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| Powerful Elegance Presented by: Pittsburgh Symphony Manfred Honeck’s first Thanksgiving Strauss concert last fall was so popular that he offers another cornucopia of Viennese dances. Pianist Sa Chen ranks with Lang Lang and Yundi Li as one of today’s most important Chinese pianists. She'll play Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto #1. | Date: 11/27/2009 - 11/29/2009 600 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA website | map |
| A Funeral Mass for Mozart Presented by: Pittsburgh Symphony Music Director Manfred Honeck presents his personal version of Mozart’s Requiem, where he imagines what the Mass at Mozart’s funeral could have been like. Actor John Lithgow heads an all-star performance featuring a dramatic and theatrical treatment including church bells, Gregorian Chant, readings from Mozart’s letters to his father, and passages from the Bible. | Date: 12/04/2009 - 12/06/2009 600 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA website | map |
| Handel's Messiah Presented by: Pittsburgh Symphony "Rejoice greatly" with George Friedrich Handel's immortal "Messiah." Long viewed as Handel's most popular work, Messiah is synonymous with the holiday season. This oratorio contains the "Hallelujah Chorus," "Ev'ry Valley" and "Amen" refrains, sung by The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh. | Date: 12/11/2009 - 12/12/2009 600 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA website | map |
| PSO Book Club: 'Beethoven's Hair' Presented by: Pittsburgh Symphony Explore major themes from Pittsburgh Symphony concerts through books ranging from historical novels to biography and popular science. Read the book, and join QED 89.3's Jim Cunningham & PSO bassoonist David Sogg in a lively discussion of this book by Russell Martin. | Date: 01/16/2010 Time: 6:00 pm Location: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA website | map |
| Emperor Concerto Presented by: Pittsburgh Symphony Manfred Honeck conducts Bruckner's expansive Symphony #7 and Beethoven's "Emperor" piano concerto. The name "Emperor" was given by a publisher, simply because the music sounded so regal. Pianist Emanuel Ax is known for his poetic temperament and unsurpassed virtuosity. | Date: 01/22/2010 - 01/23/2010 600 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA website | map |
| Mahler's Chamber Symphony Presented by: Pittsburgh Symphony Manfred Honeck conducts. Violinist Gil Shaham plays violin concertos #2 by Mozart and Haydn. Mahler's Symphony #4 is his smallest-scaled and most classical Symphony of the nine he wrote. A sublime final movement features sleigh bells and a soprano voice which expresses a child’s vision of heaven. | Date: 01/29/2010 - 01/31/2010 600 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA website | map |
| Honeck & Mutter Presented by: Pittsburgh Symphony Mutter, Honeck and the PSO play the Brahms Violin Concerto days before their performance at NYC's Carnegie Hall. Manfred Honeck conducts Beethoven's Symphony #3, "Eroica" on the second half of these Heinz Hall concerts. | Date: 02/05/2010 - 02/06/2010 600 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA website | map |
| An American Voyage Presented by: Pittsburgh Symphony Using orchestral and electronic sounds, Mason Bates’ Liquid Interface is a musical exploration of water, from a gentle flow, to ice, to hurricanes. Pastime by Richard Danielpour, with baritone Gregg Baker, celebrates legendary baseball players. Leonard Bernstein's On the Town and George Gershwin's An American in Paris are musical expressions of joie de vivre. Leonard Slatkin conducts. | Date: 02/19/2010 - 02/21/2010 600 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA website | map |
| Joshua Bell in Recital Presented by: Pittsburgh Symphony Grammy and Avery Fisher Prize winner Joshua Bell has engaged audiences worldwide with his emotionally charged and powerful artistry, bestselling CDs. His recent performances at Heinz Hall with the Pittsburgh Symphony were totally sold out. | Date: 03/02/2010 600 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA website | map |
| PSO Book Club: 'Musicophilia' Presented by: Pittsburgh Symphony Explore major themes from Pittsburgh Symphony concerts through books ranging from historical novels to biography and popular science. Read the book, and join QED 89.3's Jim Cunningham & PSO contrabass Jeffrey Turner in a lively discussion of this book of Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks. | Date: 03/02/2010 Time: 6:00 pm Location: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA website | map |
