NOVEMBER 2019-FEBRUARY 2020 - Chicago Symphony Orchestra
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contents NOVEMBER 2019–FEBRUARY 2020 25 Program 2 A Note from the Board Chair and President A welcoming message from Board of Trustees Chair I nformation about the Helen Zell and Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association program and the performers President Jeff Alexander for this concert 4 A Perfect Ten—Maestro’s Milestones A presentation of highlights from Riccardo Muti’s tenure in honor of his tenth season as music director of the CSO c hicago symphony orchestra association 10 Beethoven250 Rosenthal Archives Program Book Production Highlighting materials from the collections of the CSO’s Frances Atkins Content Director Phillip Huscher Scholar-in-Residence & Rosenthal Archives Program Annotator 14 Negaunee Music Institute at the Chicago Gerald Virgil Senior Content Editor Kristin Tobin Designer & Print Production Manager Landon Hegedus Editor & Copywriter Symphony Orchestra A new work by Mason Bates blends music and digital Bryan Dowling Advertising Sales 708-434-5869 animation in honor of the 100th anniversary of the founding bryan@media8midwest.com of the CSO’s concert series for children. P H OTOG R A PHY BY TO DD RO S E N BERG © 2019 Chicago Symphony Orchestra 20Volunteer and Support Opportunities All rights reserved. Recognition of our generous donors and volunteers 41 Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association Board of Trustees 42 Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association Governing Members 44 Our Donors and Volunteers on th e cov e r : Illustration by Tom Herzberg (tomherzberg.com), 1994 rig h t: Chinese New Year Celebration, February 10, 2019 Symphony Center Presents celebrates the Chinese New Year with a special concert on January 26, 2020. P H OTO BY TO DD RO S E NB E RG NOVEMBER 2019–FEBRUARY 2020 1
a note from the chair and the president DEAR FRIENDS, We are pleased to welcome you to Symphony Center during this festive time of year, and delighted that so many choose to celebrate the season with music. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and artists on the Symphony Center Presents series give us the gift of music performed at the highest level year round, and for this we are truly grateful. In early January, Zell Music Director Riccardo Muti leads the Orchestra on its sixty-second international tour, this time to Cologne, Vienna, Luxembourg, Paris, Naples, Florence, Milan, and Lugano to present works by Mendelssohn, Dvořák, Prokofiev, and Hindemith. The tour also includes two performances of Verdi’s Requiem at the Musikverein in Vienna as part of a series of special concerts honoring that venerable hall’s 150th anniversary. It is a great pleasure to see our beloved orchestra greeted with enthusiasm at home and abroad. Thanks to the support of over 10,000 donors who contribute to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association each season, the CSO continues to serve as a cultural ambassador for the city of Chicago. We very much hope that you consider supporting the CSOA by making a gift to the Annual Fund, enabling you to become an integral part of our ongoing pursuit of artistic excellence, the devel- opment of new audiences, innovative education and community programs, and sharing music with audiences in Chicago and around the world. Your support also ensures that the important work of the CSOA continues for generations to come. On behalf of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Negaunee Music Institute, our trustees, volunteers, administration, and above all, the many people whose lives are enriched each year through music, we thank you for your support. We send our warmest wishes for a music-filled, happy, and healthy new year and look forward to seeing you at Symphony Center soon. Helen Zell Chair, Chicago Symphony Jeff Alexander President, Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association Board of Trustees Orchestra Association To make a gift, visit cso.org/makeagift or call 312-294-3100. 2 CSO.ORG PHOTOS BY TODD ROS EN BERG
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10 a perfect Bernard Rands’s Danza Petrificada received its world premiere on May 5, 2011. Muti and the Orchestra took the work on tour to Europe, to cities a continuation of a series of highlight s from riccardo mu ti’s tenure in honor of his tenth se a s on a s music director of the chicago symphony orchestr a No. 2: World Premieres Introducing new music to CSO audiences has been an important part of Riccardo Muti’s artistic legacy as music director. With the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, he has conducted twelve world premieres including Lucerne, Salzburg, Luxembourg, Paris, and Vienna, to date by CSO Mead Composers-in-Residence and the following summer. distinguished American and international composers. He will conduct two new CSO commissions during the spring of 2020. Many of these commissions have been concertos featuring members of the Orchestra, reflecting Muti’s great confidence in their abilities as soloists. Having studied composition himself for ten years, Muti has the utmost respect for composers: “I approach music of the classical period—baroque, modern, romantic, contemporary—always in the same way, with the same seriousness,” he says. “The moment of truth comes when what the composer has sought is coming to life in the performance.” The CSO’s music director position is endowed in perpetuity by a generous gift from the Zell Family Foundation. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is grateful to Bank of America for its generous support as the Maestro Residency Presenter. 4 CSO.ORG
On January 30, 2014, Riccardo Muti conducted Giovanni Sollima’s Antidotum Tarantulae XXI, Concerto for Two Cellos and Orchestra, with the then Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant Yo-Yo Ma and the composer as soloists. The idea for the commission came from both Muti and Ma. Muti was already familiar with Sollima’s music, having commissioned and premiered Pulitzer Prize–winning composer two earlier works by the composer: Tempeste e ritratti at Jennifer Higdon recalled Muti’s con- the Teatro alla Scala in 2001, and Passiuni at the Ravenna cise advice to her when she received Festival in 2008. her commission for the CSO’s low brass section: “ ‘Write these guys a good concerto.’ I said, ‘Yes, sir!’ ” Muti conducted the premiere of Higdon’s Low Brass Concerto on February 1, 2018, and then took the work on tour, performing it in New York at Carnegie Hall; in Naples and West Palm Beach, Florida; and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. CSO Viola Max Raimi’s score, composed at the request of Riccardo Muti, was specifically written for his colleagues in the Orchestra. Raimi was acutely aware, as he was composing the pages of his Three Lisel Mueller Settings, of creating music for the people who sit around him day after day in rehearsal and in concerts. Each movement featured a different colleague, including Principal Clarinet Stephen Williamson, Principal Bassoon Keith Bunke, and Principal Bass Alexander Hanna. Muti conducted the premiere with the CSO and mezzo-soprano soloist Elizabeth DeShong on March 22, 2018. P H OTOS BY TO DD RO S E NB E RG NOVEMBER 2019–FEBRUARY 2020 5
