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September 2015 – All programs and artists subject to change

2 0 1 5 - 1 6 ( 11 6 T H S E A S O N )

Chronological Calendar

OPENING NIGHT September 30 at 7 PM – Wednesday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Bach/orch. Stokowski Toccata and Fugue in D minor Debussy/orch. Stokowski “Clair de lune,” from Suite bergamasque Dukas The Sorcerer’s Apprentice Tchaikovsky Selections from The Nutcracker (feat. Disney’s Fantasia) It’s our most cherished fall tradition. The Philadelphia Orchestra Opening Night marks the beginning of Philadelphia’s cultural season. It is a wonderful celebration of all that lies ahead. Join Yannick and our Fabulous Philadelphians at the 2015 Opening Night Concert and Gala. This year’s black-tie event promises the fellowship of friends gathering to celebrate the unique Philadelphia Sound of our Orchestra. Come join our shared revelry of incredible food, drink, and memorable music, all under the Kimmel Center’s soaring roof of stars. The concert will be performed with no intermission. The musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra have graciously donated their services for this concert.

The Philadelphia Orchestra 2015-16 Chronological Calendar 2


YANNICK AND RACHMANINOFF

October 1 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts October 2 at 2 PM – Friday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts October 3 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts October 4 at 2 PM – Sunday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Daniil Trifonov Piano – PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA SUBSCRIPTION DEBUT Ravel Une Barque sur l’océan Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 4 Rimsky-Korsakov Sheherazade Yannick delves into a yearlong exploration of the inimitable Philadelphia Sound and works it has premiered. What better way to set the tone than with Rachmaninoff, whose special connection to the Philadelphians was unique in the world. His divine Fourth Piano Concerto premiered in Philadelphia in 1927 with the composer at the keyboard and Leopold Stokowski conducting. Ormandy then premiered a revised version in 1941, again with Rachmaninoff as soloist. For these performances, the gifted 23-year-old Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov—winner of the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition—makes his subscription debut. Journey on Sinbad’s ship in Rimsky-Korsakov’s sweeping Sheherazade—core Russian Romantic repertoire seemingly invented to showcase the Philadelphia Sound. The program opens with Ravel’s own billowing seascape, Une Barque sur l’océan (A Ship on the Ocean), a work given its U.S. premiere by the Orchestra in 1953 with Ormandy conducting.

YANNICK AND GIL SHAHAM

October 8 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts October 9 at 2 PM – Friday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts October 10 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts October 13 at 8 PM – Tuesday evening — Carnegie Hall, New York

The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Gil Shaham Violin

Grieg Suite No. 1 from Peer Gynt Bartók Violin Concerto No. 2 Sibelius Symphony No. 5

How do national pride and love of homeland influence a great artist? That’s another theme of our season, beautifully launched with these three works. Yannick is joined by Gil Shaham, who has been captivating our audiences for more than 25 years. He brings his magnificent virtuosity to Bartók’s post-Romantic Violin Concerto No. 2, infused with the sounds and colors of Hungarian folk tunes.

Eugene Ormandy famously brought the entire Philadelphia Orchestra to visit an aging Sibelius at his home during a 1955 tour. The Philadelphians gave the U.S. premiere of his dynamic Fifth Symphony, which Sibelius wrote in honor of his own 50th birthday (declared a national holiday by the Finnish government). The “swan hymn” in the melodic final movement depicts Sibelius’s memory of 16 swans flying over his cabin outside Helsinki.

Grieg’s popular and familiar Suite No. 1 from the Scandinavian fairy tale Peer Gynt is drawn from the incidental music composed for a play by his Norwegian countryman Henrik Ibsen. These are Grieg’s own “greatest hits” picks!



BEETHOVEN’S EIGHTH

October 16 at 8 PM – Friday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts October 17 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

The Philadelphia Orchestra Donald Runnicles Conductor Johannes Moser Cello Beethoven Symphony No. 8 Elgar Cello Concerto Brahms Variations on a Theme of Haydn

A beloved Orchestra collaborator, Donald Runnicles returns for a two-week visit. A work of devastating emotion, Elgar’s Cello Concerto, composed amidst the ruins of the Great War, received its U.S. premiere with the Philadelphians and Leopold Stokowski. For these performances we welcome back the exhilarating cellist Johannes Moser, whose smashing subscription debut in 2014 left audiences clamoring for more. Beethoven’s irrepressible Symphony No. 8 opens our program. It’s injected with humor, refusing to hint at the personal and physical ills that plagued him at the time. Beethoven had a great influence on Brahms, as did Haydn. Brahms’s Variations on a Theme of Haydn provides a starring role for the matchless Philadelphia winds.

SOUND ALL AROUND: STRINGS October 17 at 10 AM and 11:15 AM — Saturday morning — Academy of Music Ballroom October 19 at 10 AM and 11:15 AM — Monday morning — Academy of Music Ballroom Charlotte Blake Alston Host and Storyteller David Fay Bass Lio Kuokman Piano Nurture your child’s passion for music! Sound All Around concerts are interactive programs with members of The Philadelphia Orchestra and award-winning storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston. Children listen to stories with music, sing songs, move to the music, pretend to play an instrument, and examine real instruments up close. Named as Philadelphia magazine’s Best of Philly® 2014–Best Music Program, Sound All Around is a great way for kids, families, daycares, and school groups to have fun with music. Concerts are 45 minutes long.



