NSO Classical: 2008-2009 Season

Past Events

• Nights at the Movies: Classical Hollywood

  Thu., Sep. 11, 2008, 8:00 PM
  Conductor/host Richard Kaufman leads movie music accompanied by images. In Classical Hollywood, enjoy Disney's Sleeping Beauty, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Raging Bull, Alien, Forrest Gump, and more.

• Nights at the Movies: The Golden Age of Film Music

  Fri., Sep. 12, 2008, 8:00 PM
  Conductor/host Richard Kaufman leads movie music accompanied by images. In this concert, enjoy selections from Lawrence of Arabia, Spartacus, Gone with the Wind, The Magnificent Seven, North by Northwest, and more.

• Season Opening Ball Concert

  Sat., Sep. 20, 2008, 7:00 PM
  Itzhak Perlman conducts a concert featuring viola virtuoso Pinchas Zukerman and rising star cellist Alisa Weilerstein. For more information on tickets to the Season Opening Ball, call (202) 416-8102.

• Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor/Hélène Grimaud, piano, plays Beethoven

  Oct. 2 - 4, 2008
  "Hélène Grimaud is a fine pianist, both sensitive and passionate," says the New York Times. She makes her NSO debut in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4. Miguel Harth-Bedoya also conducts Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5.

• Iván Fischer, conductor/Mahler's Symphony No. 3

  Oct. 16 - 18, 2008
  NSO Principal Conductor Iván Fischer leads Mahler's masterful Symphony No. 3. The Philadelphia Enquirer says he "conducts with a boldness… warm, distinctly pliant sounds."

• Iván Fischer, conductor/Steven Isserlis, cello, plays Haydn

  Oct. 23 - 25, 2008
  "Steve Isserlis is the cello's best ambassador," says The Times of London. He makes his NSO debut in Haydn's Cello Concerto in C major led by NSO Principal Conductor Iván Fischer. The program also includes Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2.

• Iván Fischer, conductor/All-Wagner Program

  Oct. 30 - Nov. 1, 2008
  NSO Principal Conductor Iván Fischer leads an all-Wagner program featuring selections from Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Götterdämmerung, Tristan und Isolde, and Die Walküre.

• Michael Christie, conductor/Jennifer Koh, violin, plays Bernstein

  Nov. 13 - 15, 2008
  Violinist Jennifer Koh performs Bernstein's Serenade. In his NSO debut, conductor Michael Christie also leads two masterpieces by Stravinsky.

• Yakov Kreizberg, conductor/Lars Vogt, piano, plays Mozart

  Nov. 20 - 22, 2008
  Lars Vogt makes his NSO debut in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20. Conductor Yakov Kreizberg also leads works by Dvo?ák and Schmidt.

• Itzhak Perlman, conductor & violin/Bach, Mozart, & Tchaikovsky

  Dec. 4 - 6, 2008
  Itzhak Perlman – who exhibits "playing of great honesty" (Los Angeles Times) – performs J. S. Bach's Violin Concerto in A minor. He also conducts Mozart's "Haffner" Symphony and Tchaikovsky's "Pathétique" Symphony.

• Handel's Messiah

  Dec. 18 - 21, 2008
  Get in the holiday spirit with Handel's epic masterpiece, performed each year with a fresh perspective by the NSO and acclaimed guest artists.

• Philippe Jordan, conductor/Lynn Harrell, cello, plays Schumann

  Jan. 8 - 10, 2009
  Lynn Harrell performs Schumann's Cello Concerto. Philippe Jordan, in his NSO debut, also conducts Prokofiev's Classical Symphony and Beethoven's Symphony No. 4.

• Ilan Volkov, conductor/Leif Ove Andsnes, piano, plays Rachmaninoff

  Jan. 15 - 17, 2009
  In his NSO debut, Leif Ove Andsnes performs Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3. The New York Times says his "elegant pianism… has plenty of sparkle and vigor." Ilan Volkov also conducts works by Stravinsky and Crumb.

• Emmanuel Krivine, conductor/Yundi Li, piano, plays Ravel

  Jan. 22 - 24, 2009
  Yundi Li performs Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major conducted by Emmanuel Krivine. Also on the program: Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique.

