Vancouver Symphony 2009-10 Season Highlights
The latest Canadian performing arts organization to announce their plans for the 2009/10 season is The Vancouver Symphony.
3400km to the west of Toronto, Vancouver hugs the very western edge of mainland Canada and takes great delight in only needing a light fleece for comfort the dead of winter while the rest of the country scrambles for practically every piece of clothing they own.
Despite this left-coastal smugness aside, Vancouver has one of the best orchestras in the country and for Miss Mussel’s money is in a dead heat with the Toronto Symphony for the #2 spot behind The Montreal Symphony. Pistols at dawn would sort out this little dilemma but so would a visit to Ontario. Or an OM field trip to Vancouver. {*ahem*}
At any rate, here’s the 10 concerts that caught Miss Mussel’s eye for the upcoming season. There a fantastic-looking new music series conducting and presumably programmed by Evan Mitchell as well little known pieces by the big guns.
Especially exciting is the Symphony of A Thousand concert at the end of January featuring a who’s who of Canadian vocal talent.
Saturday and Monday, October 3 and 5, 8pm
Balakirev In Bohemia; Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73, Emperor; Sibelius Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 43 – Garrick Ohlsson, piano | Bramwell Tovey, baton
Monday, October 19
Richard Mascall Grunge; Steve Reich 8 Lines; Henryk Gorecki Kleines Requiem für eine Polka — Evan Mitchell, baton
Friday and Saturday, November 20 and 21, 8pm
Delius The Walk to the Paradise Garden ; Strauss Brentano Lieder; Elgar Symphony No. 1 in A-flat Major, Op. 55 — Celena Shafer, soprano | Sir Andrew Davis, baton
Saturday, December 5, 8pm
Prokofiev Lt. Kije, Op. 60: Troika; Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations; Tchaikovsky Pezzo Capriccioso; Prokofiev The Love for Three Oranges, Op. 33bis Tchaikovsky Sleeping Beauty: Suite — Julie Albers, cello | Evan Mitchell, baton
Saturday and Monday, January 30 and February 1, 8pm
Buhr Winter Poems; Mahler Symphony No. 8 ‘Symphony of a Thousand’ — Turid Karlsen; Measha Brueggergosman; Tracy Dahl; Susan Platts; Sara Fryer; John MacMaster; Russell Braun; Denis Sedov; Vancouver Bach Choir; Toronto Mendelssohn Choir; Vancouver Bach Children’s Chorus | Bramwell Tovey, baton
Saturday, March 13, 8pm
Adams Short Ride in a Fast Machine; Strauss Music of the Spheres; Wieniawski Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 22; Holst The Planets — Adrian Anantawan, violin; Elektra Women’s Choir | Bramwell Tovey, baton
Saturday, April 24
John Oliver Guitar Concerto; Scott Good Anguished Grief ; Giancinto Scelsi Anahit — Evan Mitchell, baton
Saturday and Monday, May 1 and 3, 8pm
Oesterle Perennials; Szymanowski Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 35; Bruckner Symphony No. 4 in E-Flat Major ‘Romantic’ — Nicola Benedetti, violin | Kazuyoshi Akiyama, baton
Saturday, May 22
Piotr Grella-Mozejko Momentum; Unsuk Chin Xi; Erik Ross Catharsis; Scott Good Shock Therapy Variations for trombone and chamber ensemble – Scott Good, trombone | Evan Mitchell, baton
Saturday and Monday, June 5 and 7, 8pm
Mozart Cosi fan tutte, K.588: Overture; Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77; Strauss Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64 – Vadim Gluzman, violin | Bramwell Tovey, baton