Boston Symphony Presents Rare Concert of VIVALDI, KROMMER, JOLIVET, ROTA and SCHUMANN

To ring in the New Year, Assistant Conductor Ken-David Masur and the Boston Symphony Orchestra dedicate three concerts Thursday, January 5-Saturday, January 7 to the artistry of nine BSO members performing as soloists with the orchestra. The program includes Vivaldi's Piccolo Concerto in C, RV 443, featuring Cynthia Meyers as soloist; Krommer's Concerto No. 2 for two clarinets and orchestra, Op. 91, featuring William R. Hudgins and Michael Wayne; Jolivet's Concertino for trumpet, piano, and strings, featuring BSO principal trumpet Thomas Rolfs; Rota's Trombone Concerto, featuring principal trombone Toby Oft; and Schumann's Konzertstück (Concert Piece) for four horns and orchestra, featuring horn players James Sommerville, Michael Winter, Rachel Childers, and Jason Snider.

PROGRAM DETAILS
Antonio Vivaldi was and is the king of concertos, writing more than 500 of them (that we know of-there were likely more that have been lost) for all kinds of solo instruments, as well as groupings of instruments, over the course of his career. Only three of these are for flautino, a small, high-pitched recorder that had a similar range as the modern piccolo, on which these works are most often performed today. The delightful Concerto in C, RV 443, is extraordinarily virtuosic, even when compared with most of Vivaldi's other concertos for woodwind instruments. The first and last movements are dazzling and energetic, with copious finger- and lung-busting passagework for the piccolo, and the middle movement Largo provides an opportunity for the soloist to display a more lyrical touch.

Franz Krommer was a Moravian-born composer who settled in Vienna and whose life roughly spanned The Combined lifetimes of Mozart and Beethoven. He was a prolific and respected composer, especially of string quartets and other chamber music, and of music for woodwinds, but his legacy has been obscured by the long shadows of his two legendary contemporaries. His Concerto No. 2 for two clarinets was written around 1815 and is a wonderful example of his talent. It showcases the solo instruments brilliantly, using their entire range and creating an almost operatic sense of drama and dialogue among the two soloists and the orchestra.

French composer André Jolivet called his ten-minute Concertino for trumpet, piano, and strings a "ballet for trumpet." A dynamic work in three sections from 1948, the Concertino is adventurous throughout, combining a complete exploration of the expressive capabilities of the trumpet with a general combination of timbral experimentation and rhythmic variety. Italian composer Nino Rota is best known for scoring Coppola's first two Godfather films as well as all of Fellini's films for a 37-year period, but he was also a versatile and prolific composer of concert and stage works. His Trombone Concerto, a largely upbeat and playful piece, was composed in 1966 and is one of the most important concertos for the instrument.

Robert Schumann's Konzertstück (Concert Piece) for four horns provides an unusual and exhilarating showcase for four great hornists, allowing opportunities for each to shine individually as well as the rare opportunity for a small ensemble of horns to take the spotlight. In three movements, fast-slow-fast, it fulfills every expectation of a concerto, and it is unclear why Schumann did not give it that label. The first movement is lively and complex, with intricate interwoven passages for the horns and the orchestra. The second movement, labeled "Romanze" is a beautifully lyric creation with a moving chorale section for the horns, and the finale once again provides a jolt of energy, with much of the music centered on racing scales and arpeggios.

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TICKET, SPONSORSHIP, AND OTHER PATRON INFORMATION

TICKET INFORMATION
Subscriptions for the BSO's 2016-17 season are available by calling the BSO Subscription Office at 888-266-7575 or online through the BSO's website (http://www.bso.org/subscriptions). Single tickets, available from $25-165, may be purchased by phone through SymphonyCharge (617-266-1200 or 888-266-1200), online through the BSO's website (www.bso.org), or in person at the Symphony Hall Box Office (301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston). There is a $6.50 service fee for all tickets purchased online or by phone through SymphonyCharge. Mastercard is the Preferred Card of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

A limited number of Rush Tickets for Boston Symphony Orchestra subscription concerts on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and Friday afternoons are set aside to be sold on the day of a performance. These tickets are sold at $9 each, one to a customer, at the Symphony Hall Box Office. For Friday afternoon concerts Rush Tickets are available beginning at 10 a.m. For Tuesday and Thursday evening concerts Rush Tickets are available beginning at 5 p.m.