10 a perfect Two CSO Resound releases feature CSO-commissioned mead composers-in-residence In October 2009, Riccardo Muti, then music director designate, outlined several initiatives for his tenure. One of them was to appoint CSO Mead Composers- in-Residence who would act as advocates within the Chicago community to further the understanding and appreciation of all music. He named Mason Bates works by Mead Composers-in- Residence Anna Clyne and and Anna Clyne to two-year terms beginning in 2010, Mason Bates conducted by which were later extended through the 2014–15 Muti and performed live by the season. In 2015, he appointed Samuel Adams and CSO. The first includes Bates’s Elizabeth Ogonek to three-year residencies. During Alternative Energy and Clyne’s Night Ferry. The second record- their time with the CSO, each of the composers had ing is of Bates’s Anthology of multiple works conducted by Muti, including CSO Fantastic Zoology, which was commissions, bringing these emerging composers dedicated to Muti at the conclu- to international attention. In 2018, Muti appointed sion of the composer’s residency. Missy Mazzoli, whose CSO-commissioned work Orpheus Undone receives its world premiere with Muti and the Orchestra in April 2020. Samuel Adams shakes the hand of Riccardo Muti following the February 10, 2018, performance of his CSO-commissioned work, many words of love, at Carnegie Hall. Muti and Principal Bass Alexander Hanna congratulate Elizabeth Ogonek back- stage following the October 11, 2017, performance of her CSO- commissioned work, All These Lighted Things, at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City. Muti has often chosen to feature CSO-commissioned works on tour to rein- force the Orchestra’s commitment to contemporary music and living composers. In addition to writing her CSO commission, Missy Mazzoli curates the CSO’s MusicNOW series. She is seen here performing her arrangement of music by Meredith Monk, entitled Passage, What Does It Mean?, with CSO musicians at the May 20, 2019, MusicNOW concert. 6 CSO.ORG PHOTOS BY TODD ROS EN BERG
10 a perfect No. 3: Concertos with Orchestra Members Riccardo Muti has an exceptional bond with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In an interview with Scholar-in-Residence and Program Annotator Phillip Huscher last season, Muti noted that when he returned to conduct the CSO in 2007, “the way they responded to my musical ideas and the sense of family that we immediately created together pushed me to accept this very prestigious commitment.” One way of showing his great respect for their talents has been to invite members of the Orchestra to perform con- certos at Orchestra Hall and on tour. Moreover, as was noted earlier, many of these concertos have been CSO commissions. Here are some highlights from the nearly twenty works featuring CSO members as soloists that Muti has conducted during his tenure. “We’re the luckiest musicians on the planet to be in the CSO and to have him as the music director. There’s nothing like it anywhere; there’s nothing like him anywhere. With this unit, everything is at the Concertmaster Robert Chen highest possible level. I’m confident that, with him, this performed Hindemith’s Violin piece is going to be a hit,” said CSO Bass Trombone Concerto with Muti and the Charles Vernon in preparation for the world premiere of CSO on October 11, 2013. Higdon’s Low Brass Concerto on February 1, 2018. Muti conducted Principal Cello John Sharp Principal Clarinet Stephen Williamson per- in Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor on formed Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A major March 26, 2014. on the CSO’s West Coast Tour and is pic- tured here at Zellerbach Hall at University of California, Berkeley, on October 14, 2017. 8 CSO.ORG PHOTOS BY TODD ROS EN BERG
Jennifer Gunn performed the CSO premiere of Ken Benshoof ’s Concerto in Three Movements for Piccolo and Orchestra and Vivaldi’s Piccolo Concerto in C major, RV 444, with Muti and the CSO on June 13, 2019. On the same program, Charles Vernon gave the world-premiere performance of James Stephenson’s Bass Trombone Concerto. Muti conducted Associate Concertmaster Muti congratulated Principal Harp Stephanie Jeong and Assistant Principal Cello Sarah Bullen after her performance of Kenneth Olsen in Brahms’s Double Concerto, Debussy’s Sacred and Profane Dances on pictured here on November 7, 2019. April 19, 2018. Riccardo Muti joined CSO soloists backstage following the premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s Low Brass Concerto on February 1, 2018. (From left) Principal Tuba Gene Pokorny, Riccardo Muti, Trombone Michael Mulcahy, Bass Trombone Charles Vernon, and Principal Trombone Jay Friedman P H OTOS BY TO DD RO S E NB E RG, ANN E RYAN (P H OTO AT C ENTER LEFT) NOVEMBER 2019–FEBRUARY 2020 9
Commemorating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven HI G HL I G H T IN G M AT ER I A L S FR O M T HE C O L L E CT I O N S O F T HE RO S E N T H A L A RC H I V E S O F T H E C H I CAG O SY M P H O N Y O RC H E S T R A PHOTO BY M ATZ EN E C HI CAGO During the 1926–27 season, second music director Frederick Stock led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s first season-long survey of Beethoven’s nine symphonies, in addition to the Coriolan, The Creatures of Prometheus, Egmont, and Leonore no. 3 overtures. He also led the Third Piano Concerto with Mischa Levitzki, the Fourth with Alfred Cortot, and the Fifth with both Harold Samuel and Elly Ney; the Violin Concerto with both Joseph Szigeti and Albert Spalding; as well as the Triple Concerto with pianist Alfred Blumen, Concertmaster Jacques Gordon, and Principal Cello Alfred Wallenstein. 10 CSO.ORG
PHOTO BY JIM STEER E Third music director Désiré Defauw led all nine of Beethoven’s symphonies during the 1944–45 season, Ninth music director Daniel Barenboim curated a festival along with the Coriolan, Fidelio, of the composer’s works during the 1997–98 season that Leonore no. 3, and Ruins of included the Orchestra and Chorus in the nine sympho- Athens overtures; the Third nies (no. 2 was led by assistant conductor William Eddins). and Fourth piano concertos Barenboim also conducted a fully staged Fidelio with with Alexander Brailowsky and Waltraud Meier as Leonora, Ah! perfido with Jane Eaglen, and Rudolf Serkin; and the Violin the five piano concertos from the keyboard. Guest conductor Concerto with Yehudi Menuhin. Michael Gielen also led Leonore overtures nos. 2 and 3, and Pinchas Zukerman was soloist and conductor in the two violin romances along with Mahler’s arrangement of the Serioso String Quartet in F minor. P H OTO BY TOD D ROSE N BE RG In June 2010, Bernard Haitink—in his final season as principal conductor—led all nine symphonies, along with the Fidelio and Leonore nos. 2 and 3 overtures. With the Orchestra and Chorus, he concluded his tenure and the 119th season with Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage and the Ninth Symphony, fea- turing soloists Jessica Rivera, Kelley O’Connor, Clifton Forbis, and Eric Owens.