FREE COLLEGE CONCERT October 20 at 8 PM – Tuesday evening – Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Donald Runnicles Conductor Johannes Moser Cello Elgar Cello Concerto Beethoven Symphony No. 8 Every year a free concert just for college students kicks off The Philadelphia Orchestra's eZseatU program presented by PNC Arts Alive, where thousands of students fill Verizon Hall to experience the famous Philadelphia Sound. A post-concert party in the Kimmel Center lobby with free food and more live music completes this festive night! A ticket, as well as a full-time college student ID, is required for entrance to the concert. Tickets for the Free College Concert are now available on philorch.org. Students must have a printed ticket and a valid student ID to attend the concert. This concert will be LiveNote™ enabled.

BRAHMS’S “DOUBLE” CONCERTO October 22 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts October 23 at 8 PM – Friday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts October 24 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Donald Runnicles Conductor David Kim Violin Hai-Ye Ni Cello Mozart Symphony No. 29 Brahms Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Orchestra (“Double”) Strauss Don Juan Why didn’t Brahms write a cello concerto? This is his cello concerto, says Principal Cello Hai-Ye Ni, who grabs the spotlight in the virtuosic opening cadenza. The bold and soaring “Double” Concerto is one of Brahms’s most popular works. How do these two Philadelphia Orchestra virtuosos describe it? A big, monumental work that’s “also like chamber music,” says Ni. “The solo parts are difficult. The orchestra parts are difficult,” adds Kim. “It is really hard!” (And not performed by the Orchestra on subscription concerts in nearly 20 years!) Strauss’s tone poems are also great showpieces for this orchestra, and Don Juan—with its oboe solos, sonorous horns, and heralding trumpets—is no exception. Mozart’s exuberant early Symphony No. 29 (written at age 18) lays the groundwork for this German-Austrian tableau.

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THE ORIGINAL RHAPSODY IN BLUE

October 29 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts October 30 at 2 PM – Friday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts October 31 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Marin Alsop Conductor Jon Kimura Parker Piano Debussy/orch. Schoenberg Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun — FIRST PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA

PERFORMANCES Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue (original jazz band version) — FIRST PHILADELPHIA

ORCHESTRA SUBSCRIPTION PERFORMANCES Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 Here’s a fascinating rhythm: Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue in the groundbreaking original version commissioned by the legendary bandleader Paul Whiteman. (Stokowski was in the audience when it premiered in 1924.) Gershwin specialist Jon Kimura Parker brings his “crisply focused pianism” (The New York Times) to a program led by Marin Alsop, who has recorded the work in this intimate jazz band form. You’ll hear Debussy’s dreamy Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun in a different way, too, in a rarely heard and imaginative chamber orchestration by Schoenberg. Featuring just 11 instruments, this treatment of the well-known symphonic poem was conceptualized after Debussy’s death—and six years after Nijinsky famously danced to it with the Ballets Russes. We’ll never know what Shostakovich might have sounded like had he been composing in America, or among his contemporaries in Paris, instead of beneath the oppression and threats of the gulag (or worse) in Soviet Russia. His intense and vehement Fifth Symphony is our concluding work, a crushing blow of music in stark contrast to the program’s more intimate and uninhibited opening works.

HALLOWEEN ORGAN EXTRAVAGANZA October 30 at 9:30 PM – Friday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Halloween Organ Extravaganza combines thrilling organ repertoire, both traditional and novel, into a fun Halloween evening. Experience the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ like never before in this late-night Halloween performance. See the virtuosic action on the keyboard and pedals up close through unique video projection in the hall. Experience the full range of this incredible instrument's capabilities through remarkable showpieces and demonstrations, enhanced by dramatic lighting and theatrical effects. After the concert, audience members are invited to lie down on the Verizon Hall stage to feel the awesome power of the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ and its lowest, vibrating sounds. Please note The Philadelphia Orchestra does not perform on this concert.



FAMILY CONCERT: HALLOWEEN COSTUME PARTY October 31 at 11:30 AM – Saturday morning — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Michael Butterman Conductor Michael Boudewyns Narrator Dancers from The Rock School for Dance Education Khachaturian Waltz, from Suite from Masquerade Prokofiev “Midnight,” from Suite No. I from Cinderella Rimsky-Korsakov Honegger Glaser Smetana Liadov Elfman

Excerpt from “The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship,” from Sheharazade Pacific 231 March of the Little Goblins Excerpt from “The Moldau,” from Má vlast Baba-Yaga Excerpts from Suite from The Nightmare Before Christmas — FIRST

PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCE

What will you be for Halloween? Join the Orchestra as they put on musical costumes to tell magical stories. Let your imagination be your guide through a journey of orchestral disguises. Some characters are funny. Some are scary. The flutes turn into the flowing Moldau River, the violin dresses up as princess Sheherazade, and the whole Orchestra becomes little goblins! Come in costume—the musicians wear marvelous costumes, too—and let the musical quick-change artists of The Philadelphia Orchestra entertain you!

MOZART AND SCHUMANN November 5 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts November 6 at 2 PM – Friday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts November 7 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Robin Ticciati Conductor Jonathan Biss Piano Schumann Overture to Manfred Mozart Piano Concerto No. 27, K. 595 Schumann Symphony No. 4 Two Schumann masterpieces bookend Mozart in this tribute to musical genius. Joining the Orchestra is Curtis graduate (and now faculty member) pianist Jonathan Biss, who brings his special touch for Mozart’s music to the composer’s final Piano Concerto, a work widely considered among his greatest masterpieces. Schumann, an accomplished pianist himself, was in the prime of his career and newly married to his beloved wife, Clara, when he wrote his propulsive D-minor Symphony in 1841. Schumann also created instrumental music inspired by Lord Byron’s poem Manfred in the late 1840s. The brooding, dramatic Overture is an apt counterpoint to Byron’s Faustian tale of forbidden love, fate, and the spirit world. The always dynamic Glyndebourne Festival Opera Music Director Robin Ticciati, making his fourth exciting Philadelphia Orchestra appearance, leads this program of Classical gems. Listen and enjoy!



