Eugene 18/19 Season

Francesco Lecce-Chong, Music Director & Conductor

2018

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS Star Wars: Live with Orchestra Rhapsody in Blue

Verdi’s Requiem

The Color of Sound

And more...

TOGETHER, WE

DIFFER E

R ENTLY This Eugene Symphony season will always have a special place in my heart as the first one I crafted as a Music Director. In developing it, I held on to

music has the power to transform and transport us ; concerts should surprise and delight three ideas:

us; and our performances can inspire thought and dialogue long after the last notes are played.

It is my belief that each of these concerts will ignite the communicative power of music to thrill, surprise, challenge, comfort, and move you in countless ways. I hope they open up conversation

connecting us more deeply with our own humanity and with each other. with fellow concertgoers,

Yours truly,

FRANCESCO LECCE-CHONG Music Director & Conductor

2018

N IGH T SEPT

27

7:30 PM

A jazzy suite from the Broadway hit On the Town launches our three-month celebration of Leonard Bernstein’s centennial. As a conductor, one of Bernstein’s signature works was Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony – an iconic 20th century masterpiece that came to represent defiance of Stalin and the oppressive Soviet government. And, for the first time, we will perform music by Ernest Bloch, who made Oregon his adopted home. His Schelomo is a passionate cello concerto based on the life of King Solomon.

FRANCESCO LECCE-CHONG | conductor JULIE ALBERS | cello

BERNSTEIN Three Dance Episodes from On The Town BLOCH

Schelomo

SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5

Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony fires us up with searing fanfares, breaks our hearts with painfully intimate moments, and ultimately leaves us with a powerful feeling of hope. — FRANCESCO

BERN S

‘The Age of Anxiety’ is my favorite concert work of Bernstein’s because it perfectly represents his many facets – conductor, pianist, composer, philosopher, educator, and cultural leader.

— FRANCESCO

2018

N STEIN OCT

18

7:30 PM

Continuing our celebration of an American legend, Bernstein’s ‘symphony’ is actually a colorful piano concerto based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning poem

by W.H. Auden which depicts the wild and soul-searching adventures of young people on a night out in New York City. Beethoven’s Eighth, his shortest symphony, has infectious energy and boundless optimism. Oregon composer David Schiff’s perfectly titled Stomp sets the mood for a thrilling evening of music.

FRANCESCO LECCE-CHONG | conductor RAN DANK | piano

DAVID SCHIFF Stomp BERNSTEIN

Symphony No. 2, “The Age of Anxiety”

BEETHOVEN

Symphony No. 8

2018

BIRDS NOV

15

7:30 PM

The multi-Grammy-winning ensemble Eighth Blackbird joins the Eugene Symphony with a concerto written especially for them by Jennifer Higdon, one of today’s most vital composers. An early work that helped launch his career, Bernstein’s ballet Fancy Free concludes our exploration honoring his 100th anniversary.

Full of the sounds of street-corner jazz, bustling cafes, and crowded sidewalks, it’s a beautiful ode to his home of New York City.

FE

FEATHER FRANCESCO LECCE-CHONG | conductor EIGHTH BLACKBIRD | contemporary ensemble

BACH Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 JENNIFER HIGDON

On a Wire

MOZART

Six German Dances, K.571

BERNSTEIN

Fancy Free

I love to find connections between music written centuries apart. This program has two: ‘ensemble concertos’ by Bach and Higdon, and ‘street music’ by Mozart and Bernstein.

— FRANCESCO

2018

RED DEC

06

7:30 PM

American composer John Corigliano’s Chaconne headlines an evening of music that abounds with passion and grace.

Written for the haunting film The Red Violin, it updates a Baroque dance form perfectly characterized by Buxtehude’s work originally for organ. Mendelssohn’s most popular symphony, the “Italian,” closes a program that includes the Eugene returns of noted young American conductor Tito Muñoz and English violinist Chloë Hanslip.

Hanslip’s passion and technical bravura are palpable and exciting... the fireworks never stop.