The BSO's <40=$20 program allows patrons under the age of 40 to purchase tickets for $20. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis on both the orchestra and balcony levels. There is a limit of one pair per performance, but patrons may attend as many performances as desired.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra offers groups advanced ticket reservations and flexible payment options for BSO concerts at Symphony Hall. Groups of 20 or more may take advantage of ticket discounts, backstage tours, clinics, and master classes. Pre- and post-concert dining options and private function space are available. More information is available through the group sales office at groupsales@bso.org.

The BSO College Card and High School Card are the best way for students and aspiring young musicians to experience the BSO on a regular basis. For only $25 (College Card) or $10 (High School Card) students can attend most BSO concerts at no additional cost by registering the card online to receive notifications of ticket availability.

American Express, MasterCard, Visa, Diners Club, and Discover (in person or by mail) and cash (in person only) are all accepted at the Symphony Hall Box Office. Gift certificates are available in any amount and may be used toward the purchase of tickets (subject to availability) to any Boston Symphony Orchestra or Boston Pops performance at Symphony Hall or Tanglewood. Gift certificates may also be used at the Symphony Shop to purchase merchandise.

Patrons with disabilities can access Symphony Hall through the Massachusetts Avenue lobby or the Cohen Wing on Huntington Avenue. An access service center, accessible restrooms, and elevators are available inside the Cohen Wing entrance. For ticket information, call the Access Services Administrator at 617-638-9431 or TDD/TTY 617-638-9289.

Educational Initiatives at Symphony Hall
As part of the BSO's ongoing initiative to enhance its patrons' awareness and knowledge of the music being performed, the Boston Symphony Orchestra continues to offer a variety of adult education initiatives at Symphony Hall for the 2016-17 season.

This season will continue the popular "Casual Fridays" program, which encourages both patrons and the orchestra to come dressed in comfortable clothing. The three evening "Casual Friday" concerts in September, February, and March will feature both a pre-concert reception and post-concert reception with live music until midnight. The evening will incorporate a technology component to engage audiences with content related to the evening's performance.

BSO 101 returns in 2016-17, again offering the opportunity to increase your enjoyment of BSO concerts. These free Wednesday sessions with BSO Director of Program Publications Marc Mandel joined by members of the BSO are designed to enhance your listening abilities and appreciation of music by focusing on upcoming BSO repertoire. In addition, each session is followed by a free tour of Symphony Hall. Dates and more information will be provided in your Subscription Package, and at bso.org in the fall. RSVPs for the BSO 101 sessions will not be accepted until the fall. Visit bso.org for details. Full details of the 2016-17 "BSO 101" schedule will be announced at a later date.

The popular Friday Preview Talks continue to take place from 12:15-12:45 p.m. before each Friday-afternoon subscription concert; the Symphony Hall doors open at 11:30 a.m. Given by BSO Director of Program Publications Marc Mandel, Assistant Director of Program Publications Robert Kirzinger, and occasional guest speakers, these informative half-hour talks incorporate recorded examples from the music to be performed. The BSO also offers talks before each of the season's four Thursday-morning Open Rehearsals at Symphony Hall. These take place from 9:30-10 a.m. The Symphony Hall doors open at 9 a.m., and the Open Rehearsal itself begins at 10:30 a.m. Admission to the Friday Preview Talks and Open Rehearsal Talks is free of charge free to ticket holders for the Friday-afternoon subscription concerts and Thursday-morning Open Rehearsals.

BSO Media Offerings
The Boston Symphony Orchestra's extensive website, BSO.org, is one of the world's largest and most-visited orchestral websites, receiving approximately 10 million visitors annually and generating over $111 million in revenue since its launch in 1996. The Boston Symphony Orchestra is on Facebook at Facebook.com/BostonSymphony on Twitter at Twitter.com/BostonSymphony, and on Google+ at Google.com/+bostonsymphony. Video content from the BSO is also available at YouTube.com/BostonSymphony.

The site's Media Center, consolidates its numerous new media initiatives in one location. In addition to comprehensive access to all BSO, Boston Pops, Tanglewood, and Symphony Hall performance schedules, patrons have access to a number of free and paid media options. Free offerings include WGBH radio broadcast streams of select BSO, Boston Pops, and Tanglewood performances; free live music streams for select seasonal offerings including the upcoming Spring Pops music stream (May 2016); audio concert preview podcasts; Emmy Award-winning audio and video interviews with guest artists and BSO musicians; music excerpts, of up to three minutes, highlighting upcoming programs as well as all self-produced albums by the BSO, Boston Pops, Boston Symphony Chamber Players, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and Tanglewood Music Center Fellows, and complete program notes for all performances, which can be downloaded and printed or saved offline to an e-reading device such as a Kindle or Nook. The BSO's recent Grammy-winning album Shostakovich: Under Stalin's Shadow is also available at www.bso.org

Paid content includes digital music downloads produced and published under the BSO's music label BSO Classics and includes performances by the BSO, Boston Pops, Boston Symphony Chamber Players, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and Tanglewood Music Center Fellows. The BSO Media Center is available by visiting BSO.org/mediacenter.