| Tour de Force Presented by: Pittsburgh Symphony Gianandrea Noseda conducts. Franz Liszt's San Francesco di Paola from 'Legendes' musically depicts St. Francis walking on water. Haydn’s Symphony #56 is gentle and appealing. Performed by American pianist Jonathan Biss, Brahms's Piano Concerto #2 soars with lyrical themes and intense dialogue between the orchestra and piano. | Date: 03/05/2010 - 03/07/2010 600 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA website | map |
| Classic Tales Presented by: Pittsburgh Symphony Rossini’s delightful overture to Cinderella sets the stage for pianist Benjamin Hochman in Mozart’s Piano Concerto #19, which is both an athletic and graceful display of musicianship. Tchaikovsky’s Third Symphony is his only symphony in a major key and features the melodies and rhythms of Polish folk music. Gianandrea Noseda conducts. | Date: 03/11/2010 - 03/13/2010 600 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA website | map |
| The Planets Presented by: Pittsburgh Symphony Nature-painting at its finest, Berlioz' Harold in Italy conjures images of the Adriatic coast, with principal violist Randolph Kelly as the protagonist. Yan Pascal Tortelier conducts Holst’s frequently-requested suite, The Planets, is a stunning portrait of the astrological deities associated with Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, with the women of the Mendelssohn Choir. | Date: 03/19/2010 - 03/21/2010 600 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA website | map |
| The Human Spirit Presented by: Pittsburgh Symphony Although less familiar than his first, Tchaikovsky's rapturous Piano Concerto #2 by is arguably a better piece. Stephen Hough supplies extraordinary poetry and technique. One of Prokofiev’s most popular works, Symphony No. 5, was written at the height of World War II. Its driving finale inevitably brings audiences to their feet. Yan Pascal Tortelier conducts. | Date: 04/09/2010 - 04/11/2010 600 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA website | map |
| Bronfman Plays Beethoven Presented by: Pittsburgh Symphony Although based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, The Mermaid is also Alexander Zemlinsky's autobiographical response after losing his beloved Alma to fellow composer Gustav Mahler. Juraj Valčuha conducts. Grammy-winning pianist Yefim Bronfman plays Beethoven’s energetic Piano Concerto #3. | Date: 04/16/2010 - 04/17/2010 600 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA website | map |
| PSO Book Club: First Nights - 'Five Musical Premiers' Presented by: Pittsburgh Symphony Explore major themes from Pittsburgh Symphony concerts through books ranging from historical novels to biography and popular science. Read the book, and join QED 89.3's Jim Cunningham & PSO violinist Jennifer Ross in a lively discussion of this book by Thomas F. Kelly. | Date: 04/27/2010 Time: 6:00 pm Location: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA website | map |
| Rite of Spring Presented by: Pittsburgh Symphony Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring is among the most influential works of the 20th Century, from a ballet depicting a pagan ritual sacrifice. Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto #2 is melodic grand romanticism featuring soloist Horacio Gutierrez. Richard Danielpour didn't start the fire, but he reacts to world events in Rocking the Cradle. | Date: 04/29/2010 - 05/01/2010 600 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA website | map |
| Hahn & Shostakovich Presented by: Pittsburgh Symphony Gramophone Artist of the Year and Grammy winner Hilary Hahn brings her flawless technique and compelling music-making to Sibelius' popular Violin Concerto. Shostakovich composed Symphony #5 as an apology to Stalin for the lack of "patriotism" in his prior symphonies. The "triumphant" ending carries a hidden rebuke to Stalin and his regime. | Date: 05/07/2010 - 05/09/2010 600 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA website | map |
| Ode to Joy Presented by: Pittsburgh Symphony Manfred Honeck conducts Beethoven's "Ah, Perfido!" and Symphony #9 with the Mendelssohn Choir and soloists. | Date: 06/04/2010 - 06/06/2010 600 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA website | map |
| Mahler's Third Presented by: Pittsburgh Symphony Mahler's Symphony #3 has been described as "nature transformed into sound". Indeed, the first half is all about winter being replaced by summer, alpine meadows, and forest animals. Manfred Honeck conducts this season finale featuring mezzo-soprano Jane Irwin, the Children's Festival Chorus, and Mendelssohn Choir. | Date: 06/11/2010 - 06/13/2010 600 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA website | map |