In its 2015-16 season, the Richmond Symphony will mark the 150th anniversary year of the births of the two leading Scandinavian masters of the symphony, performing the Second Symphony of Finland’s Jean Sibelius and Fourth Symphony (“Inextinguishable”) of Denmark’s Carl Nielsen.
The coming season also will feature the first performances by the symphony of three Russian works: the Sixth Symphony of Shostakovich and two rarities, Tchaikovsky’s “Manfred” Symphony, based on the dramatic poem by Lord Byron, and Mussorgsky’s “St. John’s Night on the Bare Mountain,” the choral version of “Night on Bald Mountain,” which in addition to the choral part employs Mussorgsky’s
own orchestration, markedly different from the commonly heard Rimsky-Korsakov scoring.Other major works programmed for the coming season’s Masterworks concerts include Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in the September season-opening concerts, and spring performances of Brahms’ Second Symphony, Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” Suite, Samuel Barber’s First Symphony and Ravel’s complete “Daphnis et Chloé,” the ballet score for orchestra with chorus that the composer characterized as a symphonie choréographique (choreographic symphony).
Contemporary works scheduled next season are “Point – Line – Plane” by Zachary Wadsworth,
the Richmond-born composer now living in Canada; “Waking Dream” by Laura Schwendinger, a Wisconsin-based composer who will visit Richmond for a residency underwritten by the Music Alive: New Partnerships program of the League of American Orchestras and New Music USA; “Urban Sprawl” by the Ohio-based composer Clint Needham; and “Short Ride in a Fast Machine,” perhaps the most popular of John Adams’ concert pieces.The Nielsen, Sibelius and Brahms symphonies will be introduced by Steven Smith, the Richmond Symphony’s music director, and the Tchaikovsky by guest conductor Victor Yampolsky, followed
by full performances of the works, in a new Casual Fridays series of one-hour concerts at the Carpenter Theatre of Richmond CenterStage, also the venue for Masterworks, Pops and LolliPops concerts.Program highlights of the Metro Collection series of Sunday matinees at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland include Mozart’s Symphony No. 40, Haydn’s Symphony No. 92 (“Oxford”), Beethoven’s First Symphony and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 (“Scottish”).
The Rush Hour series, Thursday evening casual concerts featuring selections from the Metro
Collection programs, will move to a new venue, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery in Richmond’sNorth Side.
Next season’s guest soloists include violinist Philippe Quint (playing Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Concerto in D major) and pianists Orion Weiss (Liszt’s Concerto No. 2) and Orli Shaham (Beethoven’s Concerto No. 3).
Five of the symphony’s principals also will perform as soloists: concertmaster Daisauke Yamamoto (Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2), flutist Mary Boodell (Schwendinger’s “Waking Dream”), clarinetist Jared Davis (Weber’s Concerto No. 2), cellist Neal Cary (Tchaikovsky’s “Variations on a Rococo Theme”)
and oboist Gustav Highstein (Richard Strauss’ Concerto in D major).The Richmond Symphony Chorus, directed by Erin R. Freeman, will perform in the Beethoven Ninth, Mussorgsky’s “St. John’s Night on the Bare Mountain” and Ravel’s “Daphnis et Chloé,” as well as the “Let It Snow!” pops concerts and Handel’s “Messiah.”
Singers from Virginia Opera Emerging Artists will join the symphony in a New Year’s Masterworks program featuring dance pieces and operetta arias by Johann Strauss II. Dancers from the School of the
Richmond Ballet will join the symphony and its associate conductor, Keitaro Harada, in a performance of Saint-Saëns’ “Carnival of the Animals” in the LolliPops series of Saturday morning family concerts. Harada also will conduct the first Metro Collection and Rush Hour programs of the season, and will lead the orchestra in live accompaniments of two films: F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent horror classic “Nosferatu” in a “Science Fiction Double Feature” opening the pops series, and the animated film “The Snowman” in the LolliPops series.