• André at 80: An Evening with André Previn and Anne-Sophie Mutter

  Sat., Jan. 31, 2009, 8:00 PM
  Two world-class virtuoso musicians – Kennedy Center Honoree André Previn and "superbly gifted" (The New York Times) violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter - join forces for this one-night-only special concert.

• Iván Fischer, conductor/Bartók & Dvorák

  Feb. 5 - 7, 2009
  NSO Principal Conductor Iván Fischer leads a program featuring Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra and Dvorák's Symphony No. 7.

• Charles Dutoit, conductor/Yuja Wang, piano, plays Prokofiev

  Feb. 19 - 21, 2009
  Charles Dutoit – praised for his "keenly propulsive conducting" by the New York Times – leads the Orchestra in Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2 featuring the NSO debut of Yuja Wang. The program also includes Stravinsky's The Firebird.

• Hannu Lintu, conductor/Gil Shaham, violin, plays Stravinsky

  Feb. 26 - 28, 2009
  Gil Shaham performs Stravinsky's Violin Concerto. In his NSO debut, Hannu Lintu also conducts the Divertimento from Stravinsky's The Fairy's Kiss as well as works by Adès and Weill.

• Herbert Blomstedt, conductor/Jonathan Biss, piano, plays Mozart

  Mar. 19 - 21, 2009
  Jonathan Biss performs Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 27. Conducted by Herbert Blomstedt, the program also includes Bruckner's Symphony No. 9.

• Nights at the Movies: Buster Keaton's The General

  Sat., Apr. 4, 2009, 8:00 PM
  Watch the entire classic silent film with the score performed live by the NSO and acclaimed organist Dennis James.

• Kurt Masur, conductor/All-Brahms Program

  Apr. 9 - 11, 2009
  The Times of London says "Kurt Masur has extraordinary joie de vivre." With the NSO, he conducts two classics by Brahms: Haydn-Variations and Ein deutsches Requiem.

• Iván Fischer, conductor/Leonidas Kavakos, violin, plays Mendelssohn (Thu. & Sat.) & Tchaikovsky (Fri.)

  Apr. 16 - 18, 2009
  NSO Principal Conductor Iván Fischer leads a new work by Daniel Kellogg plus Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5. Leonidas Kavakos also performs Violin Concertos by Mendelssohn (Thu. & Sat.) and Tchaikovsky (Fri.).

• David Zinman, conductor/Brahms's Symphony No. 4

  Apr. 23 - 25, 2009
  London's The Guardian says "David Zinman has a scrupulous but luxurious touch." With the NSO, he conducts Brahms's Symphony No. 4, Webern's Langsamer Satz, and Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht.

• Helmuth Rilling, conductor/Haydn's The Creation

  Apr. 30 - May 2, 2009
  Helmuth Rilling conducts Haydn's The Creation featuring acclaimed vocal soloists and the University of Maryland Concert Choir.

• Oliver Knussen, conductor/Leila Josefowicz, violin, plays Knussen

  May 7 - 9, 2009
  As part of CrossCurrents: Contemporary Music Week, Oliver Knussen leads a program that includes his own Violin Concerto. The work features Leila Josefowicz, who the Chicago Sun-Times says "plays with a zest and fiery personality."

• Jun Märkl, conductor/Garrick Ohlsson, piano, plays Mozart

  May 14 - 16, 2009
  Garrick Ohlsson performs Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 25. In his NSO debut, Jun Märkl also conducts two works by Schumann: Konzertstück for 4 Horns and the "Spring" Symphony.
  

• Nights at the Movies: A Night on the Red Carpet

  Thu., May 21, 2009, 8:00 PM
  Conductor/host Richard Kaufman leads movie music accompanied by images. In this concert, enjoy selections from Oscar-winning movies including Ben Hur, Casablanca, Dr. Zhivago, Out of Africa, Star Trek 2009 and more.

• Andreas Delfs, conductor/Karita Mattila, soprano, sings Richard Strauss

  Jun. 25 - 27, 2009
  Karita Mattila, "… in a class of her own" (Los Angeles Times), makes her NSO debut in a program conducted by Andreas Delfs that includes Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs and Also Sprach Zarathustra.

• Salute to Apollo: The Kennedy Legacy

  Sat., Jul. 18, 2009, 8:00 PM