2019-2020 SEASON: FAMILY 30 years HOLIDAYS: MARCUS ROBERTS TRIO + ORCHESTRA Scott Speck conducts the Chicago Philharmonic Featuring Marcus Roberts Trio Sunday December 8, 3pm • Harris Theater, Chicago PROMISE: MOZART, PÄRT, BACEWICZ, DVOŘÁK Scott Speck conducts the Chicago Philharmonic Featuring Visceral Dance Chicago Sunday March 1, 3pm • North Shore Center, Skokie UNITY: AMJAD ALI KHAN, SHOSTAKOVICH Lidiya Yankovskaya conducts the Chicago Philharmonic With Amjad Ali Khan and family of sarod musicians Sunday April 5, 3pm • Harris Theater, Chicago HOME: BRAHMS 3 Scott Speck conducts the Chicago Philharmonic With violin soloist Phillippe Quint Sunday May 10, 3pm • Pick-Staiger Hall, Evanston ARETHA: A TRIBUTE Scott Speck conducts the Chicago Philharmonic Featuring the vocal artistry of Capathia Jenkins and Ryan Shaw Saturday May 23, 7:30pm • Harris Theater, Chicago Enjoy live, classical music throughout Chicago and the North Shore starting at $25. Discounts available for seniors and students with symphonic subscriptions for as low as $44. chicagophilharmonic.org | 312.957.0000
CELEBRATE BEETHOVEN’S 250TH BIRTHDAY AT SYMPHONY CENTER! During the 2019/20 season celebration, Riccardo Muti conducts Beethoven’s nine symphonies with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and celebrated virtuosos perform a cycle of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas on the Symphony Center Presents Piano series. Join us for these remaining performances: RICCARDO MUTI CONDUCTS BEETHOVEN feb 20–23 Symphonies Nos. 2 & 5 apr 30–may 3 Symphonies Nos. 4 & 7 jun 11–13 Symphonies Nos. 6 & 8, Overture to The Ruins of Athens jun 18–21 Symphony No. 9 THE PIANO SONATAS mar 29 & 31 Sir András Schiff apr 5 Mitsuko Uchida may 10 Evgeny Kissin may 20 Igor Levit may 24 Maurizio Pollini See all of Beethoven’s works being performed in 2019/20 at CSO.ORG/BEETHOVEN
negaunee music institute at the cso World Premiere by Mason Bates Blends Music and Digital Animation I t has been more than twenty years since the animator Jim Capobianco. This program will run Chicago Symphony Orchestra teamed up as part of the CSO School and Family Concerts with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and the gang series, March 26–28, 2020, under the direction to provide the soundtrack to Walt Disney’s of Edwin Outwater. Fantasia 2000, for which the CSO earned a The commission is in celebration of the 100th Grammy Award nomination. The CSO will anniversary of the founding of the CSO’s series again cross paths with cutting-edge technology for children that began during the 1919–20 in the world premiere and CSO co-commission season, established by the Orchestra’s second of Mason Bates’s Philharmonia Fantastique: The music director, Frederick Stock. This program- Making of the Orchestra. Bates, the CSO’s Mead ming continues today along with other exten- Composer-in-Residence from 2010 to 2015, sive educational and community-engagement cocreated the piece with award-winning writer programming produced by the Negaunee and director Gary Rydstrom and story artist and Music Institute. c loc kw i s e from lef t: Images from a live-action photo shoot for the forthcoming Philharmonia Fantastique. Left to right: composer Mason Bates, writer and director Gary Rydstrom, story artist and animator Jim Capobianco Photos by Marko Bajzer 14 CSO.ORG
19/20 Photo by Chris Chistodoulou Sir John Eliot Gardiner + Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique The Complete Beethoven Symphonies February 27, 2020 / 7:30PM Symphonies 8 + 9 February 28, 2020 / 7:30PM Symphony 1, Prometheus + Leonore Excerpts February 29, 2020 / 7:30PM Symphonies 2 + 3 March 2, 2020 / 7:30PM Symphonies 4 + 5 March 3, 2020 / 7:30PM Symphonies 6 + 7 312.334.7777 | harristheaterchicago.org | 205 East Randolph Drive Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Sir John Eliot Gardiner Harris Theater Presents Mainstage Corporate Opening Night Sponsor Lead Benefactor Music Presenting Sponsor Corporate Closing Night Sponsor Season Sponsor
NEGAUNEE MUSIC INSTITUTE AT THE CSO Philharmonia Fantastique is a concerto for orchestra and animation with kinetic, cutting- edge, multimedia work that integrates film and prerecorded sound with live performance. The collaboration between the piece’s creators— innovators in the worlds of music, storytelling, and animation, respectively—similarly demon- strates this groundbreaking intersection of artistic disciplines. Bates’s work “flies inside musical instruments to explore the age-old connection of creativity and technology,” said the composer, “and the centennial of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s education programs is the perfect launching point for this multimedia work.” In the new piece, an energetic, colorful sprite leads the audience on a tour through the music, taking listeners inside the instruments of the orchestra, exploring how individual instruments produce a sound, and how they work together in an ensemble. The story unfolds through music and visuals alone, creating a piece free of language barriers, accessible, and entertaining for audi- top to bot to m : A trio of students gets ready to enter Orchestra Hall for a CSO School Concert. Maestro ences of all ages. Prestissimo B. Sharpenflat, aka Dan Kerr-Hobert from The “The CSOA is very pleased to continue our Second City, attempts to steal the spotlight from the CSO relationship with Mason Bates through this musicians and (actual) conductor Edwin Outwater during a Family Matinee performance. Photos by Todd Rosenberg new commission,” said CSOA President Jeff Alexander. “Mason is one of the most singular Mason Bates currently serves as the first and creative voices in orchestral music today, and composer-in-residence of the Kennedy Center for he is gifted with a collaborative spirit and a pas- the Performing Arts. His opera The (R)evolution of sion for education and innovation. Philharmonia Steve Jobs premiered at the Santa Fe Opera in 2017; Fantastique presents a wonderful opportunity to the live recording of that production was recognized with Best Opera Recording at the 2019 Grammy welcome a new generation of listeners into the Awards telecast. inspiring world of orchestral music, and we look Writer and director Gary Rydstrom has been nomi- forward to sharing this music with our audiences.” nated for eighteen Academy awards, winning seven “Discovering the music of Mason Bates during for his work in sound and sound editing in films, his time with the CSO was so joyful,” said Helen including Jurassic Park, Titanic, and Saving Private Zell, CSOA Board Chair and sponsor of the CSO Ryan. Story artist and animator Jim Capobianco has commission. “His music takes audiences on jour- worked on many major animated films, including The Lion King, Fantasia 2000, Finding Nemo, and Inside neys of the imagination, and I look forward to the Out. He received an Academy Award nomination for ways that his new work will engage listeners.” Best Original Screenplay for Ratatouille. CSO School and Family Concerts, presented by the Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Negaunee Music Institute, engage approximately Orchestra is co-commissioned by the Chicago 40,000 audience members each season. These Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, affordable and age-appropriate concerts feature the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony extraordinary musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and National Symphony Orchestra. Orchestra to inspire the next generation of audience The CSO commission is made possible through the members and music lovers. generous support of Helen Zell. 16 CSO.ORG
