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This series consists of 11 performances.
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Sibelius' Violin Concerto
October 19 - 21, 2023
Sibelius himself once said “When I play the violin, it is as though the insides of the music opened up to me.” So it is no surprise that his only violin concerto is a masterpiece featuring lush melodies and sweeping movements, perfectly blending drama and technical virtuosity.PROGRAM:
Lili Boulanger: D'un soir triste
Sibelius: Violin Concerto
- Intermission -
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5
Christian Kluxen, guest conductor
Esther Yoo, violin
California Dreamin'
November 16 - 18, 2023
Part of the inaugural California Festival, a treasure trove of music celebrating the Golden State’s legacy of experimentation and free-spirited artistry, this concert features a new composition by Gabriella Smith, whose work is described as “high-voltage and wildly imaginative,” along with other pieces inspired by the diversity and richness of our state.PROGRAM:
Adam Schoenberg: Canto
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 4
- Intermission -
Gabriella Smith: Bioluminescence Chaconne
Debussy: La Mer
Ludovic Morlot, guest conductor
Vadym Kholodenko, piano
This concert is part of the California Festival: A Celebration of New Music across the state Nov. 3-19, 2023
New World Symphony
November 30 - 02, 2023
Drawing on Native American and African American musical themes and Bohemian folk tunes, Dvorák’s masterpiece weaves a unique musical tapestry that remains one of the most popular works of classical music. Chopin's romantic Piano Concerto No. 2 features French pianist David Fray.PROGRAM:
Sofia Gubaidulina: Fairytale Poem
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2
David Fray, piano
- Intermission -
Dvořák: Symphony No. 9, "From the New World"
Alexander Shelley, guest conductor
David Fray, piano
Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto
January 11 - 13, 2024
A masterpiece of emotion and virtuosity, Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto features lyrical melodies, expressive solos and a brilliant finale!
PROGRAM:
Sibelius: En Saga
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
- Intermission -
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 6
Matthew Halls, conductor
Paul Huang, violin
Kern Plays Rach 3
February 01 - 03, 2024
Superstar Olga Kern performs the “Mount Everest” of piano concertos—one of the repertoire’s most powerful, most demanding and most popular works. Then, Brahms’ infinitely rich, astonishingly simple and exquisitely enchanting First Symphony.
PROGRAM:
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3
- Intermission -
Brahms: Symphony No. 1
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Olga Kern, piano
Beethoven & Shostakovich
February 22 - 24, 2024
Featuring a dramatic opening movement, a lyrical second movement, and a dance-like final movement, the Piano Concerto No. 3 is considered one of Beethoven’s best. Then, the triumph and tragedy of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5.PROGRAM:
Charles Griffes: The White Peacock
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3
- Intermission -
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
Andrew Litton, guest conductor
Alessio Bax, piano
Mahler's Fifth
March 14 - 16, 2024
From its powerful opening trumpet solo to its triumphant finale, Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 is huge, sweeping and emotional—reflecting the composer’s journey from mourning to triumph. Upbeat and joyful, Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1 is a cornerstone of the repertoire.PROGRAM:
Ortiz: Kauyumari
Haydn: Cello Concerto in C Major
- Intermission -
Mahler: Symphony No. 5
Carlos Miguel Prieto, guest conductor
Sterling Elliott, cello
La Bohème
April 04 - 09, 2024
PROGRAM:Puccini: La Bohème
Semi-staged opera in Italian with English subtitles.
Everything great opera should have: gorgeous music, high emotion and grand tragedy! Carefree Bohemians and star-struck lovers—penniless, hungry and ill—fill the concert hall with their astonishing voices as Puccini’s heart-rending tale unfolds.
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Omer Ben Seadia, stage Director
Cast to be announced
Tchaikovsky's Sixth
April 25 - 27, 2024
One of classical music’s enduring favorites, Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique” is a musical representation of the composer’s private struggles, including his failing health and his difficult personal life: “Without exaggeration,” he wrote, “I have put my whole soul into this work.”PROGRAM:
Donghoon Shin: The Hunter’s Funeral
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21
- Intermission -
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique”
Shiyeon Sung, guest conductor
Yeol Eum Son, piano
Beethoven & Sibelius
May 16 - 18, 2024
Absorb the hauntingly beautiful poetic qualities of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4—which Leonard Bernstein called “one of the most sublime moments in the history of music.” Contrast that with Sibelius’ energetic and triumphant symphony—and its memorable brass fanfares.PROGRAM
Elfrida Andrée: Andante quasi recitativo for Strings
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4
- Intermission -
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2
Tianyi Lu, guest conductor
Yulianna Avdeeva, piano
Beethoven's Ninth
June 06 - 08, 2024
Beethoven’s crowning achievement—a monumental fusion of soloists, chorus and music all set to Schiller’s magnificent “Ode to Joy.” When it premiered in 1824, conducted by Beethoven himself, he heard not a note, so profoundly deaf was he by then.PROGRAM
Lauridsen: Lux aeterna
- Intermission -
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Pacific Chorale - Robert Istad, artistic director
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