Evanston Symphony Orchestra

One of the fastest rising stars in the violin world, Maya Anjali Buchanan, debuts with the ESO in the supremely beautiful Violin Concerto of Erich Wolfgang Korngold. A musical wunderkind on a level equal to that of his namesake Mozart, Korngold incorporates a number of memorable melodies from his film scores into a classical structure. Gustav Mahler’s First Symphony has been called by many the greatest of all first symphonies, and its huge orchestra and triumphant ending provide a fitting conclusion to our 75th anniversary season.

The ESO’s celebration of the 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven will span both this season and our following 75th Diamond Anniversary season. The “Emperor” concerto marked the culmination of Beethoven’s heroic period, and will provide Inna Faliks an ESO sequel to her much praised interpretation of the Beethoven Third Concerto. The program begins with Beethoven’s final overture, a tribute to Handelian pomp and glory, and concludes with Beethoven’s most serene and lyrical symphony, the “Pastoral.”

The vocal virtuosity of local favorite Michelle Areyzaga and of the North Shore Choral Society will assist in the ESO’s celebration of the 100th birthday of Leonard Bernstein, America’s greatest musical genius. A short overture by John Williams based on Bernstein melodies completes the tribute. The concert concludes with the great choral blockbuster, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, which combines haunting Medieval and Renaissance melodies with a large percussion laden orchestra.

The First Piano Concerto of Johannes Brahms is among his most important works and among the most difficult concertos ever composed. Its monumental nature is a direct descendent of another D Minor masterpiece, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Thomas Pandolfi makes his ESO debut in its demanding solo role. Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird ballet is based on Russian folk legends and gave him his first major acclaim, and it has remained his “biggest hit” ever since its premiere in 1910.

Our blockbuster season concludes as it began, with a monumental work inspired by Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. Gustav Mahler’s Second Symphony includes vocal soloists and full chorus, but adds organ, bells, and a multitude of extra orchestral players, both on-stage and off-stage, to create an overwhelming narrative of death and eventual resurrection. The North Shore Choral Society joins the ESO for the choral finale of the “Resurrection” as well as in a brief motet from Mozart’s final months.

Two of the ESO’s favorite soloists will do double duty in both the Brahms “Double” Concerto and in a special arrangement of a popular Dvořák Slavonic Dance. The Hungarian and Slavonic dances illustrate the lighter sides of Brahms and Dvořák, while the “Double” Concerto and the Dvořák Seventh Symphony represent both composers at their most profound.

Program

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