event spotlight CSOA’s Annual Symphony Ball Presented by the September 21, 2019 Women’s Board of the O Chicago Symphony n the evening of September 21, Zell Music Director Orchestra Association Riccardo Muti conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s annual Symphony Ball concert. The program, SYMPHONY BAL L CO - CHAIR S WOME N’S BOARD supported by presenting sponsor Northern Trust, included a BOARD OF TRU STE E S rousing program featuring music by Verdi and Suppé, as well Mimi Murley as Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy-Overture after Leslie Henner Burns Shakespeare. “A pianist of magisterial elegance, power and SYMPHONY BAL L CO - CHAIR insight” (The New York Times), Leif Ove Andsnes performed BOARD OF TRU STE E S Grieg’s magnificent Piano Concerto in A minor. Terrence J. Truax Gala patrons enjoyed a bustling preconcert reception, with full bar and hors d’oeuvres in Buntrock Hall. Red-carpet experience, WOME N’S BOARD PRE SIDE NT photo wall, and performances by members of the Civic Orchestra Elizabeth A. Parker of Chicago were presented on Michigan Avenue to welcome all PRE SE NTING SPONSOR concert attendees to Orchestra Hall. Northern Trust The Women’s Board of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra OFFICIAL AIRL INE Association proudly presented this year’s ball, “An Evening of United Airlines Romance, Revelry, and Artistry,” utilizing the style of the Italian Renaissance. The event, co-chaired by Mimi Murley and Leslie ME DIA SPONSOR S Henner Burns and Trustee co-chair Terrence Truax, raised nearly WBBM Newsradio 780 $1.5 million for the organization. and 105.9 FM Chicago Magazine below, l e f t to r ig h t : Co-chairs Mimi Murley and Leslie Henner Burns celebrate at the Four Seasons with Zell Music Director Riccardo Muti. Photo by Todd Rosenberg Herald trumpets welcome guests to the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago. Photo by Anne Ryan op p os i te pag e , c lo c kw is e from top : Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes performed Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16. Photo by Todd Rosenberg A brass quintet of musicians from the Civic Orchestra of Chicago welcomed arriving guests on Michigan Avenue. Photo by Todd Rosenberg l e f t t o r i g h t: CSOA Trustee Keith Crow, Women’s Board President Elizabeth Parker, Women’s Board member Mia Martich, and Zoren Lazarevic. Photo by Bob Carl l e f t t o r i g h t: Women’s Board members Kim Shepherd and Shelley Ochab, CSOA Life Trustee Cindy Sargent, Women’s Board member Cheryl Sturm, and CSOA Life Trustee Mary Lou Gorno. Photo by Bob Carl 18 CSO.ORG
EVENT SPOTLIGHT NOVEMBER 2019–FEBRUARY 2020 19
volunteer and support opportunities The programs of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association are made possible each season thanks in part to our dedicated volunteers and donors. Support the music you love by getting involved in the following ways. GOVERNING MEMBERS are business, cultural, and civic leaders GOVERNING MEMBERS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE who serve as essential advocates for the CSO, both in Chicago Michael Perlstein Chair & Vice Chair of and around the world, and participate in many significant activi- Nominations & Membership Jared Kaplan Immediate Past Chair ties at Symphony Center. Email governingmembers@cso.org for Charles Emmons, Jr. Vice Chair of the more information. Annual Fund Sally Feder Vice Chair of Member Engagement The LE AGUE works on fundraising events, educational pro- grams, and social activities to support the CSO while building LEAGUE EXECUTIVE COMMIT TEE camaraderie with fellow members. Email wardw@cso.org for Sue Bridge President William Ward Vice President further information. of Administration Kathy Solaro Vice President of Areas The WOMEN’S BOARD promotes the CSO’s artistic excellence Nancy Friedman Vice President of Education and exemplary educational programming by engaging women Marcia Lewis Vice President of Events Earle Cromer III Vice President of Finance leaders in advocacy and fundraising efforts, including the CSO’s Eileen Conaghan Vice President annual Symphony Ball. Email Kim Duffy at duffyk@cso.org for of Fundraising Jessica Erickson Vice President further information. of Membership Bonnie McGrath Secretary Denise Stauder Strategic Planning Chair The OVERTURE COUNCIL is a dynamic group of Chicago Fred Garzon, Lee Ori Members-at-Large young professionals aged 21–45 who have a love of music and a desire to learn more about how to support the CSO. Email WOMEN’S BOARD overturecouncil@cso.org for more information. Elizabeth A. Parker President Elisabeth Adams Immediate Past President Jennifer Luby, Claudine Tambuatco AUXILIARY VOLUNTEERS provide invaluable administrative Communications/Governance Chairs Juli Crabtree Community support in a variety of ways and work in the administrative offices. Engagement Chair Email Ariana Strahl at strahla@cso.org for further information. Katie Barber Membership Chair The CSO L ATINO ALLIANCE encourages individuals and their OVERTURE COUNCIL families to discover and experience timeless music with other EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE John Dunson President enthusiasts in concerts, receptions, and educational events. To Hank Bell Cultural Outreach Chair learn more, please visit cso.org/latinoalliance or connect with us Kathryn Davies Activities Chair Amy Fallon Communications Chair on Facebook and LinkedIn. David Greene Social Media Chair Michelle Kittleson Audience Development Chair The CSO AFRICAN AMERICAN NET WORK’ s mission is to Ben Levy, Taylor Poulin Soundpost engage Chicago’s culturally rich African American community Co-chairs Nick McWilliams Secretary through the sharing and exchanging of unforgettable classical music experiences while building relationships for generations to L AT I N O A L L I A N C E L E A D E R S H I P come. To learn more and join the Network, please call Sheila Jones Ramiro J. Atristaín-Carrión, Rina Magarici at 312-294-3045, email africanamericannetwork@cso.org, or Co-chairs visit cso.org/AAN. THEODORE THOMAS SOCIETY Mary Lou Gorno Chair The THEODORE THOMAS SOCIET Y recognizes those who make financial plans, usually through a will, trust or gift annu- ity, to benefit the CSO in the future. Email Al Andreychuk at The Volunteer Programs office is located at andreychuka@cso.org for more information. 67 East Adams, 6th floor. 312-294-3160 20 CSO.ORG