SOUND ALL AROUND: PERCUSSION November 7 at 10 AM and 11:15 AM — Saturday morning — Academy of Music Ballroom November 9 at 10 AM and 11:15 AM — Monday morning — Academy of Music Ballroom Charlotte Blake Alston Host and Storyteller Christopher Deviney Percussion Lio Kuokman Piano Nurture your child’s passion for music! Sound All Around concerts are interactive programs with members of The Philadelphia Orchestra and award-winning storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston. Children listen to stories with music, sing songs, move to the music, pretend to play an instrument, and examine real instruments up close. Named as Philadelphia magazine’s Best of Philly® 2014–Best Music Program, Sound All Around is a great way for kids, families, daycares, and school groups to have fun with music. Concerts are 45 minutes long.

COPLAND’S APPALACHIAN SPRING November 13 at 8 PM – Friday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts November 14 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts November 15 at 2 PM – Sunday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Laquita Mitchell Soprano – PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA SUBSCRIPTION DEBUT Rodrick Dixon Tenor Combined choirs including Morgan State University Choir, Delaware State University Choir, and Lincoln University Concert Choir Donald Dumpson Choral Direction Sibelius Finlandia Copland Appalachian Spring Hannibal One Land, One River, One People—Philadelphia Orchestra

Commission—WORLD PREMIERE “Nothing is more sacred to me than music,” says American composer and jazz trumpeter Hannibal, who grew up among the cotton fields of Texas. A pastiche of spirituals, blues, and traditional African rhythms still influence his music-writing today. The Philadelphia Orchestra performed his highly acclaimed African Portraits, detailing the slave experience, in 1997, and two years later gave the world premiere of his One Heart Beating, one of the Orchestra’s Centennial Commissions. (“The strings, lord have mercy!” Hannibal told the Philadelphia Daily News. “And the percussion. Wow!”) In the world premiere of this emotionally charged new work—also commissioned exclusively by The Philadelphia Orchestra—Hannibal explores, with a flowing river as the symbol, the connections among communities and all those who live in them. The oratorio features chorus, soloists, and text written by the eloquent composer. The themes of community and identity are established at the outset with two well-loved works: Sibelius’s Finlandia, the de facto national anthem of his Finnish homeland, and Copland’s Appalachian Spring, the Pulitzer Prize-winning depiction of the American idyll, which also popularized the Shaker folk song “Simple Gifts.” All three performances of this concert will be LiveNote enabled.



TCHAIKOVSKY’S WINTER DREAMS November 19 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts November 20 at 2 PM – Friday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts November 21 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Gianandrea Noseda Conductor Leonidas Kavakos Violin Liszt Mazeppa Sibelius Violin Concerto Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 1 (“Winter Daydreams”) A very good friend of The Philadelphia Orchestra, the much-sought after Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda returns to lead two programs of musical travelogues. This first program kicks off the wintry season traversing the icy landscapes of Finland, Poland, and Russia. Tchaikovsky’s First Symphony (“Winter Daydreams”) paints a vivid picture of the snowy Russian countryside. “There is a particular quality of the sound of this orchestra, which is connected with the old Russian way of making sound,” says Noseda, and it will be on full display with this shimmering delight by Tchaikovsky. The “spectacular” Leonidas Kavakos, “a marvel of exactitude” (The Philadelphia Inquirer), returns with the exquisite and demanding Sibelius Violin Concerto. Kavakos, who was still in his teens when he came to international attention winning the Sibelius Competition in 1985, performs Sibelius’s depiction of chilling Scandinavian fjords. Lord Byron and Victor Hugo both told the tale of Ivan Mazeppa, a Slav who seduced the wrong Polish princess and was tied to a wild horse as punishment. Liszt’s fast-paced symphonic poem sets the folk story to lively music in our opening work, which, like the stallion in Byron’s poem, is “loosed … with a sudden lash.”



RACHMANINOFF’S PAGANINI RHAPSODY November 27 at 8 PM – Friday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts November 28 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Gianandrea Noseda Conductor Simon Trpčeski Piano Rossini Overture to The Thieving Magpie Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, for piano and orchestra Casella Symphony No. 2 – U.S. PREMIERE In the second week of his residency, Milanese conductor Gianandrea Noseda leads Rachmaninoff’s witty and challenging Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. The composer had the Philadelphia Sound in his head when he wrote the piece. The Rhapsody—with the famous melody of its 18th variation—was given its 1934 world premiere by the Philadelphians in Baltimore before bringing it to Philadelphia and New York with Stokowski conducting and Rachmaninoff at the keyboard. The scintillating Macedonian pianist Simon Trpčeski (“His tone has an understated beauty.” -The Los Angeles Times) joins The Philadelphia Orchestra for these performances. The remainder of the program features composers of Italian birth, beginning with Rossini’s effervescent Overture to The Thieving Magpie. The Turin-born, 20th-century composer Alfredo Casella is a particular favorite of Noseda (who brought the composer’s music to Philadelphia in 2014 to wild ovations). Casella was not only an accomplished composer, but also served as principal conductor of the Boston Pops before Arthur Fiedler. Hear all the beauty of this luxuriant symphony, heightened by the Philadelphia Sound.



