WPLN broadcasts the SunTrust Classical Concert Series from the Nashville Symphony’s 2009/2010 season all Summer.
Tune in each Sunday evening beginning June 6th at 8pm to hear each of the Nashville Symphony’s classical performances as they lead up to the Symphony’s 2010/2011 season opener.
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Program Schedule for Summer 2010 
June 13
Mozart & Shostakovich
Giancarlo Guerrero, Conductor
Alisa Weilerstein, Cello
Mozart – Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385 “Haffner”
Roberto Sierra – Sinfonía No. 4* (World Premiere)
Shostakovich – Concerto for Cello No. 2 in G major, Op. 126
Ravel – Rapsodie Espagnole
* Nashville Symphony commission as part of The Sphinx Organization commissioning consortium
Originally written for Mstislav Rostropovich, Shostakovich’s intensely introspective Concerto for Cello No. 2 will serve as a showcase for the passionate playing of rising young talent Alisa Weilerstein. Ravel’s Rapsodie Espagnol will evoke the romantic allure of Spain, while Puerto Rican composer Roberto Sierra, whose Fandangos for Orchestra was performed by the Nashville Symphony last year, has earned a sterling reputation for deftly weaving Latin motifs into memorably melodic compositions. Mozart’s Haffner Symphony starts the evening on a note of elegant majesty.
June 20
Classical Guitar, German Genius
John Fiore, Conductor
Sharon Isbin, Guitar
Wagner – Tannhäuser: Overture & Venusberg Music, WWV70 (Paris version)
Christopher Rouse – Concert de Gaudí
Schumann – Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 97 “Rhenish”
Take a musical journey along Germany’s scenic Rhine river in the buoyant Rhenish Symphony, inspired by composer Schumann’s move to the city of Düsseldorf at a high point during his career. Written during a flurry of creativity, the symphony is bursting with energy. Music from Wagner’s opera Tannhäuser harks back to a medieval German legend, while Christopher Rouse transforms the traditional flamenco music of Spain in his Concert de Gaudí to evoke the dreamy creations of modern architect Antoni Gaudí.
June 27
A Musical Space Odyssey
Giancarlo Guerrero, Conductor
Yefim Bronfman, Piano
Miguel del Aguila – The Fall of Cuzco (World Premiere) *
Bartók – Concerto for Piano No. 2
György Ligeti – Atmosphères
R. Strauss – Also Sprach Zarathustra, TrV 176, Op. 30
* commissioned through the Magnum Opus project: Kathryn Gould, founding patron and commissioner, and Meet The Composer, project manager
We pay tribute to two unforgettable pieces of music featured in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Györgi Ligeti’s Atmosphères is a gripping exploration of orchestral sonority, while Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra is surely one of the best-known pieces in all of classical music, thanks to its memorable appearance in the opening sequence of Kubrick’s film. GRAMMY®-winning pianist Yefim Bronfman returns to perform Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 2, a work noted for its lucidity, symmetrical structure and brilliantly conceived orchestration. Hailed for his fresh, inventive compositions, Miguel del Aguila draws on the music of his Latin American heritage while honoring classical tradition and form.
July 4
Tango & Ravel’s Bolero
Giancarlo Guerrero, Conductor
Tianwa Yang, Violin
Daniel Binelli, Bandoneón
Astor Piazzolla – Buenos Aires – Tres Movimientos Sinfonicas, Op. 15
Piazzolla – Concierto para Bandoneón "Aconcagua"
Piazzolla – Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires)
Ravel – Boléro
Laura Turner Concert Hall will crackle with the bracing, sensuous rhythms of tango music as brilliantly imagined by the composer Astor Piazzolla, who brought a new level of sophistication to Argentina’s most famous musical export. Piazzolla’s concerto Aconcagua will feature Daniel Binelli, an internationally renowned master of the bandoneón, the accordion-like instrument that gives the tango its distinctive sound. The hypnotic rhythms and dynamic orchestration of Ravel’s always popular Bolero will close the evening with a rousing finish.