sponsors The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association is grateful for the generous support of this season’s major corporate sponsors. ma e st ro res i den c y p res en t er offi cia l a irline o f the cso NOVEMBER 2019–FEBRUARY 2020 21
executive spotlight r e né e metca l f, ma rket ex ecu t i ve, o s ca r m u n oz , c h i e f e xe c u t i v e o f f i c e r i llinois glo ba l co mmerci a l ba n ki n g United Airlines Bank of America Merrill Lynch United is pleased to serve Bank of America is proud to the CSO as its official airline continue its long-standing and proudly supports its support of the Chicago remarkable contributions to Symphony Orchestra. the performing arts commu- Our partnership not only nity here in Chicago and delivers artistic quality beyond. With the CSO, we but also helps to create celebrate the energy that meaningful connections performers and audiences alike bring to our with a diverse audience base in Chicago and hometown and to the global stage. around the world. mae st ro r e s i den c y p r es en t er st e ve shebik , v ice cha i r e. s c ot t s a n t i , c h a i rm a n a n d The Allstate Corporation ch i e f e xe c u t i v e o f f i c e r Allstate applauds the CSO ITW for its commitment to enrich I TW is proud to support community and educational the Chicago Symphony programs in our hometown Orchestra and its long of Chicago. We are a proud tradition of excellence in supporter of the Negaunee providing extraordinary Music Institute at the CSO, classical music perfor- as we believe that good mances for audiences here starts young. in Chicago and around the world. ch r is c ra ne, presiden t a n d ceo s cot t c . swa n s o n , p re s i d e n t Exelon PNC Bank Illinois At Exelon, we believe that At PNC, we recognize the creativity inspires us all. importance of the arts in We are proud to serve as contributing to a dynamic, sponsor of the SCP Jazz vibrant, and successful series. Exelon has a strong community. We applaud tradition of committing the Chicago Symphony our energy and resources to Orchestra’s achievements the communities we serve. as a cornerstone of our Through our corporate citizenship program, local arts community, and look forward to another Exelon creates collaborations with community- exciting year of world-class performances. based nonprofits to deliver cutting-edge ideas that achieve meaningful and measurable change for the better. 22 CSO.ORG
EXECUTIVE SPOTLIGHT ch ar le s w. dougl a s, pa rt n er ch ri sto p h e r l . c u l p, m a n ag i n g d i re c to r Sidley Austin LLP Financial Economics Consulting, Inc. From one Chicago tradition The CSO commands to another, Sidley Austin respect both locally and LLP congratulates the worldwide and is an Chicago Symphony important ambassador of Orchestra on a successful our city to the rest of the 2019–20 season. We are world. We are proud to proud to support an support this amazing and organization that has unparalleled symphony contributed so much to the rich heritage of our in all of its pursuits at home and abroad. city. May the music continue to transform and inspire us all. davi d r . ca sper, u.s. c eo t er r e n c e j . t rua x , m a n ag i n g pa rt n e r BMO Financial Group Jenner & Block LLP The Chicago Symphony Jenner & Block is proud to Orchestra commands the share the CSO’s passion for admiration of music lovers creativity, innovation, and worldwide. Its reputation the pursuit of excellence. As across the world brings a longtime CSO supporter, acclaim to our great city, the firm looks forward to and its programming and continuing to participate in outreach connect audiences the symphony’s rich tradi- through the bond of music. As a proud admirer tion of musical excitement and unfolding artistry and supporter, BMO is pleased to help play a role in Chicago and the many communities it touches in strengthening the CSO, in the United States and around the world. one of our city’s greatest cultural legacies. ji m kol ar, centra l mar ket ed w e h m e r, p re s i d e n t & c e o manag i n g pa rtner Wintrust Financial PwC Chicago has become a PwC is proud to support cultural touchstone for some the Chicago Symphony of the most celebrated Orchestra, a vital and musical acts in the world. world-class artistic institu- As Chicago’s Bank, we’re tion that has enhanced honored to support the Chicago’s cultural commu- Chicago Symphony nity since 1891. The CSO’s Orchestra and its dedication long-standing tradition of to inspiring musicians in our community with excellence is legendary, and we applaud its efforts educational programs that instill hard work, during another exciting season. discipline, and creativity and through the power of music. Their work demonstrates that we can all play a unique part to produce something magical. NOVEMBER 2019–FEBRUARY 2020 23
ONE HUNDRED T WENT Y-NINTH SE ASON CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA RICCARDO MUTI Zell Music Director Friday, November 22, 2019, at 7:30 Edman Memorial Chapel, Wheaton College Juanjo Mena Conductor Sally Matthews Soprano Women of the Chicago Symphony Chorus Cheryl Frazes Hill Director lee iii Sukkot Through Orion’s Nebula First Chicago Symphony Orchestra performances barber Two Scenes from Antony and Cleopatra Give me some music Give me my robe First Chicago Symphony Orchestra performances sally mat the ws intermission holst The Planets, Op. 32 Mars, the Bringer of War Venus, the Bringer of Peace Mercury, the Winged Messenger Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age Uranus, the Magician Neptune, the Mystic women of the chicago symphony chorus This performance is generously sponsored by the JCS Arts, Health and Education Fund of the DuPage Foundation. Support for this performance is also provided by Megan and Steve Shebik. The appearance of the Chicago Symphony Chorus is made possible by a generous gift from Jim and Kay Mabie. These performances are presented in collaboration with Wheaton College and the Wheaton College Artist Series. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. NOVEMBER 2019–FEBRUARY 2020 25
This performance is generously sponsored by the JCS Arts, Health and Education Fund of the DuPage Foundation. 26 ONE HUNDRED T WENT Y-NINTH SE ASON