THE COMPLETE FIREBIRD December 3 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts December 4 at 2 PM – Friday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts December 5 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Hilary Hahn Violin Bizet Suite No. 1 from Carmen Vieuxtemps Violin Concerto No. 4 Stravinsky The Firebird (complete ballet) We journey through France this weekend, beginning with the fiery Suite No. 1 from Carmen. Yannick made his galvanizing Metropolitan Opera debut in 2009 conducting “a bracing, fleet and fresh account” (The New York Times) of Bizet’s most famous opera. Sure, the setting is in Seville, but composer, libretto, and racy themes are all French, through and through. The prodigiously talented and award-laden Hilary Hahn has made the music of Vieuxtemps—who studied composition in Paris—a staple of her repertoire. Hahn brings her “rare combination of vulnerability and daring” (The Philadelphia Inquirer) to the Romantic and virtuosic Violin Concerto No. 4. Stravinsky was consummately Russian but Paris was the place to be in 1910. The ambitious 28-year-old composer so wanted to be a part of it that he was working on music for Sergei Diaghilev’s new ballet based on a Russian fairy tale even before the impresario offered him the job. The Ballets Russes production of The Firebird propelled Stravinsky to international fame and launched one of the most revolutionary artistic collaborations ever. If you’re accustomed to hearing one of the Firebird suites—with a smaller orchestra and shorter selection of pieces—prepare to love the breathtaking, complete score, with the original enlarged orchestra, building to the grand finale. The Friday, December 4, and Saturday, December 5, performances of this concert will be LiveNote enabled. LiveNote will not be enabled on Thursday, December 3.

FAMILY CONCERT: CHRISTMAS KIDS’ SPECTACULAR December 5 at 11:30 AM – Saturday morning — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Lio Kuokman Conductor Hear the sleigh bells jingle and the trumpets sound! Get your tickets early for our annual Christmas Kids Spectacular! This year’s concert features favorite carols and holiday classics like Sleigh Ride and the “Toy” Symphony; a holiday sing-along; music from Disney’s Frozen; and—ho ho ho!—a visit from Santa (who must love the Orchestra; he’s back every year!) Let The Philadelphia Orchestra kick off your holiday season in fun, festive, and family-friendly fashion!



YANNICK CONDUCTS MESSIAH December 11 at 8 PM – Friday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts December 12 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts December 13 at 2 PM – Sunday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Non-subscription performance) The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Karina Gauvin Soprano – PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA SUBSCRIPTION DEBUT Karen Cargill Mezzo-soprano Christophe Dumaux Countertenor – PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA DEBUT Andrew Staples Tenor Matthew Rose Bass – PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA DEBUT Handel Messiah Kicking off the holiday season in grand style, Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads a joyous Handel's Messiah, assembling a world-class roster of vocalists, a chorus of talented voices from throughout our region, and the glorious musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra. These performances welcome the return of mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill and tenor Andrew Staples, whose deeply emotive performances in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion have captivated Philadelphia audiences. Soprano Karina Gauvin also returns for Messiah after her riveting 2012 appearances. Bass Matthew Rose makes his debut and Yannick welcomes the addition of countertenor Christophe Dumaux in this uniquely-styled performance.

THE GLORIOUS SOUND OF CHRISTMAS December 17 at 7 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts December 18 at 7 PM – Friday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts December 19 at 7 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts December 20 at 2 PM – Sunday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Bramwell Tovey Conductor Back by popular demand, the multi-talented Bramwell Tovey (he’s a Grammy-winning conductor, composer, pianist, and narrator) is coming to town, full of holiday merriment. From favorite traditional carols to Tovey’s own artistic offerings, like his original “Rittenhouse Carol,” our Glorious Sound of Christmas concerts are guaranteed to get you in the spirit of the season. At the heart? “The core of it all is the humanity of the players,” says Tovey. He’s thrilled to be a part of the Philadelphians’ “exalted” music-making … and you will be too!



NEW YEAR’S EVE December 31 at 7:30 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Angela Meade Soprano Ring in 2016 in style with Yannick and the Fabulous Philadelphians! There’s no better place to be than under the shimmering dome of the Kimmel Center as we welcome the New Year in a fun and festive fashion. Join us as we toast auld lang syne … and begin another full year of celebrating the inimitable Philadelphia Sound.

THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA FEATURING KRISTIN CHENOWETH January 2 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Kristin Chenoweth Vocalist Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth takes the lead in a spectacular career that effortlessly spans film, television, voiceover, and stage. In her live show, the acclaimed star brings iconic songs from her best known hit shows, such as Wicked, Glee, and On the Twentieth Century—as well as popular standards and classics from Broadway, Hollywood, and beyond!

TCHAIKOVSKY’S “PATHÉTIQUE” January 7 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts January 8 at 2 PM – Friday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts January 9 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Fabio Luisi Conductor Christian Tetzlaff Violin Glinka Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 (“Pathétique”) Conductor Fabio Luisi made his vibrant Philadelphia Orchestra debut in 2011. He returns with a rousing program of Russian favorites. Glinka’s dashing Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila is our curtain-raiser, setting the stage for the brilliant Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with good friend Christian Tetzlaff doing the honors as soloist. The program ends in grand style with Tchaikovsky’s last symphony, the popular Sixth. It premiered in St. Petersburg in 1893, just nine days before the composer’s unexplained death. As the name “Pathétique” implies, the masterpiece is infused with feeling and emotion; above the passion, that famous and recognizable central melody soars. This is classic Philadelphia Sound repertoire; in the Philadelphians’ hands, the Russian obsession with fate, loss, and tragedy never sounded so beautiful.



