DEPARTURE - Eugene Symphony

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...
DEPARTURE &
DISCOVERY.
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 BRAHMS
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.
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 BEETHOVEN
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.
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”
PICTURES
HOUGH PLAYS
AT ANBEETHOVEN
DISCOVER
WITH US
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.
The search for a new conductor is one of the most
FEBRUARY 16, 2017 | 8PM
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”
thrilling – and important – times in an orchestra’s
life. Join us as we explore together who will follow in the
footsteps of Danail Rachev – and Giancarlo Guerrero,
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Marin Alsop, Adrian Gnam,
William McGlaughlin, and Lawrence Maves before him.
WHO WILL BECOME OUR
NEXT MUSIC DIRECTOR?
Three finalists will be announced in September 2016.
Each will conduct music by the immortal Mozart,
accompany a talented rising soloist in a challenging
20th-century concerto, and lead a second half of
orchestral masterpieces of their choosing. Put together,
these programs will give us a clear picture of the vision
and musical mastery of our conducting candidates.
YOU WON’T WANT TO
MISS A MINUTE OF THESE
NEXT STEPS IN OUR
ORCHESTRA’S HISTORY!
DECEMBER 8, 2016 | 8PM
JANUARY 26, 2017 | 8PM
MARCH 16, 2017 | 8PM
KORNGOLD
VIOLIN CONCERTO
BARBER PIANO
CONCERTO
BARTÓK PIANO
CONCERTO
Hear Mozart’s effervescent and whimsical Overture, and
then revel in the lush sounds of the Violin Concerto by
Erich Korngold, who emigrated from Vienna to America
and helped create Hollywood’s classic cinematic sound.
Experience Mozart’s most dramatic and powerful Overture, and
then one of the great American masterworks, Samuel Barber’s
Pulitzer-winning Piano Concerto, which combines boisterous
rhythms with tender lyricism.
Mozart’s exotic and passionate Overture opens the program,
and then a thrilling tour-de-force for piano, Bartók’s
Third Concerto, lights up the stage like fireworks.
Music Director Finalist to be announced
Elena Urioste, violin
Music Director Finalist to be announced
Andrew von Oeyen, piano
MOZART
Overture to The Magic Flute
KORNGOLD
Violin Concerto
Additional work(s) TBA
MOZART
Overture to Don Giovanni
BARBER
Piano Concerto
Additional work(s) TBA
Music Director Finalist to be announced
Kuok-Wai Lio, piano
MOZART
Overture to The Abduction from the Seraglio
BARTÓK
Piano Concerto No. 3
Additional work(s) TBA
FEBRUARY 16, 2017 | 8PM
PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
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.
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 OF FAUST
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.
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 SYMPHONY
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!
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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long-time Eugene Symphony subscriber
Enriching lives through
the power of music.