CSO lineup for 2008-09 is set
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra's 2008-09 season, details of which were released Thursday, offers music from Bach to the 20th Century and beyond.
The orchestra's 118th season at Symphony Center-Orchestra Hall will open Sept. 19 with a subscription concert under the baton of guest conductor Charles Dutoit and featuring CSO concertmaster Robert Chen as soloist in Eduard Lalo's "Symphonie Espagnole" for violin and orchestra.
The "official" season opening takes place the next night, when Dutoit conducts the orchestra's annual gala concert, which carries the title "Northern Lights." Music will include Jean Sibelius' "Finlandia," Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" and pianist Lang Lang the featured soloist in Frederic Chopin's Concerto No. 2.
In early April 2009, the CSO will offer a two-week "Bach to Bach" mini-festival of various concerto works by J.S. Bach, conducted by Pinchas Zukerman and featuring soloists from the orchestra's ranks.
The season will conclude with a three-week festival in June 2009 devoted to the music of Antonin Dvorak, under conductor Mark Elder.
Dutoit and Elder are two of 21 scheduled guest conductors, with the CSO's artistic leaders, principal conductor Bernard Haitink and conductor emeritus Pierre Boulez also prominent throughout the season.
Just before the opening of the downtown season, Haitink will lead the CSO on its 34th international tour since 1971. It will cover six concerts in three European cities: Amsterdam, London and Lucerne, Switzerland.
In January-February 2009, Haitink and the orchestra will travel to Asia, with 10 concerts in five cities, including the CSO's mainland China debut.
There will be two brief trips to New York's Carnegie Hall, with Boulez leading concerts there on March 9-10, 2009, and Haitink doing the honors on May 2-3, 2009.
The season will be preceded by a special Orchestra Hall visit by film composer/conductor John Williams in mid-August. Williams will be joined by cellist Yo-Yo Ma for a pair of concerts featuring music from the film "Memoirs of a Geisha," which will be recorded for Sony/BMG Masterworks.
Additional details on the 2008-09 season, along with season subscription information, are available at www.cso.org.