2015-2016 SEASON Elgar “Enigma Variations” OCT 16-17 Courtney Lewis, conductor Courtney Hershey Bress, harp See page 3 for more details Photo: Dona Photo: Laurita COURTNEY coloradosymphony.org 303.623.7876 box office 1000 14th St., Denver,T CO 80202 mon-fri: 10am - 6pm sat: 12pm - 6 pm Boettcher Concert HallT at the Denver Performing Arts Complex BOGGESS Dvořák Symphony No. 9 “From The New World” MAY 13-14 FRI-SAT 7:30 Andre de Ridder,T conductor Yumi Hwang-Williams, violin Table of Contents 2015/16 Season Programs 2-13 Season at a Glance 14-15 Subscriber Benefits 16-17 Season Packages 18-20 Series Information 21 Flex Pass 22 New Subscriber Form 23-24 Seating Charts 25 Colorado Symphony Score 26-27 Support the Symphony 28-29 FROM THE BOARD CHAIR Mary Rossick Kern & Jerry Kern Co-chairs, Colorado Symphony Board of Trustees pringtime in Denver means exciting news from the Colorado Symphony: the announcement of all that awaits in the coming concert season. I’m thrilled and honored to present the 2015/16 lineup, which includes music for every taste and background. From traditional Masterworks to Pops and every series in between, the Colorado Symphony offers a range of programming designed to appeal Sto an audience as diverse as our great state. The common theme? Excellence. Have a look through these pages and you’ll see why the Colorado Symphony is recognized as one of the finest and most innovative orchestras in the United States. Guided by the artistic vision of Music Director Andrew Litton and created in collaboration with the orchestra’s musicians, the 2015/16 season explores the breadth, depth, virtuosity, and even playfulness of this exemplary ensemble. The season starts and finishes with a bang, opening with a bombastic all-Russian Masterworks program in September. In May, we wrap up with an irresistibly rousing performance of Orff’s Carmina burana, with the full Colorado Symphony Chorus and Colorado Children’s Chorale. The rest of the Masterworks programs are equally exciting, showcasing the talents of both renowned and up-and- coming conductors, composers, and soloists. I’m proud of the profoundly talented Colorado Symphony principal players who will take their turn in the solo spotlight all season long. It’s a cinematic year for Pops, with some of American film’s most beloved classics performed with full accompaniment by the orchestra. From Psycho to the music of James Bond, Home Alone to Blazing Saddles, the Symphony at the Movies series is a soundtrack for fun – and a great option for date night. In May, we’ll welcome back some superheroes (and villains) in our third-annual Symphonic Tribute to Comic Con. Table of Contents As you browse this season brochure, remember that becoming a subscriber is the most affordable way to experience the power of this great orchestra – and the most important thing you can to do support your Colorado Symphony. We thank you for sharing your love of the music with us, and for ensuring that it lives on. 2015/16 Season Programs 2-13 Season at a Glance 14-15 From season veterans to those who are totally new to the experience of live symphonic music, everyone is welcome Subscriber Benefits 16-17 at our home, Boettcher Concert Hall, all season long. We look forward to delighting you, and maybe even surprising Season Packages 18-20 you, in the 2015/16 season. Series Information 21 Flex Pass 22 New Subscriber Form 23-24 Jerry Kern Seating Charts 25 CEO, Colorado Symphony Colorado Symphony Score 26-27 Co-Chair, Board of Trustees, Colorado Symphony Support the Symphony 28-29 1 Opening Weekend: MASTERWORKS Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 SEPT 18-20 FRI-SAT 7:30 SUN 1:00 Andrew Litton, conductorT T Alessio Bax, piano SHOSTAKOVICH Festive Overture, Op 96 TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No 1 in B-flat minor, Op 23 SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No 5 in D minor, Op 47 Music Director Andrew Litton conducts your Colorado Symphony through an all-Russian slate to start the season with a bang. The weekend also brings Italian-born pianist Alessio Bax to Denver for the first time since the 2010/11 season, with a technique that’s a perfect match for Tchaikovsky’s bold Piano Concerto No. 1. Shostakovich’s triumphant Symphony No. 5 provides an apt finish that is nothing less than a work of high art. The Music Man In Concert POPS SEPT 26-27 SAT 7:30 SUN 1:00 Colorado SymphonyT Chorus, MaryT Louise Burke, associate director The Colorado Symphony’s self-produced take on the Meredith Willson classic brings River City, Iowa to Denver for two performances. The timeless story of slick con man Harold Hill wooing Marian the Librarian features such showstoppers as “Ya Got Trouble,” “The Wells Fargo Wagon,” and the signature “76 Trombones.” Hear this classic score the way the composer intended it – with a full symphony orchestra accompanied by an amazing cast of local and national singers and actors. Mozart