For a 2015-16 season brochure or more information, call the Richmond Symphony’s patron services desk at (804) 788-1212 or visit its website: www.richmondsymphony.com
The symphony 2015-16 programs:
MASTERWORKS
8 p.m. Fridays, 3 p.m. Sundays at Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage
subscriptions:
Saturday – $171-$522 (adult), $95-$522 (child)
Sunday – $86-$261 (adult), $48-$261 (child)
single tickets: $10-$78 (adult/child), $9-$78 (senior)
Steven Smith conducting, unless listed otherwise
Sept. 12-13
John Adams: “Short Ride in a Fast Machine”
Berlioz: “King Lear” Overture
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor (“Choral”)
soloists TBA
Richmond Symphony Chorus
Erin R. Freeman directing
Oct. 17
Zachary Wadsworth: “Point – Line – Plane”
Korngold: Violin Concerto in D major
Philippe Quint, violin
Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 (“Inextinguishable”)
Nov. 14
Sibelius: “Tapiola”
Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major
Orion Weiss, piano
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D major
Jan. 9-10
Richard Strauss: “Der Rosenkavalier” Suite
Johann Strauss II: “On the Beautiful Blue Danube”
arias, Viennese dance pieces TBA
Virginia Opera Emerging Artists, vocalists
Feb. 6
Victor Yampolsky conducting
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor
Daisuke Yamamoto, violin
Tchaikovsky: “Manfred” Symphony
March 5-6
Mussorgsky: “St. John’s Night on the Bare Mountain”
Richmond Symphony Chorus
Erin R. Freeman directing
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor
Orli Shaham, piano
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 6
April 2
Copland: “Appalachian Spring” Suite
Laura Schwendinger: “Waking Dream”
Mary Boodell, flute
Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D major
May 14-15
Charles Tomlinson Griffes: “The White Peacock”
Barber: Symphony No. 1
Ravel: “Daphnis et Chloé” (complete)
Richmond Symphony Chorus
Erin R. Freeman directing
CASUAL FRIDAYS
6:30 p.m. Fridays at Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage
subscriptions: $90-$180 (adult); $48-$180 (child)
single tickets: $10-$50 (adult/child), $9-$50 (senior)
Steven Smith, host & conductor, unless listed otherwise
Oct. 16
Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 (“Inextinguishable”)
Nov. 13
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D major
Feb. 5
Victor Yampolsky, host & conductor
Tchaikovsky: “Manfred” Symphony
April 1
Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D major
METRO COLLECTION
3 p.m. Sundays at Blackwell Auditorium, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland
subscriptions: $68 (adult), $40 (child)
single tickets: $20 (adult), $18 (senior), $10 (child)
Steven Smith conducting, unless listed otherwise
Oct. 25
Keitaro Harada conducting
Bartók: Divertimento for string orchestra
Weber: Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in E flat major
Jared Davis, clarinet
Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550
Jan. 17
Ives: “The Unanswered Question”
Tchaikovsky:”Variations on a Rococo Theme”
Neal Cary, cello
Clint Needham: “Urban Sprawl”
Haydn: Symphony No. 92 in G major (“Oxford”)
Feb. 21
Stravinsky: Octet
Richard Strauss: Oboe Concerto in D major
Gustav Highstein, oboe
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 in C major
May 8
Fauré: “Pelléas et Mélisande” Suite
Ravel: “Mother Goose” Suite
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 in A minor (“Scottish”)
RUSH HOUR
condensed versions of Metro Collection programs
6:30 p.m. Thursdays at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Overbrook Road at Ownby Lane
tickets: $15
Steven Smith, host & conductor, unless listed otherwise
Oct. 22 (see Oct. 25 Metro Collection)
Keitaro Harada, host & conductor
Jan. 14 (see Jan. 17 Metro Collection)
Feb. 18 (see Feb. 21 Metro Collection)
May 5 (see May 8 Metro Collection)
SPECIAL CONCERT
7:30 p.m. at Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage
tickets: $20-$50 (adult), $12-$50 (child)
Erin R. Freeman conducting
Dec. 4
Handel: “Messiah”
soloists TBA
Richmond Symphony Chorus
Erin R. Freeman directing
POPS
8 p.m. Saturdays (3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6) at Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage
subscriptions: $86-$261 (adult), $48-$261 (child)
single tickets: $10-$78 (adult/child), $9-$78 (senior)
Keitaro Harada conducting
Oct. 24
“Science Fiction Double Feature”
F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent film “Nosferatu,” with live orchestra accompaniment
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (extra $10 charge)
Dec. 5-6
“Let It Snow!” holiday program
Richmond Symphony Chorus
Erin R. Freeman directing
special guests TBA
Feb. 27
“Music of Earth, Wind and Fire & The King of Pop”
Jeans ’n Classics
April 30
“Steve Lippia’s Centennial Celebration: a Frank Sinatra Tribute”
Steve Lippia, vocalist
LOLLIPOPS
11 a.m. Saturdays at Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage
subscriptions: $42 (adult), $34 (child)
single tickets: $17 (adult), $12 (child)
Keitaro Harada conducting
Oct. 31
“Halloween Spooktacular”
Nov. 28
“The Snowman,” animated film with live orchestra accompaniment
Jan. 30
Dr. Seuss’ “Green Eggs and Ham”
Sara Valentine, actor & director
Kimberly Schroder, soprano
Michael Boudewyns, actor
March 19
“Carnival of the Animals”
School of the Richmond Ballet