July 11
Rachmaninoff & Stravinsky
Giancarlo Guerrero, Conductor
Nashville Symphony Chorus
George Mabry, Chorus Director
Twyla Robinson, Soprano
Bryan Griffin, Tenor
Darren K. Stokes, Bass-baritone
Dominick Argento – Le Tombeau d’Edgar Poe
Stravinsky – Symphony of Psalms
Rachmaninoff – The Bells, Op. 35
Edgar Allan Poe’s resonant poem served as inspiration for Rachmaninoff’s choral symphony The Bells, which would prove to be one of the composer’s own favorite works. The iconoclastic modern Russian master Stravinsky looked to the Old Testament for his Symphony of Psalms, creating a wholly original work of liturgical music — notable for its unique scoring and its intensity of feeling. Both of these dynamic works will feature the stirring voices of the Nashville Symphony Chorus, joined by soloists Twyla Robinson, Bryan Griffin and Darren K. Stokes. Also featured on this program is another work inspired by Poe, Dominick Argento’s Le Tombeau d’Edgar Poe.
July 18
‘The’ Organ Symphony
Giancarlo Guerrero, Conductor
Hilary Hahn, Violin
Martinu – The Frescos of Piero della Francesca, H. 352
Jennifer Higdon – Concerto for Violin
Saint-Saëns – Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78 “Organ”
Since her emergence in the early 1990s as a prodigiously gifted young musician, GRAMMY®-winning violinist Hilary Hahn has matured into an assured, technically accomplished and emotionally compelling performer. She’s perfectly matched in a new piece by Jennifer Higdon, one of America’s most popular composers, known for her ingenious ideas and pleasing tonalities. One of the greatest orchestral works ever written for the organ, Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony will serve as a showcase for the Schermerhorn’s magnificent Martin Foundation Concert Organ.
July 25
Penderecki Comes to Nashville
Krzysztof Penderecki, Conductor
Barry Douglas, Piano
Roger Wiesmeyer, English Horn
Penderecki – Adagietto from Paradise Lost for English Horn and String Orchestra
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 54
Penderecki – Concerto for Piano “Resurrection”
One of the most innovative figures in classical music today, Polish composer and conductor Krzysztof Penderecki is world-renowned for his boldly resonant music, which is rich with layers of rhythm and texture. He makes a rare visit to Nashville to lead a specially chosen program that includes his own Concerto for Piano. With a remarkable scope that recalls the symphonies of Mahler, but rendered in Penderecki’s singular voice, the Concerto will feature the gifted pianist Barry Douglas. In Shostakovich’s alternatively contemplative and lively Symphony No. 6, the Russian composer sought to convey “the moods of spring, joy, youth.”
August 1
Sir Neville Marriner
Sir Neville Marriner, Conductor
Nashville Symphony Chorus
George Mabry, Chorus Director
Blair Children’s Chorus
Hazel Somerville, Director
Michael York, Narrator
Vaughan Williams – Symphony No. 2 in G major "A London Symphony"
William Walton – Henry V: A Shakespeare Scenario
Sir Neville Marriner, founder of the peerless Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, joins the Nashville Symphony for a program that honors two of Great Britain’s most celebrated composers. A veteran stage and film performer, celebrated actor Michael York will narrate William Walton’s Henry V: A Shakespeare Scenario, adapted from the composer’s Oscar-nominated film score. Written on the eve of World War I, Vaughan Williams’ A London Symphony captures the energetic spirit of this bustling British city.
August 8
Bach’s Masterpiece
Helmuth Rilling, Conductor
Nashville Symphony Chorus
George Mabry, Chorus Director
Sibylla Rubens, Soprano
Mary Phillips, Mezzo-Soprano
Lothar Odinius, Tenor
Konstantin Wolff, Baritone
J.S. Bach – Mass in B minor, BWV 232
A towering achievement that took more than 25 years to complete, Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B minor is remarkable for its musical breadth and for its overarching sense of unity. The work serves as a deeply moving expression of the composer’s spirituality while also offering an encyclopedic display of his genius. And no conductor is better equipped to lead a performance than Helmuth Rilling, artistic director of the Oregon Bach Festival and a keenly sensitive interpreter of Bach’s music.
