SPAC 2018 Season Preview – Part 4 – Simply PHabulous!

Many New Highlights For Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2018 Residency Including ‘Cinema Saturday’s’ and Thursday Matinees

Editors Note: The 2018 SPAC Classical Season Programming has been released. It has such rich detail that we are presenting it in multiple parts This is part 4 – covering The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2018 SPAC Season. Here are links to the first three parts:
– National Ballet of Cuba – Part 1
– New York City Ballet – Part 2
– Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center – Part 3
On Sunday, we will reveal the programming for the 41st Annual Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival – AG

SARATOGA SPRINGS – For the first time, The Philadelphia Orchestra’s three-week residency (August 1 – 18) will showcase two weeks under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who holds dual roles as Music Director of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Music Director Designate of The Metropolitan Opera – his longest SPAC residency to date; three new Thursday matinees — including an afternoon of “Symphonic Shakespeare” led by Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Guest Conductor Stéphane Denève ; and a new “Cinema Saturdays @ SPAC” series that will delight audiences of all ages as the Orchestra accompanies two blockbuster movies: Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope in Concert; Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in Concert; and a finale featuring the 20th Anniversary of the film The Red Violin, projected alongside Joshua Bell, the original artist on the movie’s soundtrack.

Making their Philadelphia Orchestra and SPAC debuts are the Dutch “Piano Brothers” Lucas AND Arthur Jussen and Canadian pianist Serhiv Salov; also making her SPAC debut is young, dynamic violinist Jennifer Koh in Bernstein’s Serenade. As part of the Orchestra’s finale weekend, superstar violinist Joshua Bell will appear with Yannick Nézet-Séguin in Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1.

“I am very excited that we will be hosting The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Music Director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, for two weeks this Summer. One of the greatest young conductors of his time – and in high demand from major orchestras and opera companies around the world — it is a great privilege to have Yannick choose to dedicate an extra week to SPAC this season,” said SPAC President and CEO Elizabeth Sobol.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
AUGUST 1 – 8 pm: Festive Fireworks
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Dancers from American Ballet Theatre
Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances
Connesson Maslenitsa
Minkus Pas de deux, from Don Quixote
Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture

Opening Night of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s August residency will continue the new tradition of featuring Tchaikovsky’s famed 1812 Overture, complete with fireworks, live cannon fire and dancers from American Ballet Theatre, as the kick-off to the 2018 orchestra season.

The evening will be led by Principal Guest Conductor Stéphane Denève, who has conducted more programs than any other guest conductor during the period since making his Philadelphia Orchestra debut in 2007, in repertoire that has spanned more than 100 works, ranging from Classical through the contemporary, including presentations with dance, theater, film, and cirque performers. Mr. Denève is also chief conductor of the Brussels Philharmonic and director of its Centre for Future Orchestra Repertoire, and music director designate with the St. Louis Symphony. He recently received his third Diapason d’Or of the Year award with the Brussels Philharmonic for the Deutsche Grammophon release Pour sortir au jour, was shortlisted in 2012 for Gramophone’s Artist of the Year award, and won the prize for symphonic music at the 2013 International Classical Music Awards.

AUGUST 2 – 2 pm Matinee: Symphonic Shakespeare
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Walton Selections from As You Like It
Berlioz Overture to Beatrice and Benedict
Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet
Mendelssohn Selections from A Midsummer Night’s Dream

As part of SPAC’s new Thursday Matinee series, Stéphane Denève will lead a “Symphonic Shakespeare” program of popular orchestral music set to Shakespeare’s most illustrious works. Pieces by Tchaikovsky, Walton, Berlioz, and Mendelssohn will underscore excerpts performed by guest actors of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays, such as Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and As You Like It.

