The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2016-17 season has
been announced, and like the current season, it has its share of crowd-pleasing
classics, American and contemporary works, and notable guest performers. But
the big coup here is the presence of famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who will join
conductor Ward Stare and the RPO for a special concert in December. If that
were the only huge news, it would be sufficient, but there’s a lot more.
Halfway
through this inaugural season of Stare’s as music director of the RPO, a shift
in programmatic focus is already apparent. American composer Samuel Barber has
been given the spotlight on multiple occasions, and the performances of new
works by contemporary composers such as Aaron Jay Kernis,
Stephanie Berg, and Patrick Harlin point to Stare’s interest in new contributions to the orchestral
repertoire.
The
orchestra’s 2016-17 season also continues programming that gives previously underrepresented composers the attention they are due. That said, audience members who have come to enjoy
certain RPO traditions won’t be disappointed, either.
For
example, the season opens on September 15 and 17 with beloved guest pianist Jon
Nakamatsu performing Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano
Concerto No. 2. The next Philharmonics concert on October 13 and 15 finds the
orchestra welcoming back Conductor Laureate Christopher Seaman for a
performance featuring Edward Elgar’s Symphony No. 2. The music of Beethoven
will be prominent on both programs. The season closes in grand fashion on May
25 and 27 with an opera-in-concert rendition of Giacomo Puccini’s classic “La Bohรจme.”
Between
those strong bookends, here are some of the highlights of the upcoming season:
“American Music: Stage & Screen,” October 27 and 29: Ward Stare leads the RPO in a power-packed evening of works
never before performed by the orchestra. American icons including George
Gershwin (“I Got Rhythm” Variations) and John Williams, with “For New York
(Variations on Themes of Leonard Bernstein)” — as well as contemporary
classical composer John Adams (“Dr. Atomic” Symphony) — all get their RPO
premieres. Bernstein himself is also represented, as is the often-neglected
maverick Charles Ives. Pianist Andrew Russo guests. This concert is a dynamic
blend of favorites, and for some listeners, the unfamiliar.
“Higdon, Copland & Barber,” November 3 and 5: The celebration of American composers under Stare’s baton
continues. Samuel Barber gets his due once again, this time with “Medea’s
Meditation and Dance of Vengeance,” a piece last performed here more than 20
years ago. No longer relegated to a seven-minute concert opener, as in the
2013-14 RPO season, Jennifer Higdon gets top billing with her mesmerizing
Percussion Concerto, performed by soloist Colin Currie. The concert closes
triumphantly with Aaron Copland’s Symphony No. 3.
Yo-Yo Ma, December 6: Undoubtedly what will be the most anticipated concert of the
season, this one-night-only performance features American treasure Yo-Yo Ma,
arguably the most important cellist today. Here he teams up with Stare and
company for AntonรญnDvoลรกk’s
Cello Concerto. Ma’s sensitivity and musical intuition are unrivaled, making
him one of the most riveting performers of modern times. The program also
boasts the instantly recognizable Symphony No. 8, “Unfinished,” by Franz
Schubert.
“Mozart’s ‘Requiem,'” February 2 and 4, 2017: Typically, scheduling W.A. Mozart’s masterpiece
“Requiem” would be enough to entice audiences to a performance. But Stare has
gone above and beyond here, programming Igor Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three
Movements (a long-time staple of the New York City Ballet) as well as Alan
Hovhaness’s Prelude and Quadruple Fugue, both in their RPO premieres. The
Eastman-Rochester Chorus also performs.
“Debussy’s ‘La Mer,'” May 11 and 13: Since the 2013-14 season, guest conductor Fabien Gabel has
delighted RPO audiences with his nuanced approach to harmonic texture and his
ability to channel the ensemble’s best musical qualities – cohesion, balance,
poise, and intensity – into truly magical performances. Having wowed in his RPO
debut with the music of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, Gabel returns with
Debussy’s impressionistic marvel “La Mer.” The program only ups the intrigue
with BรฉlaBartรณk’s Violin
Concerto No. 2, interpreted by Concertmaster Juliana Athayde.
For fans of American music and contemporary composers in particular, then, there is plenty to love about
the 2016-17 season. But fans of legendary composers and their works will be pleased
as well. Johannes Brahms, Frรฉdรฉric Chopin, Gustav
Mahler, and Dmitri Shostakovich all get a nod.
Mozart
devotees will also want to mark down January 22 on the calendar, when conductor
Michael Butterman leads the RPO in Symphony No. 39,
as part of the Sunday Matinee Series at the Performance Hall at Hochstein.
Another matinee worth investigating is the pairing of Bach and Stravinsky on
June 4.
The
RPO also continues its offerings for video games fans and
film aficionados. These include “The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses
– Master Quest” on November 11, which will feature video projections to
accompany the score. Following this season’s “Home Alone,” live film
accompaniment returns with a January 6 presentation of 1981’s “Raiders of the Lost
Ark,” featuring the music of John Williams.
Ultimately,
Ward Stare and the RPO have put together another engaging season, with enough
variety to please a wide range of audience members while still progressing
toward bolder program choices. In with the old, and in with the new.
For the RPO’s full 2016-17 program, click here.
This article appears in Feb 10-16, 2016.
My recollection is that the last time Yo-Yo Ma was here tickets were never available to the public. I tried to get tickets when the event was announced and the supposed date tickets were available. I was later told that subscribers were able to buy multiple tickets and that sold the event out. Was this the case? It would be appropriate if an organization accepting public money made some tickets available to the public.