CSO Season at the Taft 2016-2017

With the closing of Music Hall in June, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is moving its 2016-2017 season to The Taft Theatre.

Said CSO music director Louis Langrée: “Looking at this season and the excellent, intimate acoustic space that the Taft Theatre provides, I wanted to program concerts that not only catered to this venue, but also to the Orchestra’s strengths. In addition to the Brahms, Strauss, Beethoven and Mahler repertoire that the CSO commands with such authenticity, this season also lends itself well to Handel, Bach and Bartok as we continue to develop the CSO’s signature sound.

 “The new expertly crafted acoustic shell has transformed this Theatre into an extraordinary place to perform. The acoustics are excellent and the Orchestra’s sound is remarkably cohesive and intimate in this space.”

 “We have invested over $3 million in improvements to the Taft Theatre since 2011 and have made additional, significant investments in the concert experience at the Taft for the coming season,” said CSO president Trey Devey. These include new custom seating, the addition of air conditioning and fully renovated restrooms (tripling the women’s capacity and doubling the men’s).

Indeed, 2016-17 will be a strong season, with top guest artists, attractive repertoire and free parking for subscribers in the Western and Southern Garage donated by Western and Southern Financial Group.

For morning concerts, there will be a free shuttle from the Town Center Garage behind Music Hall.

Topping the guest list are Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman, who will perform one-night-only, non-subscription concerts with the CSO and Langrée. Subscribers to ten or more concerts will receive one of these concerts -- of their own choosing – free on a first-come, first-served basis.

The subscription season opens  Sept. 8 and 10 with pianist Emanuel Ax performing Beethoven’s Concerto No. 5 (the “Emperor”). Also appearing during the season are violinists Hilary Hahn, Midori, Gil Shaham, and Christian Tetzlaff, pianists Helene Grimaud and Katia and Marielle Labeque and saxophonist Branford Marsalis.

Langrée will conduct 9 of the 18 subscription concerts and the three special, non-subscription concerts featuring  Yo-Yo Ma, Lang Lang and Itzhak  Perlman. Guest conductors during the season include Neeme Järvi (father of CSO music director laureate Paavo Järvi). Edo de Waart, Juanjo Mena and John Storgårds.

The CSO will continue its One City, One Symphony initiative with neighborhood listening parties and other events preceding CSO concerts Nov. 25 and 26. This year’s theme is Home and the program will include the world premiere of a symphony by University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music faculty member Michael Fiday.

The CSO will also participate in the boundary-busting new music festival  MusicNOW Jan. 13 and 14, now in its fourth year. Conducting the CSO will  be Matthias Pintscher, music director of the Paris-based Ensemble InterContemporain, founded by Pierre Boulez. The annual Classical Roots concert (also non-subscription) will be May 5, 2017 at Crossroads Church in Oakley.

Brahms Fest, the celebration of the music of Johannes Brahms begun this season, will continue with the Symphonies No. 3 and 4 and the Piano Concerto No. 2 with Hélene Grimaud. Also continuing will be the Pelleas Trilogy begun in October. This multi-media collaboration with director/curator James Darrah and projection designer Adam Larsen will feature Fauré’s “Pelleas et Melisande.” It will have the theme of water and  incorporate spoken elements The trilogy will conclude during the CSO’s 2017-18 season with a production of Debussy’s opera “Pelleas et Melisande” in collaboration with Cincinnati Opera at newly-renovated Music Hall.

The 2016-2017 Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra special concerts (non-subscription)

Sept. 21. Taft Theatre. Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Lang Lang, piano. Louis Langrée, conductor. Program to be announced.

 Oct. 28. Taft Theatre. Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Yo-Yo Ma, cello. Louis Langrée, conductor. Program to be announced.

Dec. 31. Taft Theatre. Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. New Year’s Eve concert. April 18.

April 18. Taft Theatre. Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Itzhak Perlman, violin. Langrée, conductor. Program to be announced.

May 5. Crossroads Church, Oakley. Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. “Classical Roots.” 

The 2016-2017 Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra subscription season.

