Jessye Norman
Ask Your Mama Saturday, February 6 Marin Alsop, conductor Jessye Norman, soprano The Roots
BSO DEBUT
Laura Karpman: Ask Your Mama
Hot jazz, German lieder, Cha-Cha and Afro-Cuban drumming come together in AskYour Mama by Emmy Award-winning composer Laura Karpman in collaboration with world-renowned soprano Jessye Norman and the poetry of Langston Hughes. His epic poem,“AskYour Mama: Twelve Moods for Jazz,” creates a compelling tapestry of orchestral music integrated with technology, sound samples and newly created video.A heady mixture of intersecting cultures, AskYour Mama brings together the collective memories of America and the hope for its future.
Circus Maximus
España
Saturday, March 20
Saturday, April 17
Marin Alsop, conductor The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own”
Juanjo Mena, conductor Jonathan Carney, violin
David Little: Screamer Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf John Corigliano: Symphony No. 3, “Circus Maximus”
Albéniz, arr. Arbos: Iberia Rodrigo: Concierto de estío Jonathan Carney Debussy: Ibéria Falla: The Three-Cornered Hat, Suite No. 2
Our four-week carnival goes to the center ring with musical giants and tigers and wolves, oh my! We open with a quick work by David Little, who imagines a circus very nearly out of control—in laughter, music and mayhem. Prokofiev’s classic and triumphal tale of a heroic boy and threatening wolf takes center stage, only to be followed by a crazy and gargantuan musical portrayal of the Circus Maximus from ancient Rome. Here, bigger-than-life entertainments stand as humorous commentary on our own busy and bustling lives.
Baltimore favorite Juanjo Mena lights up the night with this spirited program filled with Spanish rhythm and life.Two musical portraits of the Iberian peninsula sparkle with color and character. A masterful violin concerto by the blind composer Joaquín Rodrigo expresses the pleasures of a sultry Spanish summer and features BSO concertmaster Jonathan Carney. Comedy concludes our journey in the vivacious dances from Falla’s humorous ballet The Three-Cornered Hat.
Brahms’ German Requiem Underground Railroad: An Evening with Kathleen Battle Saturday, May 29 Kathleen Battle, soprano Morgan State University Choir Eric Conway, director
Superstar Kathleen Battle sings in a new program celebrating the roots of African-American music and freedom via the Underground Railroad. Featuring favorite and meaningful spirituals, hymns and musical majesty, this evening of enchanting music filled with history, faith and meaning lets Battle’s sumptuous voice take flight.
Saturday, June 12 Marin Alsop, conductor Janice Chandler-Etemé, soprano Stephen Powell, baritone Baltimore Choral Arts Society Tom Hall, director Morgan State University Choir Eric Conway, director Barber: Knoxville, Summer of 1915 Brahms: A German Requiem
Marin Alsop closes the season with a concert of innocence and remembrance. In Knoxville, Summer of 1915, the words of poet-author James Agee recall an idyllic summer evening, delicately set to Barber’s folk-like music and lit by a shimmering sunset. Completing the program is Brahms’ choral masterpiece, A German Requiem, begun as a loving farewell to his mother, and concluding as a grandly moving musical commentary on the fleeting beauty of human life.
Kathleen Battle
See page 22 to add the unique and interactive Off the Cuff concerts to your series. 21