YANNICK CONDUCTS BEETHOVEN

January 13 at 8 PM – Wednesday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts January 14 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Carnegie Hall, New York January 15 at 2 PM – Friday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts January 16 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Jan Lisiecki Piano J. Strauss, Jr. “Tales from the Vienna Woods” Waltz Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 Beethoven/orch. Mahler String Quartet No. 11 (“Serioso”) — FIRST PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA

PERFORMANCES Gruber Charivari — FIRST PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCES Yannick sets the tone for his three-week Vienna Festival with native-born Johann Strauss Jr.’s famous “Tales from the Vienna Woods.” There’s no more idyllic picture of the city than this, an elegant Viennese waltz. Then, the journey continues, from the regal, polished, Old-World grandeur of Strauss to the profound and earnest serious offerings of Beethoven, who wrote so prolifically in Vienna. The premiere of his dramatic Fourth Piano Concerto in 1808 was his last public performance. Audience favorite—at barely 20 years old—Jan Lisiecki returns to Verizon Hall to finesse the Concerto’s unique character. Mahler’s orchestration of Beethoven’s “Serioso” String Quartet, which also premiered in Vienna, was quite controversial at the time: How dare anyone muck around with Beethoven? How did Mahler do? Decide for yourself, from the explosive opening to the liberating finale. The program finishes with a work by the provocative living Viennese composer H.K. Gruber. His Charivari, based on Johann Strauss Jr.’s Perpetuum mobile (literally, “perpetual motion”), is a compelling bookend to the waltz-king’s opener.



HAYDN AND BRUCKNER January 21 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts January 22 at 2 PM – Friday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts January 26 at 8 PM — Tuesday evening — Carnegie Hall, New York The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Haydn Symphony No. 103 (“Drum Roll”) Bruckner Symphony No. 4 (“Romantic”) In this case, Vienna is a movable feast! Though closely associated with the Austrian capital, Haydn wrote his “Drum Roll” Symphony during one of his famous visits to London. The piece begins with a dramatic timpani roll; its final movement kicks off with a horn call. The sound of the hunt echoes in Bruckner’s popular Fourth Symphony (“Romantic”), which premiered in Vienna in 1881 and was the only one of his nine symphonies the composer nicknamed. “Pastoral” might also be an apt description as the mountain scenes and peasant surroundings of the composer’s Austrian countryside come to life. This is the most “terrestrial-based” of Bruckner’s mostly ethereal symphonies. It’s the everyday music of the people, presented in grand and sweeping symphonic style, and elevated by Yannick’s deep affinity for the composer.

ACADEMY OF MUSIC 159TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT January 23 at 7:30 PM – Saturday evening — Academy of Music, Philadelphia The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor



A FAREWELL TO VIENNA January 28 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts January 29 at 2 PM – Friday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts January 30 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Leif Ove Andsnes Piano Webern Im Sommerwind Schumann Piano Concerto Brahms Symphony No. 2 We end our sojourn in Vienna with three more legendary works, exemplifying the rich heritage of this unparalleled musical capital. Webern’s Im Sommerwind (In the Summer Wind), a richly orchestrated tone poem in the late-Romantic style, is a glorious evocation of a summer’s day. The Philadelphia Orchestra gave the world premiere in 1962 at a three-day Webern Festival in Seattle with Ormandy conducting. Schumann also spent time composing in Vienna. The incredible Leif Ove Andsnes brings out all the wonder of the Piano Concerto, Schumann’s only one, which was years in the making. And Brahms, a colossus of the Viennese musical scene with close musical and personal ties to Schumann, offers a fitting finale, with his stirring Symphony No. 2. Auf Wiedersehen, Vienna!

SOUND ALL AROUND: WOODWINDS January 30 at 10 AM and 11:15 AM — Saturday morning — Academy of Music Ballroom February 1 at 10 AM and 11:15 AM — Monday morning — Academy of Music Ballroom Charlotte Blake Alston Host and Storyteller Paul Demers Bass Clarinet Lio Kuokman Piano Nurture your child’s passion for music! Sound All Around concerts are interactive programs with members of The Philadelphia Orchestra and award-winning storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston. Children listen to stories with music, sing songs, move to the music, pretend to play an instrument, and examine real instruments up close. Named as Philadelphia magazine’s Best of Philly® 2014–Best Music Program, Sound All Around is a great way for kids, families, daycares, and school groups to have fun with music. Concerts are 45 minutes long.



DVOŘÁK & BRAHMS February 4 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts February 5 at 2 PM – Friday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts February 6 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Andrés Orozco-Estrada Conductor – PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA DEBUT Augustin Hadelich Violin Barber Overture to The School for Scandal Brahms Violin Concerto Dvořák Symphony No. 7 Samuel Barber was just 21 when he wrote the lush, vibrant Overture to The School for Scandal. It was premiered by The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1933, a year before the composer graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music. Barber could be considered the American Brahms and we’ve put these two masters together so you can decide for yourself. Brahms’s splendid Violin Concerto is the perfect showpiece for our soloist, Augustin Hadelich (who debuted with the Orchestra in 2013 to rapturous acclaim). Brahms was also a great champion of Antonín Dvořák. His impassioned Symphony No. 7 was inspired in part by the political struggles of his Czech countrymen, and has touched audiences worldwide since its premiere in 1885. The zestful Colombian conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada makes his debut on the podium for this superb concert.

FAMILY CONCERT: B … B … B … BEETHOVEN: THOSE FOUR FAMOUS NOTES February 6 at 11:30 AM – Saturday morning — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Lio Kuokman Conductor Michael Boudewyns and Really Inventive Stuff You know the famous first four notes; now get to know the rest! What makes Beethoven so great, and why do we still love him 200 years after he scribbled down those notes? We dig into Beethoven’s ever-popular Fifth Symphony seeking answers to these questions, and learning fun facts about his life and times along the way. (Did you know Washington was president during Beethoven’s lifetime? Roller skates were invented, too!) This special theatrical production by Really Inventive Stuff is a delightful introduction to Beethoven’s musical genius.



