orders also may be placed online at www.orsymphony.org beginning in March. Single tickets to all 2004-05 Symphony events will be available to the general public at 9 a.m. on Aug. 16, 2004.
All concerts will be held at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, located in downtown Portland on the corner of S.W. Broadway and Main, unless otherwise noted.