August 15
Brahms & ‘Big Sur’
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Tracy Silverman, Electric Violin
Brahms – Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90
John Adams – The Dharma at Big Sur for Electric Violin and Orchestra
Alberto Ginastera – Estancia: Four Dances, Op. 8a
Conductor Carlos Kalmar conducts a wonderfully varied program that begins with Brahms’ profoundly expressive Symphony No. 3. One of the composer’s greatest successes, the work mixes moments of heroism with more subdued, reflective passages. A piece of transcendent beauty, John Adams’ The Dharma at Big Sur will serve as a platform for the dazzling talents of Nashville-based electric violinist Tracy Silverman. With their folk melodies and vigorous rhythms, the Four Dances from Ginastera’s ballet Estancia evoke visions of South American cowboys riding through Argentina’s expansive prairies.
August 22
Thibaudet Returns
Giancarlo Guerrero, Conductor
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Piano
Aaron Jay Kernis – Newly Drawn Sky
Edvard Grieg – Concerto for Piano in A minor, Op. 16
Respighi – Fontane di Roma (The Fountains of Rome), S. 126
Barber – Symphony No. 1 in One Movement, Op. 9
Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet returns to Schermerhorn Symphony Center to perform Edvard Grieg’s Concerto for Piano in A minor, which promises to be a sparkling showpiece for this captivating performer. The year 2010 marks the centennial of Samuel Barber, one of the most distinctive voices in 20th century American music. His Symphony in One Movement is richly dramatic, rippling with his distinctly lyrical, expressive style. Respighi’s popular symphonic poem Fontane di Roma evokes the majestic fountains of Italy’s grandest city at different times of the day.
August 29
Chopin & Mahler
Giancarlo Guerrero, Conductor
Ingrid Fliter, Piano
Chopin – Concerto for Piano No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21
Mahler – Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor
Lawrence S. Levine Memorial Concert
Award-winning soloist Ingrid Fliter will animate Chopin’s Concerto for Piano No. 2 with a combination of impeccable technique and elegant sensitivity. In actuality the first of Chopin’s piano concertos, the piece allows listeners to hear the composer’s budding genius as he began to transform writing for the piano. Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 represents a dramatic turning point in the Austrian composer’s career, with the rich tapestry of orchestral colors giving expression to moods of despondency, anger, yearning and, finally, utter joyousness.
September 5
Bluebeard’s Castle
Giancarlo Guerrero, Conductor
Denyce Graves, Mezzo-soprano
Andrea Silvestrelli, Bass/Narrator
John Hoomes, Stage Director
Beethoven – Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21
Bartók – Bluebeard’s Castle *
* Staged production featuring glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly
In his Symphony No. 1, Beethoven embarked on what would soon be a string of monumental works destined to change the course of classical music. Bartók’s early masterpiece Bluebeard’s Castle recounts the classic fairy tale about a bloodthirsty nobleman and his castle of horrors. As his young bride walks through the doors of the castle, Bartók’s music builds in dramatic intensity, leading to a chilling conclusion. Renowned artist Dale Chihuly has created a spectacular set design with his artwork for this production. Six individual 14-foot glass sculptures, which represent the castle doors, will be revealed during the course of the performance by the Nashville Symphony.
September 12
Russia’s Greatest Hits
Giancarlo Guerrero, Conductor
Stephen Hough, Piano
Rimsky-Korsakov – Russian Easter Overture, Op. 36
Tchaikovsky – Concerto for Piano No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23
Mussorgsky/orch. Ravel – Pictures at an Exhibition
Vividly brought to life by Ravel’s brilliant orchestration, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition immortalizes the artwork of his friend, painter Victor Hartmann, in a series of imaginative musical sketches that concludes with the breathtaking “The Great Gate of Kiev.” Award-winning soloist Stephen Hough will display his impeccable musicianship on Tchaikovsky’s powerfully dramatic Piano Concerto No. 1, one of the composer’s most enduring works. This all-Russian program begins with Rimsky-Korsakov’s evocation of an Easter celebration in his native land.
