EUG 16/17 season

DEPART DIS

BUILDING ON THE SUCCESS of our landmark 50th anniversary season, Eugene Symphony looks forward to our future of providing music to our community, inside and out of the concert hall. Our 51st season presents the fond farewell for departing Music Director Danail Rachev, who has led the orchestra to new artistic heights, combined with the excitement of our search for his successor, as we identify who will become the eighth conductor to lead our Eugene Symphony. Come along with us for an inspiring year of...

URE & COVERY.

DEAR FRIENDS, I am very proud of what we have accomplished together here in Eugene over the last seven years, and I believe we have one of the best regional orchestras in the United States. We have made music with limitless passion, musicality, and commitment at every opportunity. I have greatly enjoyed the chance to lead this ensemble and, collectively, to push ourselves to new artistic possibilities. I will always cherish the great times I’ve had in the Hult Center performing for the Eugene audience, and I will take these memories with me. I look forward to the remainder of my tenure this season, making every concert of this incredible music as exciting as possible for our audience and for us as musicians.

Yours,

Danail Rachev Music Director & Conductor

SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 | 8PM

SCHUMANN AND Danail has waited seven years to conduct one of his favorites, Brahms’s sweeping Fourth Symphony, which closes with an inspiring chorale based on a passacaglia – a 17th-century dance accompanied by a repeated bass line. Webern took that idea to the next level of orchestral splendor and dizzying complexity. In between, we hear a masterpiece by Brahms’s friend and mentor, Robert Schumann, whose lyrical and melancholy Concerto will feature Eugene favorite Joshua Roman.

BRAHMS Danail Rachev, conductor Joshua Roman, cello WEBERN Passacaglia SCHUMANN Cello Concerto BRAHMS Symphony No. 4

OCTOBER 20, 2016 | 8PM

MAHLER’S 6 TH Gustav Mahler once said, “a symphony is like the world— it must contain everything!” Heeding his own advice for his “Tragic” Sixth Symphony, Mahler wove together his experiences of contentment, love, and fear of mortality into a heartbreaking and profound journey for us all.

Danail Rachev, conductor MAHLER

Symphony No. 6, “Tragic”

NOVEMBER 17, 2016 | 8PM

HOUGH PLAYS B First, we proudly premiere the result of our project showcasing young Oregon composers, a theme-and-variations based on Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.” Then, we hear one of the greatest musicians of our age, poetic English pianist Stephen Hough, in Beethoven’s heartfelt Concerto. Finally, Shostakovich captures the hope, brutality, and determination that accompanied the Russian People’s Revolt of 1905.

EETHOVEN Danail Rachev, conductor Stephen Hough, piano OREGON YOUNG COMPOSERS PROJECT Ode to the Future BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3 SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 11, “The Year 1905”

SPECIAL CONCERT

SUNDAY, DEC. 11, 2016 | 6PM

AMADEUS: THE FILM WITH ORCHESTRA Experience the Academy Award-winning film about Mozart on a big screen while the Eugene Symphony plays the soundtrack live!

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$65

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$15 STUDENTS with valid ID *Subscribers get the best prices!

SPECIAL CONCERT & GALA TO FOLLOW

JOIN US FOR OUR GALA DINNER & AUCTION AFTER THE CONCERT! Additional cost–buy tickets at eugenesymphony.org/gala or call 541-687-9487 x110

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2017 | 5PM

PINK MARTINI: A GALA SYMPHONY PERFORMANCE Groove to the Portland-based band’s mix of jazz, pop, and classical, with vocalist China Forbes – all accompanied by Eugene Symphony!

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*Subscribers get the best prices! Inquire for group pricing.

FEBRUARY 16, 2017 | 8PM

PICTURES AT AN Silva Concert Hall will sparkle with orchestral colors as we hear music by a modern American master, Christopher Rouse, including his stunning guitar concerto inspired by the architecture of Spanish visionary Antoni Gaudi. To play it, we welcome Sharon Isbin, the award-winning guitarist for whom it was written. Then, meander with Mussorgsky through an art gallery of wondrous paintings, each more stunning than the last.

EXHIBITION Danail Rachev, conductor Sharon Isbin, guitar Christopher Rouse, composer-in-residence CHRISTOPHER ROUSE Rapture CHRISTOPHER ROUSE Concert de Gaudi MUSSORGSKY/RAVEL Pictures at an Exhibition

APRIL 13, 2017 | 8PM

THE DAMNATION Berlioz’s dramatic legend breathes life into Goethe’s timeless tale of love, temptation, and ruin. Our version will combine the power of the Eugene Symphony and Chorus with digital imagery, crafted especially for us by Harmonic Laboratory, projected on the interior surfaces of Silva Concert Hall to create an innovative and immersive performance experience.

OF FAUST Danail Rachev, conductor Eugene Symphony Chorus | Sharon Paul, chorus director Digital projection by Harmonic Laboratory BERLIOZ The Damnation of Faust

MAY 11, 2017 | 8PM

ALPINE SYMPHO We bid a fond farewell to Danail Rachev as he leads his final concert as Music Director of our Eugene Symphony.

The majesty of Beethoven gives way to violin brilliance by Bruch, performed by Ryu Goto who wowed us all in his debut several seasons ago. Then, as the capstone, we scale the heights of Richard Strauss’s musical depiction of ascending a summit. Join us to say thank you to Danail and celebrate eight great years together!

NY Danail Rachev, conductor Ryu Goto, violin BEETHOVEN BRUCH R. STRAUSS

Egmont Overture Violin Concerto An Alpine Symphony

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“A symphony orchestra is one of the glories of our civilization. Without an orchestra, great music exists only in notes on the printed page and in memories and recordings of past performances.

An orchestra brings music to life as it was meant to be; it recreates the art in music for us and in our presence. And that is nothing short of amazing.”

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Enriching lives through the power of music.