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what’s next at the oregon symphony

The 2009-2010 season has about six weeks left before it ends, and we’re just about to enter the home stretch.  May is a super-busy month, but April still has some compelling concerts to see and hear.

Midori

I’ve very much looking forward to our next Classical series (April 24-26), which features the return of the violinist Midori in her first solo appearance since she played the Elgar Violin Concerto here at the end of James DePreist’s tenure.  She’ll be playing one of my favorite violin concertos – the Sibelius.  Another work that’s a favorite of mine: Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony.  We haven’t done it on a subscription since Gerard Schwarz conducted it here eons ago.  We used to play this piece all the time, but we have not yet done it with Carlos Kalmar.  Should be fun!

On April 27th, Itzhak Perlman comes to the Arlene to play a recital program with pianist Rohan de Silva, which should be a delight.

Itzhak Perlman

Then the month of May is a race to the finish line, with major concerts, all conducted by music director Carlos Kalmar.

Quirine Viersen - Photo: Marco Borggreve

On May 8-10 comes the Dvorak Cello Concerto with Dutch cellist Quirine Viersen, along with works of Barber, Kernis, and Bernstein.  This should be an amazing concert, with something for everyone.  Kernis is a favorite composer of Carlos’ – he recorded the work on this program (Newly Drawn Sky) with the Grant Park Festival Orchestra a while back – and the Bernstein Suite from On the Waterfront is some of his most evocative and engaging music.

Cohen, Iwasaki, Viersen

Then, on May 15-17 comes something that we’ve never before done at the Oregon Symphony (at least not during my time here) – a weekend-long Beethoven Festival, featuring all five of the piano concertos (with soloist Arnaldo Cohen), the three Lenore overtures, and the Triple Concerto with concertmaster Jun Iwasaki, cellist Quirine Viersen, and pianist Arnaldo Cohen.  This will be a great weekend of concerts, and though a lot of work for we musicians, a whole lot of fun, too!

Elina Vahala

The grand finale of the season features Mahler’s great First Symphony ‘Titan’, along with one of the greatest, but least known violin concertos of the 20th century – Benjamin Britten’s Violin Concerto, with the lovely and formidable soloist Elina Vahala. Carlos Kalmar conducts.