Sept. 8 and 10. Taft Theatre. Beethoven Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”). Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5. Emanuel Ax, piano. Louis Langrée, conductor.

Sept. 23 and 24. Taft Theatre. Beethoven, Violin Concerto. Schumann, Symphony No. 4.  Hilary Hahn, violin. Langrée, conductor.

Sept. 30, Oct. 1. Taft Theatre. Pelleas trilogy part two. Fauré, “Pelleas et Melisande.” Multi-media presentation. Langré, conductor.

Oct. 7 and 8. Taft Theatre. Grieg, “Peer Gynt” Suite. Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto. Dvorák, Symphony No. 7. Gil Shaham, violin. Neeme Järvi, guest conductor.

Oct. 27 and 29. Taft Theatre. Beethoven, Missa Solemnis.  May Festival Chorus. Juano Mena, guest conductor.

Nov. 11-13. Taft Theatre. Handel. “Water Music, Suite No. 1. Handel “Royal Fireworks Music.” Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. Bach, Orchestral Suite No. 3. Ton Koopman, guest conductor.

Nov. 18 and 19. Taft Theatre. Smetana, “Moldau” from Má vlast. Esa Pekka Salonen, Violin Concerto. Sibelius, Symphonies No. 6 and 7. Jennifer Koh, violin. Santtu-Matias Rouvali, guest conductor.

Nov. 25 and 26. Taft Theatre. One City, One Symphony. Bernstein, Overture to “Candide.” John Williams, Escapades for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra. Copland, music from “Our Town.” Copland, Suite from “The Tender Land.” Michael Fiday, Symphony (world premiere). Branford Marsalis, saxophone. Langrée, conductor.

Jan. 5 and 7. Taft Theatre. Webern, Passacaglia. Bach, Cantata No. 150. Brahms, Symphony No. 4. May Festival Chamber Choir. Langrée, conductor.

Jan. 13 and 14. Music Hall. MusicNOW. Bryce Dessner, MusicNOW artistic director. Matthias Pinscher, conductor.

 Jan. 27 and 28. Taft Theatre. Schumann. “Manfred” Overture. Bartók, Violin Concerto No. 2. Nielsen, Symphony No. 4 (“Inextinguishable”). Christian Tetzlaff, violin.  John Storgards, guest conductor.

 Feb. 3 and 4. Taft Theatre. Schreker, Prelude to Die Gezeichneten. Richard Strauss, Oboe Concerto. Rachmaninoff, Symphony No. 2. Dwight Parry, oboe. Edo de Waart, guest conductor.

March 3 and 4. Taft Theatre. Stravinsky, Symphonies of Wind Instruments. Stravinsky, Concerto in D (“Basel”) for string instruments. Mozart, Symphony No. 40. Katia and Marielle, Labeque, piano. Langrée, conductor.

March 9, 11 and 12. Taft Theatre. Gershwin, “An American in Paris. Gershwin, “Rhapsody in Blue. “ Ravel. “Mother Goose” Suite. Ravel. “Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2. Alexander Gavryluk, piano. Langrée, conductor.

April 14 and 15. Taft Theatre. Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 2. Brahms, Symphony No. 3. Helene Grimaud, piano. Langrée, conductor.

April 21 and 22. Taft Theatre. Mahler. Das Lied von der Erde. Schubert, Symphony No. 4.  Kelly O’Connor, mezzo-soprano. Stuart Skelton, tenor. Langrée, conductor.

May 4 and 6. Taft Theatre. Ligeti, Concert Romanesc. Britten, Violin Concerto. Richard Strauss, Also sprach Zarathrustra. Midori, violin. Robert Treviño, guest conductor.

May 12 and 13. Taft Theatre. Stravinsky, “Firebird” Suite (1919 version). Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 2. Bartok Two Portraits (Op. 5). Roussel, Bacchus et Ariane,  Suite No. 2.  Anna Vinnitskaya, piano. Gilbert Varga, guest conductor.

Subscription packages start at $60. Single tickets start at $12 for most concerts.

For  information and tickets, visit cincinnatisymphony.org/1617