BRONFMAN PLAYS BEETHOVEN February 11 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts February 12 at 8 PM – Friday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts February 13 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts February 14 at 2 PM – Sunday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Vladimir Jurowski Conductor Yefim Bronfman Piano Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”) Miaskovsky Symphony No. 10 Janáček Taras Bulba Any time we have Yefim Bronfman playing Beethoven with Vladimir Jurowski is a special occasion! With eloquent support from Jurowski and the Orchestra, Bronfman brings his magisterial keyboard skills to Beethoven’s towering “Emperor” Concerto, revealing all the wonders of this masterwork. In the second half of the program, Jurowski turns to Nikolai Miaskovsky, a prolific composer whose Tenth Symphony is based on a fantastic Pushkin poem. The U.S. premiere was in 1930, with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Leopold Stokowski, thanks to the personal urging of Miaskovsky’s friend and colleague Sergei Prokofiev. Another burst of romantic nationalism rounds out our program, with Janáček’s tone poem Taras Bulba. It’s hard-hitting, thrilling, and robust.



THE LEGENDARY JAMES LEVINE February 18 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts February 19 at 2 PM – Friday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts February 20 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra James Levine Conductor Paul Jacobs Organ Ives Three Places in New England Brahms Serenade No. 2 Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 (“Organ”) He is one of the most celebrated conductors of his generation. We welcome James Levine back to our podium with a sonically brilliant program that underscores the breadth and depth of his conducting mastery. Saint-Saëns’s powerful “Organ” Symphony, which helped inaugurate Verizon Hall’s majestic Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ in 2006, is a thrilling feast of sound. It provides the grand conclusion of a program that also features wide-ranging music of Brahms and Ives. In the Serenade No. 2, an early work by Brahms, we can already hear the genius that would burst into flower in his symphonies; it’s hard to believe he was only in his mid-20s when he wrote it. Charles Ives’s Three Places in New England uses echoes of folk songs, hymns, patriotic marching band music, popular songs, even Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony to evoke a memorial to Black Civil War troops, a Revolutionary War camp, and the Housatonic River at Stockbridge, Massachusetts. This is Levine’s first appearance with the Orchestra in 20 years. Don’t miss the opportunity to revel in this exceptional musical partnership!

YANNICK AND HÉLÈNE WELCOME SPRING March 3 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts March 4 at 2 PM – Friday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts March 5 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Hélène Grimaud Piano Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 Schumann Symphony No. 1 (“Spring”) Yannick and Hélène Grimaud, two great musical friends, come together to bring us an enduring monument of classical music: Brahms’s immortal Second Piano Concerto. Experience for yourself what the Los Angeles Times calls Grimaud’s “elegant, cinematic presence. … She plays with tonal clarity and rhythmic elan.” In the second half of the concert, we hear Brahms’s friend Schumann. With the winter weather hopefully drawing to a close, Schumann’s “Spring” Symphony is a triumph in its own right, exemplifying his credo: “To send light into the darkness of men’s hearts—such is the duty of the artist.”



FAMILY CONCERT: YANNICK’S GUIDE TO THE ORCHESTRA March 5 at 11:30 AM – Saturday morning — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Puppet Kitchen Britten The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Yannick brings his infectious enthusiasm to a new production by the “seriously fun” Puppet Kitchen. Whether you know this timeless and entertaining childrens’ classic by heart or are hearing it for the first time, you’ll love how Britten dissects the orchestra, examines all the parts, and brings it all back together in a glorious tapestry of sound! The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra is the ultimate VIP tour of The Philadelphia Orchestra.

“SYMPHONY OF A THOUSAND”

March 10 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts March 11 at 8 PM – Friday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts March 12 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts March 13 at 2 PM – Sunday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Angela Meade Soprano Erin Wall Soprano – PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA SUBSCRIPTION DEBUT Lisette Oropesa Soprano – PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA DEBUT Stephanie Blythe Mezzo-soprano Mihoko Fujimura Mezzo-soprano Anthony Dean Griffey Tenor Markus Werba Baritone – PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA DEBUT John Relyea Bass Westminster Symphonic Choir (Joe Miller, director) The Choral Arts Society of Washington (Scott Tucker, artistic director) – PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA

SUBSCRIPTION DEBUT The American Boychoir (Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, music director)

Mahler Symphony No. 8 (“Symphony of a Thousand”)

The nickname “Symphony of a Thousand” may be an exaggeration; there will be “only” four hundred or so singers and musicians in these performances. But Mahler’s masterful Symphony No. 8 is otherwise immune to hyperbole. It’s an enormous, ambitious, soul-stirring work that simply must be experienced live.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin marshals these tremendous forces to produce a sublime realization of Mahler’s absolute belief in the profound importance of this music. These performances mark the 100th anniversary—almost to the day—of the Symphony’s U.S. premiere by The Philadelphia Orchestra. It played a pivotal role in launching our now-renowned ensemble onto the international stage. Leopold Stokowski (who’d seen Mahler himself conduct the world premiere in Munich in 1910) insisted that his Philadelphians should be first to perform the work in America, despite the cost and difficulty. The reverberations from that performance continue today.



KHANER PLAYS MOZART March 17 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts March 18 at 2 PM – Friday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts March 19 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Ton Koopman Conductor and Harpsichord – PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA DEBUT Tini Mathot Harpsichord – PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA DEBUT Jeffrey Khaner Flute J.S. Bach Orchestral Suite No. 3 C.P.E. Bach Concerto for Two Harpsichords in F major – FIRST PHILADELPHIA

ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCES Mozart Flute Concerto No. 1 Haydn Symphony No. 83 (“The Hen”) Bach’s Third Orchestral Suite contains one of the most often-played pieces of music (the second movement “Air on the G String”) but the rest of the Suite is beautiful, quintessential J.S. Bach as well. Early music specialist Ton Koopman conducts and solos at the keyboard, joined by his wife, Tini Mathot, in C.P.E. Bach’s Concerto for Two Harpsichords in F major. The spotlight shines on Principal Flute Jeffrey Khaner, playing Mozart’s cheerful and majestic Flute Concerto No. 1. “The second movement always makes me think of a very beautiful and expensive Viennese music box, where you open the lid and inside is a ballerina,” says Khaner. We conclude with Mozart’s great friend Haydn, whose Symphony No. 83 (“The Hen) got its nickname from a musical phrase in the first movement that reminded some listeners of a head-bobbing walking chicken! “Papa” Haydn brings our concert to a charming close.