AUGUST 3 – 8 pm: The Planets — An HD Odyssey
Kensho Watanabe, conductor
Theofanidis Rainbow Body
Sibelius Night Ride and Sunrise
Holst The Planets (including images from NASA)
Film by Duncan Copp
Commissioned by the Houston Symphony
In Cooperation with NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratories

In this unprecedented multimedia event, The Philadelphia Orchestra will perform The Planets from the HD Odyssey film series, featuring images of NASA’s exploration of the solar system brought to life in vivid form with the orchestra’s performance of Holst’s exciting, cosmic score.

The Planets is a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1916. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst.

The program has received international acclaim by publications such as The New York Times, stating, “The images in the movie, produced and directed by Duncan Copp, were often astonishing. Photographs from rovers and satellites, radar images and computer-generated graphics were combined to give the audience the impression of circling individual planets and sometimes flying over their awesomely barren landscapes… There is, of course, a film-score-like quality to the music, and combining it with imagery has been done before, though not to my mind with such sophistication.”

AUGUST 4 – 8 pm: Cinema Saturday: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™ in Concert
Justin Freer, conductor
Williams Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™ (complete with film)

The concert will feature The Philadelphia Orchestra performing, live to picture, every note from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™, the first installment of the popular series. Audiences will be able to relive the magic of the film in high-definition projected on the big screen while hearing the live symphony orchestra perform John Williams’ complete score, which was nominated for a 2002 Academy Award for Best Original Score.

In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™, based on J.K. Rowling’s novel, Harry Potter learns on his 11th birthday that he is the orphaned son of two wizards and possesses magical powers of his own. At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he learns the high-flying sport of Quidditch and plays a thrilling “live” chess game en route to facing a Dark Wizard determined to destroy him.

AUGUST 8 – 8 pm: Mozart + Mahler
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Lucas and Arthur Jussen, duo pianos
Janai Brugger, soprano
Mozart Concerto for Two Pianos, K. 365
Mahler Symphony No. 4

Internationally recognized Dutch piano duo LUCAS AND ARTHUR JUSSEN will perform at SPAC and with The Philadelphia Orchestra for the first time. Already a sensation from New York to Shanghai, the brothers are in their early twenties and are known for their ability to perform virtuosic repertoire with panache. Lucas and Arthur Jussen’s debut album on Deutsche Grammophon, featuring compositions of Beethoven, won the “Edison Klassiek Publieksprijs Audience Award.”
Montréal-native YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUIN, “the greatest generator of energy on the international podium,” according to The Financial Times, will lead The Philadelphia Orchestra in Saratoga for two weeks, his longest SPAC residency to date. Named Musical America’s 2016 “Artist of the Year,” Yannick renewed his contract with the Orchestra in 2016, committing to lead the ensemble at least through the 2025-26 season, an extraordinary and significant long-term commitment. Additionally, he is the Music Director Designate of The Metropolitan Opera and in 2020, will become the third music director in the storied company’s history.
Soprano JANAI BRUGGER, the 2016 winner of the Marian Anderson Vocal Award, and one of Opera News’ top 25 “brilliant young artists” will perform in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with The Philadelphia Orchestra.

AUGUST 9 – 2 pm Matinee: Young Virtuosi: Carnival of the Animals
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Lucas and Arthur Jussen, duo pianos
Elgar Selections from The Wand of Youth
Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals
Britten The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra

CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS is a humorous musical suite of fourteen movements by the French Romantic composer Camille Saint-Saëns. Accompanied by accessible commentary, alongside projections of animal drawings submitted by local children, attendees are invited to follow each section of Saint-Saëns’ classic piece while they listen. Young, virtuosic “piano brothers” Lucas and Arthur Jussen will perform alongside the Orchestra following their debut performance the previous evening.

AUGUST 10 – 8 pm: All Bernstein: Celebrating 100 Years
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Jennifer Koh, violin
Guest singers from the Broadway stage
Bernstein Symphonic Suite from On the Waterfront
Bernstein Serenade (after Plato’s Symposium) for Solo Violin, Strings, Harp, and Percussion
Bernstein Scenes from West Side Story
Bernstein Symphonic Dances from West Side Story

The Philadelphia Orchestra and Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin pay homage to the birth centennial of the composer-conductor with an ALL-BERNSTEIN program featuring an orchestral suite from his only film score, On the Waterfront; the Serenade featuring violinist JENNIFER KOH; and scenes from West SideStory. Making her SPAC debut, Jennifer Koh, Musical America’s 2016 Instrumentalist of the Year, is recognized for her intense, commanding performances. Collaborating with artists of multiple disciplines, she has premiered more than 60 works written especially for her.