— THE TIMES (LONDON)

TITO MUÑOZ | conductor CHLOË HANSLIP | violin

BUXTEHUDE/

Chaconne in E minor

ORCH. CHAVEZ CORIGLIANO

Chaconne from The Red Violin

SAINT-SAËNS

Havanaise

MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 4, “Italian”

PIANO CO

Natasha and I have been good friends since we were teenagers studying piano in New York City. You will be amazed by her dazzling artistry! — FRANCESCO

2019

CONCERTO JAN

24

7:30 PM

Fiery pianist Natasha Paremski brings one of her signature works to Eugene – Tchaikovsky’s powerful piano concerto that will make you leap to your feet at the end. The orchestra responds in kind with blazing passion in Nielsen’s Fourth Symphony, driven by what the composer described as “the elemental will to live.” Our evening begins with festive music by Grazyna Bacewicz— she’s a favorite of Francesco’s—which brims with vitality and joy.

FRANCESCO LECCE-CHONG | conductor NATASHA PAREMSKI | piano

BACEWICZ Overture for Orchestra TCHAIKOVKSY Piano Concerto No. 1 NIELSEN

Symphony No. 4, “The Inextinguishable”

2019

FEB

14

7:30 PM

Enjoy a rare opportunity to hear Gershwin’s famous Rhapsody in Blue—a true American classic—along with its sequel, which is every bit as fun and captivating. Barber’s electric First Symphony showcases his intense lyricism and rich use of orchestral color, and Silvestre Revueltas’ film music takes us on a train ride to Baja California.

On the podium, we welcome Teddy Abrams, conductor of the Britt Festival in southern Oregon, to the Eugene Symphony for the first time.

TEDDY ABRAMS | conductor PALLAVI MAHIDHARA | piano

BARBER Symphony No. 1 GERSHWIN

Second Rhapsody for Piano

REVUELTAS

Musica para charlar

GERSHWIN

Rhapsody in Blue

I

IN BLUE

Teddy Abrams has the rare gift of being able to connect in a meaningful way with just about anyone he meets. —T HE WALL STREET JOURNAL

2019

DOCTOR A MAR

21

7:30 PM

As a life-long believer in John Adams’ music, I think this is one of his greatest achievements and one of the most important symphonies of the past 25 years.

— FRANCESCO

R ATOMIC

e

John Adams’ opera Doctor Atomic depicts an emotionally torn Robert Oppenheimer as he struggles with the moral implications of creating the first nuclear bomb. It was a sensation when it was first staged in 2005, and this symphony based on its music has become equally popular in the concert hall. After the darkness and disquiet of the first half, the sublime beauty and soaring melodies of Brahms’ violin concerto redeem our hope for humanity.

FRANCESCO LECCE-CHONG | conductor PHILIPPE QUINT | violin

SCHUMANN Manfred Overture JOHN ADAMS

Doctor Atomic Symphony

BRAHMS

Violin Concerto

COLO Imagine Silva Concert Hall filled with rich tapestries of light as you listen to two works

by Alexander Scriabin, who believed every musical note depicts a specific color. To bring his vision to life, we partner with the creative geniuses at Harmonic Laboratory to fill the hall with light and movement. Music

by Debussy, Mendelssohn, Handel, Grieg and more helps us further explore how color and sound collide.

FRANCESCO LECCE-CHONG | conductor CHRISTOPHER TAYLOR | piano SCRIABIN

Prometheus: The Poem of Fire

SCRIABIN

The Poem of Ecstasy

Program also includes Grieg’s Morning Mood, Debussy’s Claire de Lune, and short works by Mendelssohn, Handel, Pärt, and Schuller.

I am delighted for us to be the first orchestra to attempt to fully realize Scriabin’s dream for sound and color to totally envelop the audience. This will truly be a concert unlike any other.