TCHAIKOVSKY & MENDELSSOHN

March 31 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts April 1 at 2 PM – Friday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts April 2 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

The Philadelphia Orchestra Pablo Heras-Casado Conductor – PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA DEBUT Akiko Suwanai Violin

Tchaikovsky The Tempest Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2 Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3 (“Scottish”)

An ocean voyage, a thundering storm, two young lovers, all presided over by a powerful wizard! As he did so memorably with Romeo and Juliet, Tchaikovsky once again turns to Shakespeare for inspiration, delivering a brilliant evocation of the magical doings in The Tempest. We fast-forward into the 20th century with Tchaikovsky’s fellow Russian, Prokofiev, and his spirited Second Violin Concerto, echoing with everything from Russian folk tunes to Spanish castanets, performed by the sensational Akiko Suwanai. We complete our journey through time and space with a return to the Classical, and Mendelssohn’s “Scottish” Symphony, completed in 1842. The sizzling conductor Pablo Heras-Casado makes his Philadelphia Orchestra debut in this stimulating program.



FAMILY CONCERT: MUSIC, NOISE, AND SILENCE April 2 at 11:30 AM – Saturday morning — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Lio Kuokman Conductor Magic Circle Mime Company We all know that Music reigns in the concert hall … but what happens when Silence buys a ticket and Noise barges in? Is the performance doomed? The clever (and very quiet) Magic Circle Mime Company joins The Philadelphia Orchestra and proves—with a little help from Mendelssohn, Bach, and Strauss—that, with our great musicians, the conductor—and the audience!—the orchestra will always make beautiful music.

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS April 8 at 8 PM – Friday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts April 9 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts April 10 at 2 PM – Sunday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Alexandre Tharaud Piano – PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA DEBUT Weill Symphony No. 2 – FIRST PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCES Ravel Piano Concerto for the Left Hand Gershwin An American in Paris We take you to the jazz-infused 1930s for this sparkling trio of pieces. George Gershwin’s evocative and vivid An American in Paris is arguably the finest musical love letter ever penned to a city. Meanwhile, Yannick is also a big fan of Weill’s Symphony No. 2, and it’s no wonder, he has even recorded it. It has the edgy energy of the 1930s and the craftsmanship of a well-refined symphony. Maurice Ravel wrote his Piano Concerto for the Left Hand for an Austrian pianist wounded in World War I. French pianist Alexandre Tharaud dispatches this challenging score with panache and brilliant musicality. The Saturday, April 9, and Sunday, April 10, performances of this concert will be LiveNote enabled.

SOUND ALL AROUND: BRASS April 9 at 10 AM and 11:15 AM — Saturday morning — Academy of Music Ballroom April 11 at 10 AM and 11:15 AM — Monday morning — Academy of Music Ballroom Charlotte Blake Alston Host and Storyteller Blair Bollinger Bass Trombone Lio Kuokman Piano Nurture your child’s passion for music! Sound All Around concerts are interactive programs with members of The Philadelphia Orchestra and award-winning storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston. Children listen to stories with music, sing songs, move to the music, pretend to play an instrument, and examine real instruments up close. Named as Philadelphia magazine’s Best of Philly® 2014–Best Music Program, Sound All Around is a great way for kids, families, daycares, and school groups to have fun with music. Concerts are 45 minutes long.



FABULOUS PHILADELPHIANS: THE COMMISSIONS April 14 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts April 15 at 2 PM – Friday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts April 16 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Don S. Liuzzi Timpani Ricardo Morales Clarinet Bernstein Suite from Fancy Free Wright Timpani Concerto - Philadelphia Orchestra Commission—WORLD

PREMIERE Leshnoff Clarinet Concerto - Philadelphia Orchestra Commission—WORLD

PREMIERE Prokofiev Symphony No. 7 Glimpse the future of the Philadelphia Sound as Yannick and the Orchestra continue their proud tradition of commissioning new works for its principal players. These concerts feature world-premiere showpieces for two more of our outstanding principals: Ricardo Morales performing a new Clarinet Concerto by Jonathan Leshnoff (“I’m mesmerized by his melodic style,” says Morales), and Principal Timpani Don Liuzzi with, yes, a Timpani Concerto (from Temple University’s Maurice Wright). Liuzzi says he normally loves blending into the famous Philadelphia Sound, but “when it’s time to play big, I’ll play big!” Ricardo and Don share the stage with Leonard Bernstein’s suite from his ballet Fancy Free and the program concludes with Sergei Prokofiev’s final symphony, his mighty Seventh, given its U.S. premiere by the Orchestra and Eugene Ormandy. Good company!

THE RITE OF SPRING

April 21 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts April 22 at 2 PM – Friday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts April 23 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

The Philadelphia Orchestra Cristian Măcelaru Conductor

Prokofiev Ginastera

Symphony No. 1 (“Classical”) Variaciones concertantes

Stravinsky The Rite of Spring

Just as Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring pays homage to past Russian folk traditions, Prokofiev’s neo-Classical Symphony No. 1 draws its whimsy and virtuosity from the past world of Haydn. This thrilling, highly virtuosic work precedes Ginastera’s Variaciones concertantes, which features multiple soloists and various sections of the orchestra. It’s also inspired by the music’s folk roots, infusing Argentinian harmonies and gestures into a work that is propulsive and infectiously melodic. This program is a chance to hear the musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra shine as individuals and a collective whole–from the intimacy of Prokofiev’s “Classical” Symphony, to the solo features of Ginastera’s Variaciones concertantes, to the full-throated roar of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. All three performances of this concert will be LiveNote enabled.