Performed By Michael Thornton MASTERWORKS OCT 2-3 FRI-SAT 7:30 James Feddeck,T conductor Michael Thornton, horn DVOŘÁK Carnival Overture MOZART Horn Concerto No 3 in E-flat major, K 447 L MOZART Sinfonia pastorella for Alphorn BRAHMS Symphony No 4 in E minor, Op 98 Colorado Symphony Principal Horn Michael Thornton performs works by two Mozarts, beginning with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s well-known Horn Concerto No. 3. Thornton then trades his French horn for an eight-foot alphorn for Sinfonia pastorella by Leopold, Wolfgang’s father. In his Colorado Symphony debut, former Cleveland Orchestra staff conductor James Feddeck opens with Dvořák’s Carnival Overture and rounds out the program with Brahms’ lush Symphony No. 4, the last symphonic work of his career. Inside The Score: Symphony 101 INSIDE THE SCORE OCT 9 FRI 7:30 CatherineT Beeson, host Assistant Principal Viola and Director of Community and Education Programs Catherine Beeson hosts an informative and entertaining evening that meshes musical performances with a behind- the-scenes peek into the symphony world. For this event, the focus is on debunking myths and explaining the orchestra to newbies and veteran symphony-goers alike. It’s the ultimate entry point into the Colorado Symphony experience. 2 3 2015/16 SEASON CONCERTS Jake Shimabukuro In Concert SPECIAL OCT 10 SAT 7:30 Jake Shimabukuro,T ukulele The Hawaiian-born ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro has long been a household name in his native state and Japan, but he exploded into the musical mainstream in 2006 with an assist from a viral YouTube video of him playing The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” that has been seen by more than thirteen million people. Shimabukuro’s performance will include the Colorado debut of Byron Yasui’s Concerto No. 1 for Ukulele. Elgar “Enigma Variations” MASTERWORKS OCT 16-17 FRI-SAT 7:30 Courtney Lewis,T conductor Courtney Hershey Bress, harp HAYDN Symphony No 60 in C major, “Il distratto” DEBUSSY Dances Sacred and Profane RAVEL Introduction and Allegro ELGAR Variations on an Original Theme, Op 36 “Enigma Variations” This dazzling program showcases Colorado Symphony Principal Harp Courtney Hershey Bress performing virtuosic masterpieces from Debussy and Ravel. New York Philharmonic staff conductor Courtney Lewis leads this program culminating in Sir Edward Elgar’s Variations on an Original Theme. Popularly known as “Enigma Variations” the piece consists of 24 variations that each depict one of Elgar’s family members or friends in a musical cryptogram that draws inspiration from lost loves, barking bulldogs, and his toughest critics. Strauss Conducted By Andrew Litton MASTERWORKS OCT 23-24 FRI-SAT 7:30 Andrew Litton, Tconductor Silver Ainomäe, cello STRAUSS Don Quixote, Op 35 STRAUSS Don Juan, Op 20 STRAUSS Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, Op 59 Principal Cello Silver Ainomäe opens this all-Strauss program with Don Quixote for a concert experience that captures the breadth of the composer’s remarkable oeuvre. The modernist Don Juan cemented Strauss’ international reputation, and his comic yet bittersweet Der Rosenkavalier (The Rose-Bearer) remains a staple for opera companies worldwide. For Don Quixote, Ainomäe’s cello plays the titular role of the windmill-battling Man of La Mancha, while the solo viola captures the part of his comic squire, Sancho Panza. Symphony At The Movies: Psycho POPS OCT 30 FRI 7:30 T For Halloween weekend, the Colorado Symphony performs the soundtrack to Psycho, the film that moved the horror genre from gothic to contemporary. Alfred Hitchcock’s groundbreaking thriller continues to resonate with audiences for its jarring music as much as its haunting images and stunning twists. Composed by Academy Award® winner Bernard Herrmann (whose career spanned from Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane to Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver), this score is one of the most memorable – and frightening – in Hollywood history. The complete film will be shown on large suspended screens for the full Symphony At The Movies experience. 2 3 Halloween Spooktacular FAMILY OCT 31 SAT 2:30 T A family tradition of the not-too-scary sort, this concert features musical fun for the whole family. Everyone is encouraged to dress up for the Halloween festivities, and the Colorado Symphony musicians will trade their tuxes and tails for their own zany costumes. Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 3 MASTERWORKS NOV 6-8 FRI-SAT 7:30 SUN 1:00 Andrew Litton,T conductor T Denis Kozhukhin, piano KABALEVSKY Overture to Colas Breugnon, Op 24 PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No 2 in G minor, Op 16 RACHMANINOFF Symphony No 3 in A minor, Op 44 Colorado Symphony Music Director Andrew Litton conducts the orchestra through a program of Russian compositions that veer from soaring to subtle.