– FRANCESCO

2019

LOR SOUND APR

18

7:30 PM

to Light at Play’s seven-foot RADIANCE ORB will create Scriabin’s theoretical ‘color organ’

2019

MAY

09

7:30 PM

RE

Our Symphonic series comes to a close with Verdi’s unrivaled masterpiece, one of the most treasured choral works of all time. Combining his dramatic operatic style with the text of the Catholic mass for the dead, Verdi created a Requiem by which all others are compared.

Deeply moving as an exaltation of humanity, it seeks out the extremes of joy, sadness, fear, hope, and peace. Don’t miss this blockbuster finale!

FRANCESCO LECCE-CHONG | conductor EUGENE SYMPHONY CHORUS

Soloists to be announced

VERDI Requiem

REQUIEM

One of my first childhood memories of a concert is hearing the pounding bass drum in the Dies Irae. All these years later, it still is electrifying, and it’s just one of the many landmark moments of this piece. — FRANCESCO

SPECIAL CONCERT

Presentation licensed by Disney Concerts in association with 20th Century Fox, Lucasfilm Ltd.,and Warner /Chappell Music. © 2018 & TM LUCASFILM LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

2018

DEC

01

SATURDAY 7:00 PM

Relive the first adventure of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo like never before – on a big screen above the stage as the Eugene Symphony performs John Williams’ iconic soundtrack live.

May the force be with you!

SUBSCRIBERS GET FIRST ACCESS —AND LOWEST PRICES— FOR TICKETS!

On sale to the public July 17.

SPECIAL CONCERT

2019

SYMFEST JUN

01

SATURDAY 5:30 PM

“SymFest is the event to be at in the Eugene arts scene. Nothing else comes close.” — SYMFEST PATRON

Our celebration of Eugene’s cultural vibrancy returns for a third year, now with Francesco at the helm and even more local flavor! At SymFest, the concert itself will feature the orchestra in collaboration with Ballet Fantastique, vocalist Halie Loren, jazz trumpeter Tony Glausi, South Eugene High School’s The Dorians choir, and more.

As always, enjoy food and beverage tastings before the concert and dancing afterwards!

“Eclectic. Diverse. Totally Eugene.”

“I loved the feeling of joyous celebration.”

FAMILY CONCERT

AN AFT E WITH

2019

T ERNOON APR

28

SUNDAY 1:30 & 3:30 PM

Take your family on a journey through the wonder of symphonic music with legendary composer Ludwig van Beethoven himself!

Music Director Francesco Lecce-Chong and an actor portraying our friend Beethoven will explore the composer’s incredible life story and the inspiring music he created, all while teaching us about the orchestra and instruments on stage.

Fun pre-concert activities in the lobby complete a perfect family afternoon together.

Including selections from Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture and Symphonies 3, 5, 6, and 7.

AGES 6 & UP

SORENG THEATER

v

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CELEBRATE BERNSTEIN Opening Night

SEPT 27

Bernstein & Beethoven

OCT 18

Birds of a Feather

NOV 15

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of American legend Leonard Bernstein with these concerts that feature music from different aspects of his storied career – from Broadway and ballet to the concert hall.

PIANO BUFFS Bernstein & Beethoven

OCT 18

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto JAN 24 Rhapsody in Blue

FEB 14

Piano fans rejoice! This pack features some of the most beloved works in the piano repertoire, including Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto, Bernstein’s “The Age of Anxiety,” and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

SYMPHONY 101 The Red Violin

DEC 6

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto JAN 24 Verdi’s Requiem

MAY 9

New to the Symphony and not sure what to choose? This is the pack for you, with accessible and beloved pieces fitting for the first-timer to the seasoned Symphony fan.

FRANCESCO’S FAVES Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto JAN 24 Doctor Atomic & Brahms

MAR 21

The Color of Sound

APR 18

Francesco loves all the music he chose for this season and hopes you will too. These concerts feature composers and works that he is especially excited to bring to life in Eugene.

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Cellist Yo-Yo Ma poses for a selfie with Otto Radke at a private donor reception.

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