BSO.org is mobile device compatible. Patrons can visit BSO.org on their mobile device to access performance schedules, purchase tickets as well as pre-performance food and beverages, download program notes, listen to radio broadcasts, music clips, and concert previews, watch video exclusives, and make donations to the BSO-all in the palm of their hand. The BSO also released a new app during the 2015-16 season called, "During the Event," which provides users with such new media content as concert program notes and multimedia video podcasts relating to specific concerts, as well as practical information including maps of Symphony Hall, details about available dining options, and a complete schedule of special events.

Radio Broadcasts and Streaming
BSO concerts are broadcast regularly on 99.5 WCRB, a service of WGBH. Saturday evening concerts are broadcast live on 99.5 in Boston and 88.7 in Providence, on HD radio at 89.7 HD2 in Boston, and online-both live and archived-at www.classicalwcrb.org. Live and archived BSO concerts can also be streamed online at www.bso.org. Listeners can enjoy the "BSO Concert Channel" online, a continuous high-quality audio stream of live BSO performances from Symphony Hall and Tanglewood. In addition, BSO concerts are now heard throughout New England and upstate New York, on a network of stations including WAMC in Albany, NY, WMNR in Monroe, CT, Vermont Public Radio, New Hampshire Public Radio, Maine Public Broadcasting Network, and New England Public Radio. BSO broadcasts on 99.5 WCRB begin at 8 p.m. on Saturday nights, and are repeated at 8 p.m. on Monday evenings.

Food Services at Symphony Hall
The Boston Symphony Orchestra's catering partner, Boston Gourmet, offers a fresh perspective on the food and beverage options offered at Symphony Hall before concerts, during intermission, and in the popular Symphony Café. Symphony Café offers dining from 5:30 p.m. until concert time for all evening Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts. In addition, Symphony Café is open for lunch prior to Friday-afternoon concerts. Patrons enjoy the convenience of pre-concert dining at the Café in the unique ambiance of historic Symphony Hall. The cost of dinner is $39 per person; the cost of lunch is $25, tax included. The Café is located in Higginson Hall; patrons enter through the Cohen Wing entrance on Huntington Avenue. Please call 617-638-9328 for reservations.

Additionally, casual pre-concert and intermission dining, including sandwiches, light appetizers, and desserts, is available at the snack bar outside the O'Block/Kay Room and Cabot-Cahners Room. Drink coupons, Light appetizers, entrees, desserts, and packages that features an appetizer and half-bottle of wine can also be ordered on the BSO's Website at www.bso.org/dining. During the night of the concert all pre-orders can be picked up at the Cabot-Cahners Room.

There are two lounges in Symphony Hall. The O'Block/Kay Room on the Orchestra level and Cabot-Cahners Room on the first balcony level serve drinks starting one hour prior to each performance. For the Friday afternoon concerts, both rooms open at 11:00 AM, with sandwiches available until concert time. Drink coupons may be purchased in advance online or through Symphony Charge for all performances.

Symphony Hall Shop and Tours
The Symphony Shop, located in the Cohen Wing on Huntington Avenue, is open Thursdays and Saturdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., and from one hour before concert time through intermission. A satellite shop, located on the first-balcony level, is open during concerts through intermission. Merchandise may also be purchased by visiting the BSO website at http://www.bso.org/shop. The shop can be reached at 617-638-9383.

The Boston Symphony Association of Volunteers offers weekly public and private tours of Symphony Hall during the BSO seasons. For more information on taking an Irving W. and Charlotte F. Rabb Symphony Hall tour, please visit us at www.bso.org. You may also emailbsav@bso.org, or call 617-638-9390 to confirm specific dates and times. Schedules are subject to change.

SPONSORSHIPS
Bank of America is the Lead Sponsor and Dell EMC is the Supporting Sponsor of the 2016-17 BSO Season. Opening Night at Symphony is a Mastercard Priceless® experience. The Arbella Insurance Foundation is the sponsor of the BSO Casual Fridays Series, BSO College Card, Youth & Family Concerts, and the BSO Young Professionals (YoPro) prograM. Fairmont Copley Plaza begins its 15th season as the Official Hotel of the BSO, and Delta Air Lines returns as the Official Airline of the BSO. Commonwealth Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation begins its 14th season as the Official Chauffeured Transportation of the BSO.

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