comments by james lee iii | paul thomason | phillip huscher james lee iii Born 1975, St. Joseph, Michigan Sukkot Through Orion’s Nebula James Lee III studied at the University of composed Michigan, where his teachers included 2011 Michael Daugherty, William Bolcom, and first performance Bright Sheng. The Tanglewood Music Center October 15, 2011; New World named Lee a Seiji Ozawa Composition Symphony, Michael Tilson Fellow in 2002 and the American Academy Thomas conducting of Arts and Letters granted him the Charles i n s t r u m e n tat i o n Ives Scholarship in 2003 and the Wladimir two flutes and piccolo, two oboes and Rhoda Lakond Award in 2010. After and english horn, two clarinets and completing his doctoral studies in 2005, Lee joined the faculty of bass clarinet, two bassoons and Morgan State University in Baltimore. Some of his recent orches- contrabassoon, four horns, three tral works include A Different Soldier’s Tale in 2008 for the Detroit trumpets, three trombones and tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Slatkin; Chuphshah! piano/celesta, strings Harriet’s Drive to Canaan in 2011 and Thurgood’s Rhapsody in 2016, both for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra led by Marin a p p r ox i m at e Alsop; and Ichabod! The Protest is Over! for the Pasadena performance time 11 minutes Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Lockington. His new work, Amer’ican, written for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, These are the first Chicago Symphony receives its premiere on April 2, 2020, conducted by Eric Jacobsen. Orchestra performances. Sukkot Through Orion’s Nebula received its world premiere by the New World Symphony—a founding member of the Sphinx Commissioning Consortium, which commissioned the work— under Michael Tilson Thomas in Miami Beach in 2011. James Lee III on Sukkot Through Orion’s Nebula S ukkot Through Orion’s Nebula is a festive work for orches- tra. Sukkot is a Hebrew word for the Feast of Tabernacles. In the biblical days, this holiday was celebrated on the fifteenth day of the month of Tishrei (late September to late October). It was the most joyous of the fall festivals that God mandated the Hebrews to observe. It was also a thanksgiving celebration for the blessings of the fall harvest. Orion’s Nebula refers to the Orion constellation in space. The structure of this nebula forms a roughly spherical cloud that peaks in density near the core. The cloud displays a range of velocities and turbulence, particularly around the core region. This work is constructed in seven sections: 1. Reminiscences of the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) and the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) open the work with percussive, forceful sounds of the snare and bass drums. This is a bove: James Lee III NOVEMBER 2019–FEBRUARY 2020 27
COMMENTS further enhanced by the horns, which imitate the images of the Messiah coming down out of calls of the shofar (a ram’s horn, sounded on those heaven through the Orion constellation, then the holy days). redeemed saints traveling through the constella- 2. The full orchestra continues to a cadence tion, and finally the New Jerusalem coming down foreshadowing the grand advent of God. out of heaven. Violins soar in the higher registers, 3. The woodwinds follow with joyful flourishes which tend to have a quality of weightlessness. and dancelike celebrations, which imitate the Trills cease among the strings as they continue to people’s reception of the Messiah. As this music climb to heights of bliss in paradise. continues, the motives pass on to the percussion 6. The bass and snare drums provide a reprise of section, piano, harp, and eventually the strings. the shofar theme. This continues with orchestral 4. Previous melodies and motives are developed exclamations of joy. and transformed among the orchestra. This sec- 7. There are passages of call-and-response tion celebrates the Second Coming of God. among the ensemble in the final celebration, 5. Orion is the one constellation mentioned which continues until the work ends with an specifically in the Old Testament. The muted explosion of sound. brass, singing violins, percussion instruments, and woodwinds are intended to evoke celestial —James Lee III samuel barber composed Born March 9, 1910; West Chester, Pennsylvania 1966 (complete opera) Died January 23, 1981; New York City 1968 (scenes) Two Scenes from Antony and Cleopatra first performance September 16, 1966 (complete opera) February 6, 1975 (scenes) “Sam Barber is our Monet,” declared soprano Leontyne Price in a May 14, 1981, i n s t r u m e n tat i o n interview with Peter Dickinson. “Think of solo voice, two flutes and alto flute, the blues and red in Monet, particularly the two oboes and english horn, two clarinets and bass clarinet, two blues. There must be a thousand kinds of bassoons and contrabassoon, blues in Monet, without the sharp steeliness four horns, three trumpets, three of a van Gogh but with the lusciousness and trombones and tuba, timpani, fluidity! That’s what I think of Sam’s percussion, two harps, piano/ music. . . . He wrote out of emotion . . . and celesta, strings for a singer that’s a challenge, but the end product is so rewarding a p p r ox i m at e and so terribly vocal. . . . It falls intellectually to the mind and performance time beautifully on the ear, which is a rare combination.” 16 minutes Leontyne Price’s voice and Samuel Barber’s music were a mar- These are the first riage made in heaven. She had first encountered Barber while Chicago Symphony she was still a student at the Juilliard School. In 1953, she gave the Orchestra performances. world premiere of his Hermit Songs at the Library of Congress with the composer at the piano, and she often included his music in her recitals after that. When the Metropolitan Opera agreed to move Lincoln Center, it was decided that the new theater should lef t: Samuel Barber, courtesy of open in September 1966 with the world premiere of an opera G. Schirmer, Inc. 28 ONE HUNDRED T WENT Y-NINTH SE ASON
COMMENTS by an American composer. for the play was echoed Barber was the obvious by poet W.H. Auden, choice for many reasons, who said, “If we had to not least of which was the burn all of Shakespeare’s success of his Pulitzer Prize– plays but one—luckily we winning opera Vanessa don’t—I’d chose Antony and at the Met in 1958. Given Cleopatra. . . . [It] gener- Price’s stunning Met debut ally contains perhaps more in January 1961, and her first-rate poetry than any relationship with Barber, it other play in the canon, but was logical that she would not a line of it is detach- head the cast, giving Barber able from the context either another opportunity to write of the scene in which it for a voice he knew so well. occurs or of the play as a It took Barber some time whole.” Barber decided the to agree to write the new libretto would consist of only opera. In December 1959 the Shakespeare’s words. The general manager of the Met, Rudolf Bing, wrote lines might be moved around for dramatic effect, him, “If you are still thinking—as I do—of a new and much of the play would have to be cut, but it opera of yours for the first season of the new would be pure Shakespeare. house, we—that is to say, you—must seriously get According to Barber’s biographer Barbara on