AUGUST 11 – 8 pm: Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope in Concert
Constantine Kitsopolous, conductor
Williams Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope (complete with film)

Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope will be projected with The Philadelphia Orchestra performing live accompaniment of the iconic John Williams’ score. Since the release of the first Star Wars movie 40 years ago, the saga has had a seismic impact, inspiring audiences worldwide with its storytelling, characters, groundbreaking special effects and John Williams’ iconic musical scores for all seven films. His score for 1977’s A New Hope earned him an Academy Award for best original score. In Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope, Luke Skywalker begins a journey that will change the galaxy, as he leaves his home planet, battles the evil Empire, and learns the ways of the Force.

The evening will be led by conductor CONSTANTINE KITSOPOLOUS, who comfortably spans the worlds of opera and symphony, appearing in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and Royal Albert Hall, and musical theater, leading orchestras on Broadway. Music director of the Queens Symphony Orchestra, he also continues as general director of Chatham Opera (which he founded in 2005), serves as music director of the Festival of the Arts BOCA (a multi-day cultural arts event in South Florida), and was appointed artistic director of Oklahoma’s OK Mozart Festival.

AUGUST 15 – 8 pm: The Orchestra Unleashed!
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Serhiy Salov, piano
Strauss Don Juan
Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, for piano and orchestra
Bartók Concerto for Orchestra

Born into the exceptional pianistic tradition of the Ukraine, SERHIY SALOV is recognized as an outstanding pianist, whose playing is both energetic and imbued with sensitivity. Salov, who will be making his SPAC and Philadelphia Orchestra debuts, is Artist-in-Residence at the Orchestre Métropolitain.

AUGUST 16 – 2 pm: Captivating Classics
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
David Kim, violin
Choong-Jin Chang, viola
Rossini Overture to William Tell
Mozart Sinfonia concertante, K. 364, for violin, viola, and orchestra
Musorgsky Pictures from an Exhibition

The final orchestra matinee of the season will feature DAVID KIM, concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra, and CHOONG-JIN (C.J.) CHANG, principal viola of The Philadelphia Orchestra, for an evening of “Captivating Classics.” Kicking off the afternoon is the festive Overture to William Tell, irrevocably remembered for its exciting final three minutes, which came to serve as the theme music for the Lone Ranger programs in movies and on radio and television.

AUGUST 17 – 8 pm: Joshua Bell with The Philadelphia Orchestra
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Joshua Bell, violin
Dvořák Otello Overture
Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 (“Pathétique”)

Returning to SPAC for two encore performances is celebrated violinist JOSHUA BELL. With a career spanning more than 30 years as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and conductor, he will perform two closing evenings including an August 17 program highlighted by Bruch’s ravishing Violin Concerto No. 1.

AUGUST 18 – 8 pm: The Red Violin with Joshua Bell
Michael Stern, conductor
Joshua Bell, violin
Corigliano The Red Violin (complete with film)

The season finale celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the film The Red Violin with JOSHUA BELL, the original artist on the movie’s soundtrack, performing John Corigliano’s score alongside The Philadelphia Orchestra.

The Academy Award-winning film The Red Violin follows the intricate history of a beautiful antique violin that is traced from its creation in Cremona, Italy, in 1681, where a legendary violin maker (Carlo Cecchi) paints it with his dead wife’s blood to keep her memory alive, to an auction house in modern-day Montréal, where it draws the eye of an expert appraiser (Samuel L. Jackson). Over the intervening years, the violin travels through four different countries, where it has a profound impact on all those who own it.