YO-YO MA

April 28 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts April 29 at 8 PM – Friday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts April 30 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts May 1 at 2 PM – Sunday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

The Philadelphia Orchestra Stéphane Denève Conductor Yo-Yo Ma Cello Williams Tributes! For Seiji – FIRST PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA

PERFORMANCES Williams Cello Concerto – FIRST PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCES Debussy “Clouds” and “Festivals,” from Nocturnes Musorgsky/arr. & orch. Stokowski Pictures from an Exhibition

The phenomenal cello master Yo-Yo Ma kicks off a two-week celebration of John Williams’s music for concert hall and film. Williams wrote the Cello Concerto specifically for Ma, at the suggestion of Seiji Ozawa. That legendary conductor is celebrated in our opening piece, Williams’s Tributes! For Seiji, written in honor of Ozawa’s 25th anniversary with the Boston Symphony. Next, two excerpts from one of Debussy’s most popular works, “Clouds” and “Festivals” from Nocturnes, inspired by Whistler’s series of Impressionist paintings by the same name. We remain in our imaginary art museum for our finale: Pictures from an Exhibition. It began life as a cycle of piano pieces by Modest Musorgsky, and is normally heard in an orchestration by Maurice Ravel. Here, Principal Guest Conductor Stéphane Denève presents Leopold Stokowski’s setting, showcasing the unmistakable Philadelphia Sound. If you haven’t heard this version before, think of it as a new frame for a favorite picture!

SOUND ALL AROUND: ENSEMBLE April 30 at 10 AM and 11:15 AM — Saturday morning — Academy of Music Ballroom May 2 at 10 AM and 11:15 AM — Monday morning — Academy of Music Ballroom Charlotte Blake Alston Host and Storyteller David Fay Bass Paul Demers Bass Clarinet Blair Bollinger Bass Trombone Christopher Deviney Percussion Lio Kuokman Piano Nurture your child’s passion for music! Sound All Around concerts are interactive programs with members of The Philadelphia Orchestra and award-winning storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston. Children listen to stories with music, sing songs, move to the music, pretend to play an instrument, and examine real instruments up close. Named as Philadelphia magazine’s Best of Philly® 2014–Best Music Program, Sound All Around is a great way for kids, families, daycares, and school groups to have fun with music. Concerts are 45 minutes long.



JOHN WILLIAMS May 4 at 8 PM – Wednesday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra John Williams Conductor With his instantly recognizable scores, John Williams has redefined the art of film music. He has become undoubtedly one of the world’s most accomplished and successful composers for film and the concert stage, in a career that spans over five decades. Make plans now to join us for this magical evening as living-legend John Williams makes a rare Philadelphia appearance to lead a special benefit concert with The Philadelphia Orchestra. Five-time Academy Award and 21-time Grammy Award-winner John Williams conducts an unforgettable evening of music from the movies. He’s written countless iconic film soundtracks, including Star Wars, Indiana Jones, E.T., Harry Potter, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Schindler’s List, and many more! Don’t miss this chance to hear many of these scores come to life with the composer himself on the podium. Maestro Williams and the musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra are graciously donating their services for this concert.

STÉPHANE DENÈVE CONDUCTS WILLIAMS May 5 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts May 6 at 2 PM – Friday afternoon — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts May 7 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Stéphane Denève Conductor James Ehnes Violin Ravel Pavane pour une infante défunte Williams Violin Concerto – FIRST PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCES Beethoven Symphony No. 7 Principal Guest Conductor Stéphane Denève leads his second subscription series of the season with a terrific program of life-affirming music and a continuation of a tribute to John Williams. Ravel’s Pavane for a Dead Princess turns to a stately dance form (the “pavane,”popular during the Renaissance) as the basis for this shimmering Impressionist work evoking longing and nostalgia, filled with gorgeous melodies. John Williams’s Violin Concerto, written in 1976 as a tribute to his late wife, is a standout vehicle for Canadian virtuoso James Ehnes, who’ll ring all the pathos from this beautiful score. Denève closes with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. It was immediately popular at the premiere, led by the composer himself; some two centuries later, this Beethoven masterpiece is still nothing short of heavenly.



YANNICK AND LANG LANG May 11 at 8 PM – Wednesday evening — Carnegie Hall, New York May 12 at 8 PM – Thursday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts May 13 at 8 PM – Friday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts May 14 at 8 PM – Saturday evening — Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Lang Lang Piano Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 1 Mahler/Cooke Symphony No. 10 A Philadelphia favorite himself, the incomparable Lang Lang plays another Philadelphia favorite, Sergei Rachmaninoff, whose career was so entwined with the Orchestra. Lang Lang’s blend of youthful dynamism and extraordinary musicianship is perfect for the Piano Concerto No. 1, guaranteed to spark fireworks onstage. We end with Mahler’s last symphony, No. 10, left unfinished at his death in 1911. Over the years many noted musicians and experts have worked on completing it. Great Britain’s Deryck Cooke created the version first premiered and recorded in the U.S. by Eugene Ormandy and The Philadelphia Orchestra. Yannick’s passion for this realization of Mahler’s final work summons a Philadelphia Sound you’ll feel as well as hear. Join us for this unforgettable season-ending event!

Denotes masterworks highlighted in the season that received either world or U.S. premieres by The Philadelphia

Orchestra

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