with it. . . . I think we have to know whether B. Heyman, the composer was writing his own or not there is any serious prospect of an import- libretto in 1964 when he found out—second-hand ant new opera by you.” The problem, as it so often (apparently from reading the newspaper)—that is for operatic composers, was finding the right Bing had asked Zeffirelli to design and stage libretto. Barber was an extremely well-read man. the new opera as well as write its libretto. That He discussed the project with numerous poets and summer, Barber followed Zeffirelli to Italy and playwrights. For a while, he toyed with the idea of they hammered out its outlines. They whittled Moby Dick, or perhaps something set during the Shakespeare’s forty-two scenes down to sixteen, American Civil War. eliminated fourteen of the characters, and reduced The libretto to Vanessa had been written by the opera’s locations to only two: Rome and Egypt. his longtime companion and fellow composer, The fundamental flaw in the project was that Gian Carlo Menotti. When Vanessa was given in the two men had very different ideas of what the Salzburg, the European critics had been scathing finished product should be. As Zeffirelli recounts in their dismissal of the libretto, and Barber was in his autobiography, “Given the subject and repeatedly warned by friends not to use Menotti the scale of the occasion, I assumed that what for the new opera. The fact that, eventually, [Barber] was planning to compose was something Franco Zeffirelli wrote the libretto caused “the akin to Aida, and I was all set to rise to the occa- only moment of bitterness that actually existed sion with mammoth sets, a vast cast, and sump- between Sam and me,” Menotti later recalled. tuous costumes—the sort of spectacle that would Barber finally settled on his favorite play by honor such an important event in America’s Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra. His affection cultural life. This turned out to be a dangerous abov e : Seven people involved in the opening opera of the new Metropolitan Opera House, standing on scaffolding of the new stage before performing Samuel Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra. Left to right: the composer; librettist, director, and designer (sets and costume) Franco Zeffirelli; mezzo-soprano Rosalind Elias, Cleopatra’s attendant Charmian; tenor Jess Thomas, Octavius Caesar; conductor Thomas Schippers; soprano Leontyne Prince, Cleopatra; and bass-baritone Justino Díaz, Antony. May 1, 1966 (Photo by Duane Michals/Condé Nast via Getty Images) NOVEMBER 2019–FEBRUARY 2020 29
COMMENTS assumption. . . . As rehearsals got going, it became The words for the first aria, “Give me some increasingly obvious that the grandiose setting music,” come primarily from Shakespeare’s act 2, we had devised would be totally at odds with the scene 5 and act 1, scene 5. The second aria, “Give music.” Barber, on the other hand, had assured a me my robe” (Cleopatra’s death scene), comes friend there was “no danger of a neo-Aida” for the almost entirely from Shakespeare’s act 5, scene 2. new opera. Barber used several themes in the score, varying Heyman summed up the results bril- them slightly, depending on the drama at an indi- liantly: “The commission that was one of the vidual moment. One of the main themes expresses greatest tributes to Barber’s whole career turned Antony and Cleopatra’s love: it is six notes, con- out, ironically, to be his nemesis. Antony and taining three ascending fourths. Since the second Cleopatra . . . was the monumental misfortune of and third of these begin down a third from the Barber’s career.” The reviews were savage. After previous note, it gives the melody a sinuous, slith- Barber’s death, his publisher Hans Heinsheimer ering quality that can be almost playful or over- said the opera “was a terrible catastrophe from whelmingly erotic, depending on the occasion. which he never recovered.” But in hindsight, In “Give me some music,” it is first heard after the critics were responding more to the disaster of opening fanfares, when the music becomes very Zeffirelli’s massive over-staging than to Barber’s soft and a single viola plays this theme against music itself. Years later, critic Peter G. Davis, who sustained chords in the woodwinds, harp, and was at both the dress rehearsal and opening night a single cello. At the beginning of the Death of on September 16, 1966, remembered, “The recep- Cleopatra (“Give me my robe”), it is played by a tion at the end was, if not exactly ecstatic, warm solo english horn, after which it figures promi- and welcoming from an audience that seemed nently in the orchestra, before Cleopatra sings it more than pleased with the opera, as one can to the words “Dost thou not see my baby at my plainly hear from a broadcast transmission that breast” after taking up the poisonous asps. preserves the entire occasion.” And he remem- In both the arias, Cleopatra sings the bers, “The final pages show Barber at his most words, “Now I feed myself with most delicious lyrically eloquent, as Cleopatra expires in what is poison”: in the first, they are sung softly after she one of opera’s most moving death scenes . . . that has been imaging what Antony might be doing in had some of the audience in tears at the first Rome; in the second they begin the great climax performance.” A CD of that opening night also of the whole scene. After Cleopatra asks, “Why clearly shows strong and prolonged applause after should I stay in this vile world?” there are seven Cleopatra’s act 1 aria, “Give me some music.” measures of orchestral music as the poison begins W to seep through her, and then she sings, “Now I ith Menotti’s help, Barber revised the feed myself with most delicious poison.” Her vocal opera in 1975; that version has been line begins quietly, but ecstatically, on a harmon- given several times since, including ically unexpected G-flat at the top of the staff, by the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1991. The two and it swells to her last two lines. It’s the musi- arias being performed for the first time at these cal equivalent of biting into the ripest, juiciest concerts were taken from the score and arranged peach imaginable, just at the moment it starts to for concert performances by Barber in 1968. For turn, a musical reminder that an orgasm is also Leontyne Price, they are “the kernel of Cleopatra’s known as “the little death.” It is a perfect example music.” They clearly show Barber’s deft handling of the “lusciousness and fluidity” Leontyne Price of an enormous orchestra, utilizing the instru- spoke of when she compared Barber to Monet. mental colors to convey drama and emotion, and She was absolutely right. his skill in writing for the soprano voice, framed exquisitely by the orchestra. —Paul Thomason 30 ONE HUNDRED T WENT Y-NINTH SE ASON
