Masterworks Series (15)
April 13-14 | 8 PM
Thierry Fischer, Conductor
Ronald Brautigam, Piano
Mozart - Overture to La clemenza di Tito
Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 26 "Coronation"
Beethoven - Symphony No. 3 "Eroica"
First written for Napoleon but later changed in disgust, "Eroica" is a heroic portrait that, according to Beethoven, simply celebrates "the memory of a great man." Though originally impressed by Napoleon, Beethoven grew quickly disaffected when the military leader declared himself Emperor after which the composer scratched out the dedication on the score of his powerful 3rd Symphony with such ferocity that he left a hole in the page. Two works by Mozart, an overture from the opera La clemenza di Tito and the "Coronation" Concerto for piano, complete the program.
Mahler's Symphony No. 4
Written by Sara Neal
April 6-7 | 8 PM
Thierry Fischer, Conductor
Lisa Milne, Soprano
Haydn - Symphony No. 2
Strauss - Four Songs, op. 27
Mahler - Symphony No. 4
A sunny and subtle work by a mighty symphonist that offers a child's view of heaven. Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 4 is the brightest and most transparent of his symphonies, highlighting the simple, delicate side of the composer's emotional range. Soprano Lisa Milne, in her Utah Symphony debut, will be featured on this and four songs by Richard Strauss, an undisputed master of music for the female voice. Also on the program is the 2nd Symphony of Haydn, continuing the performance tradition begun during Maestro Thierry Fischer's inaugural season.
March 23-24 | 8 PM
Mark Wigglesworth, Conductor
Stephen Hough, Piano
Wagner - Prelude to Die Meistersinger
Elgar - Enigma Variations
Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 3
Often called the Mt. Everest of the repertoire, it is one of the most technically demanding and musically rewarding works for the piano. Stephen Hough returns to Utah as soloist on Rachmaninoff's epic 3rd Piano Concerto, a work that strikes fear in the heart of many aspiring pianists. Guest Conductor Mark Wigglesworth also leads the orchestra on Wagner's heroic Prelude to Die Meistersinger and Elgar's mysterious musical dedication to his closest friends, the brilliant and virtuosic Enigma Variations.
March 2-3 | 8 PM
Jun Märkl, Conductor
Brant Bayless, Principal Viola
Strauss - Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks
Takemitsu - A String Around Autumn
Brahms - Symphony No. 1
A grand and meaningful first symphony, still respectfully referred to as "Beethoven's Tenth." A perfect addition to any Beethoven Symphony cycle is the 1st Symphony of Johannes Brahms, written by composer who was eternally aware of the powerful legacy of the earlier master's symphonies. Jun Märkl makes his Utah Symphony debut on a concert that also includes Richard Strauss' orchestral showpiece Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks and features Utah Symphony Principal Violist Brant Bayless on Toru Takemitsu's magnificently impressionistic A String Around Autumn.
Experience this concert with Vivace: Click here
February 17-18 | 8 PM
Thierry Fischer, Conductor
André Watts, Piano
Stravinsky - Scherzo a la Russe
Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2
Beethoven - Symphony No. 4
One of the world's most popular concerti, played by one of its most celebrated pianists. Andre Watts returns to Abravanel Hall to perform Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto, a lush and expansive work that highlights the abilities of both soloist and accompaniment. The season-long Beethoven symphony cycle resumes with the lyrical 4th Symphony, a piece Schumann called "a slender Grecian maiden between two Nordic giants." Stravinsky's jazz-inspired Scherzo a la Russe completes the program and continues Maestro Fischer's multi-season study of his music.
February 10-11 | 8 PM
Thierry Fischer, Conductor
Simone Lamsma, Violin
Bach / Webern - Music Offering: Ricercare No. 2
Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto
Bruckner - Symphony No. 4 "Romantic"
An extremely popular masterpiece for the violin with a symphony that celebrates life, nature and beauty. Maestro Thierry Fischer presents the "Romantic" 4th Symphony of Anton Bruckner and the wildly successful Violin Concerto by Felix Mendelssohn. The latter is an example of the Romantic era in its earlier days while the symphony shows the style period in full bloom. The program also features the music of Bach in an arrangement by Anton Webern. Violinist Simone Lamsma will make her Utah Symphony debut on the Mendelssohn.
February 3-4 | 8 PM
Thierry Fischer, Conductor
Jean-Guihen Queyras, Cello
Fauré - Cantique de Jean Racine
Fauré - Pavane
Jarrell - Emergences (Nachlese VI) - World Premiere
Fauré - Elegie
Beethoven - Symphony No. 5
Michael Jarrell’s Cello Concerto was commissioned by Utah Symphony with the support of the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia.
The most famous four notes in music history are joined by some that will be heard here for the first time. Maestro Fischer presents the center point of his Beethoven Symphony countdown with the most famous of the set, the dramatic 5th. Also featured are three works of French Composer Gabriel Faure and the world premiere of Swiss composer Michael Jarrell's Cello Concerto. Cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras makes his Utah Symphony debut as soloist.
Experience the concert on February 3 with Cadenza: Click here
Experience the concert on February 4 with Vivace: Click here
Jean-Guihen Gueyras will be giving a masterclass through our Education Department. Click here for details!
Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1
Written by Sara Neal
January 6-7 | 8 PM
Andrey Boreyko, Conductor
Conrad Tao, Piano
Liadov - The Enchanted Lake
Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No. 1
Shostakovich - Symphony No. 5
A pairing of emotion-filled Russian masterpieces, each a poignant snapshot of its place in the nation’s history. Guest Conductor Andrey Boreyko comes to Utah for a performance of Shostakovich 5. The famous 5th Symphony was “a Soviet artist’s creative response to just criticism” but also an important sentimental reflection of his fellow citizens. Tchaikovsky’s bold and effusive concerto, performed by pianist Conrad Tao, rests much more comfortably at the zenith of late 19th-century Russian romanticism.
Experience this concert with Cadenza: Click here
December 2-3 | 8 PM
Gilbert Varga, Conductor
Kirill Gerstein, Piano
Ravel - Mother Goose Suite
Liszt - Piano Concerto No. 2
Liszt - Totentanz
Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe Suite No. 2
Two famous works by the original piano superstar and cause of Europe's "Liszt fever." Conductor Gilbert Varga and pianist Kirill Gerstein return to Utah to present the Totentanz and 2nd Piano Concerto of Franz Liszt, a pair of virtuosic works written by the music world's original heartthrob performer. Two suites of Maurice Ravel complete the program, the extremely popular fairy tale music from Mother Goose and the passionate Greek romance of Daphnis and Chloe.
Experience this concert with Vivace: Click here
University of Utah students, alumni, and fans, join us for a red night at the symphony on Saturday, December 3rd! Come in your best formal red attire and be ready to walk down the red carpet with on-site photographers.
November 18-19 | 8 PM
Thierry Fischer, Conductor
Utah Symphony Chorus
Berlioz - The Childhood of Christ
A sweeping and affecting Sacred Trilogy on the story of Jesus in the time after his birth. Detailing the Holy Family's flight into Egypt to escape the slaughter of infants demanded by King Herod, Berlioz's choral masterpiece is both charmingly simple and surprisingly inventive. The Utah Symphony Chorus and a cast of seven soloists join Maestro Thierry Fischer and the Utah Symphony for this rarely heard chapter of "the greatest story ever told."