COMMENTS TWO SCENES FROM ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA We are in Egypt, in Cleopatra’s palace. Antony has left for Rome, and there are rumors that he has married. The orchestral introduction portrays Cleopatra’s fury when she demands the truth from a messenger and strikes him in her jealousy. The music becomes calmer, recalling the tenderness of the lovers’ separation. Bored, Cleopatra calls for music: “moody food of us that trade in love.” She remembers how they first went fishing together when he called her “his serpent of old Nile.” Her longing for him increases. CLEOPATRA Give me some music: music, moody food Of us that trade in love . . . . The music, ho! I’ll none now! Give me my angle, we’ll to the river: there, My music playing far off, I will betray Tawny-finned fishes. And as I draw them up, I’ll think them every one an Antony, And say, “Ah, ha! Y’are caught!” That time—O times! I laughed him out of patience; and that night I laughed him into patience. And the next morn ere the ninth hour I drunk him to his bed: Then put my crown and mantles on him, While I wore his sword Philippan. My man of men! Charmian! Give me to drink mandragora That I might sleep out this great gap of time My Antony is away. My man of men! O Charmian, where think’st that he is now? Stands he, or sits he? Or does he walk? Or is he on his horse? O happy horse, to bear the weight of Antony! Do bravely, horse! for know’st thou whom thou movest? The demi-Atlas of this earth. He’s speaking now, or murmuring: “Where’s my serpent of old Nile?” (For so he calls me.) (Please turn the page quietly.) NOVEMBER 2019–FEBRUARY 2020 31
COMMENTS Now I feed myself with most delicious poison. Think on me, That am with Phoebus’ am’rous pinches black, And wrinkled deep in time . . . Give me some music: music, moody food Of us that trade in love. Cleopatra has taken refuge in the pyramid after the defeat of her armies. Antony, who has stabbed himself, dies at her feet. The orchestra plays a funeral march as she decides to die with him. “Give me my robe, put on my crown,” she commands, and poisons herself by applying an asp, which she has smuggled into the monument. CLEOPATRA Give me my robe, put on my crown, I have Immortal longings in me. Now no more The juice of Egypt’s grape shall moist this lip. Yare, yare, good Iras; quick. Methinks I hear Antony call: I see him rouse himself To praise my noble act. Husband, I come: Now to that name my courage prove my title! I am fire, and air; my other elements I give to baser life. So, have you done? Come then, and take the last warmth of my lips. Farewell, kind Charmian, Iras, long farewell. Have I the aspic on my lips? Dost fall? If thou and nature can so gently part, The stroke of death is as a lover’s pinch, Which hurts, and is desired. Come, thou mortal wretch. (to an asp, which she applies to her breast) With thy sharp teeth this knot intrinsicate Our life at once untie. Peace, peace! Dost thou not see my baby at my breast, That sucks the nurse asleep? As sweet as balm, as soft as air, as gentle . . . O Antony! Nay, I will take thee, too: (applying another asp to her arm) Why should I stay . . . In this vile world? Now I feed myself with most delicious poison That I might sleep out this great gap of time. My man of men! By permission of the publisher G. Schirmer, Inc. 32 ONE HUNDRED T WENT Y-NINTH SE ASON
COMMENTS gustav holst composed Born September 21, 1874; Cheltenham, England 1914–16 Died May 25, 1934; London, England first performance November 15, 1920; London, The Planets, Suite for Large Orchestra, England Op. 32 i n s t r u m e n tat i o n four flutes, two piccolos and bass flute, three oboes, bass oboe and After World War I, Frederick Stock, the english horn, three clarinets and music director of the Chicago Symphony bass clarinet, three bassoons and Orchestra, resumed his old habit of taking contrabassoon, six horns, four his summer vacations in Europe, where he trumpets, two tenor trombones and bass trombone, tenor tuba and could seek out important new music— bass tuba, timpani, triangle, snare attend performances of pieces he didn’t drum, tambourine, cymbals, bass know, gather up scores that weren’t available drum, gong, bells, glockenspiel, in the U.S. “One of the novelties I brought xylophone, celesta, two harps, from London,” he wrote to Frances Glessner organ, strings, and, in the final movement only, an offstage choir in September 1920, “is called The Planets, composed by Gustav of women’s voices (von) Holst, who by the way is a cousin of our mutual friend Hermann von Holst in Chicago.” John and Frances Glessner, a p p r ox i m at e whose pioneering H.H. Richardson house on Prairie Avenue is performance time 51 minutes now considered one of the landmarks of residential architecture, had enjoyed unusually close ties to Chicago’s orchestra since it first cso performances was founded in 1891. They were given Box M, the center box, December 31, 1920, and January 1, when Orchestra Hall was built in 1904, and after the death of 1921, Orchestra Hall. Frederick Theodore Thomas, the Orchestra’s founder and first music Stock conducting (U.S. premiere) director, the following year, they established a bond with Stock, August 11, 1977, Ravinia Festival. his successor, that transcended a conventional conductor-patron Women of the Chicago Symphony Chorus (Margaret Hillis, director), relationship. Frances was one of the few Chicagoans Stock felt he Lawrence Foster conducting could talk with candidly about music. The Holst that the Glessners and Stock knew was one of most recent Chicago’s leading prairie school architects. In 1905 he had cso performances May 26, 27, 28, 29, and 31, designed agricultural buildings for the Glessners’ summer place 2016, Orchestra Hall. Women in New Hampshire; two years later he (along with Stock, John of the Chicago Symphony Glessner, and the Chicago composer John Alden Carpenter) was Chorus (Duain Wolfe, director), one of the founding members of the Cliff Dweller’s Club that Cristian Măcelaru conducting soon settled atop Orchestra Hall; and in 1909 he agreed to over- July 13, 2016, Ravinia Festival. see Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural practice when Wright and Women of the Chicago Symphony his mistress, Mamah Cheney, skipped town for Europe. Chorus (Duain Wolfe, director), Cristian Măcelaru conducting When he wrote to Frances Glessner, Stock had not yet heard The Planets—in fact, the premiere was still two months away (it cso recording had been privately performed in September 1918 in London), 1989. Women of the Chicago but he brought the score back to Chicago with him intent on Symphony Chorus (Margaret Hillis, introducing the work to America, which he did on New Year’s director), James Levine conducting. Deutsche Grammophon abov e : Gustav Holst, photograph by Herbert Lambert (1881–1936), 1921. National Portrait Gallery, London, England NOVEMBER 2019–FEBRUARY 2020 33
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