Utah Symphony Announces 2016-17 Season

Music Director Thierry Fischer and Interim President and CEO Patricia A. Richards today announced the Utah Symphony's 2016-17 masterworks season programs and events for its 76th season. Highlights include three full composer cycles featuring all five of Beethoven's piano concertos and all four symphonies composed by Brahms and Ives; live recording of works by Prokofiev with the Utah Symphony Chorus and University of Utah choirs to be released in 2017; the Utah Symphony debuts of conductors Juraj Valcuha and Richard Egarr, pianists Alexander Gavrylyuk and Francesco Piemontesi, violinist Noah Bendix-Balgley (1st concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic), and oboist François Leleux; internationally-renowned piano soloists Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Jonathan Biss and Jeffrey Kahane; and the return by popular demand of guest conductors Hans Graf, Mark Wigglesworth, Jun Märkl, and Kazuki Yamada, who made his U.S. conducting debut with Utah Symphony in May 2015.

The masterworks series will feature well-recognized classical symphonic works including Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, Mozart's "Requiem", Dvorak's 9th Symphony "From the New World," Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3, and Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring."

"During our 75th anniversary season we felt it was important to highlight performing arts institutions throughout Utah with incredible on-stage collaborations," said Music Director Thierry Fischer. "In 2016-17, we will put the focus back on the orchestra and say thank you to our audiences by performing some of the most frequently requested repertoire. This season promises to be a thrilling orchestral showcase from start to finish, and I am so proud to show off the growing excellence of the Utah Symphony. We are truly on a remarkable journey."

After an absence of 17 seasons, the Utah Symphony welcomes back piano great and seven-time GRAMMY-winner Emanuel Ax for Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor." He previously performed with the Utah Symphony under Maurice Abravanel (his Utah Symphony debut was in February 1978), Joseph Silverstein in October 1992, and Keith Lockhart in September 1999. Yefim Bronfman, one of the world's most acclaimed piano soloists, returns to the Abravanel Hall stage April 14 and 15 to perform Beethoven Piano Concerti Nos. 3 and 4, on one concert program.

Conductor Juraj Valcuha makes his debut with the Utah Symphony conducting Bartók's Dance Suite and Janá?ek's Sinfonietta on October 21 and 22, following a guest conducting stint with the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and the Montreal Symphony. Maestro. Valcuha is currently principal conductor of the prestigious Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai, considered to be one of Italy's great cultural institutions. Maestro Valcuha's soloist for Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3, Andrey Gugnin, is the 2014 Gold Medal winner of the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition.

On November 4 and 5, the weekend before the 2016 Presidential Election, the Utah Symphony will present three great symphonies, featuring Haydn's Symphony No. 7 "Le Midi/Noon," American composer Charles Ives' Symphony No. 1 and Dvo?ák's Symphony No. 9 "From the New World."

2016-17 SEASON AT A GLANCE

Thierry Fischer programs three complete cycles

Maestro Fischer and the Utah Symphony will perform three complete composer cycles during the 2016-17 Masterworks season, beginning with all five Beethoven piano concertos featuring guest soloists Jonathan Biss performing Piano Concerto No. 1 on opening weekend, September 9 and 10; Emanuel Ax playing Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor" on September 16 and 17; Jeffery Kahane playing Piano Concerto No. 2 on December 2 and 3; and Yefim Bronfman performing both Piano Concertos Nos. 3 and 4 on April 14 and 15.

Utah Symphony will present a cycle of all four of Johannes Brahms' symphonies, starting with the composer's First Symphony on September 16 and 17, Symphony No. 3 on November 11 and 12, Symphony No. 2 on February 3 and 4 paired with the composer's "Academic Festival" Overture, and Symphony No. 4 on February 23 and 25.

The third cycle presented by Maestro Fischer on the 2016-17 season is devoted to all four of Charles Ives' symphonies, which he begins on November 4 and 5 with the composer's First Symphony, immediately followed by Symphony No. 3 "The Camp Meeting" on November 11 and 12. He begins the New Year on January 6 and 7 with Symphony No. 2, and ends the Ives cycle on February 17 and 18 with Symphony No. 4 paired with Mozart's Requiem.

All-Prokofiev recording

The Utah Symphony will record an all-Prokofiev album featuring two of the composer's film-inspired scores: the symphonic suite from "Lieutenant Kijé" and the "Alexander Nevsky" Cantata. The album will be released in 2017 from live Utah Symphony performances conducted by Music Director Thierry Fischer in Abravanel Hall on November 18 and 19, 2016. This will be the fourth live album released by the Orchestra and Maestro Fischer: Mahler's Symphony No. 1 "Titan" was released in September 2015, and a recording of world premiere commissions by three American composers is to be released in April 2016, coinciding with the Utah Symphony's first performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City in more than 40 years. Both recordings were released as part of the Orchestra's 75th anniversary celebrations. Mahler's Symphony No. 8 "Symphony of a Thousand" will be recorded with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and The Madeleine Choir School on February 19 and 20 inside the Salt Lake Tabernacle as part of the O.C Tanner Gift of Music concert series and released on Reference Recordings in 2017.

Guest conductors in the spotlight

The Utah Symphony welcomes a distinguished roster of guest conductors during the 2016-17 season. Following engagements with the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and Montreal Symphony Orchestra, guest conductor Juraj Valcuha will make his Utah Symphony conducting debut leading Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 and Bartók's Dance Suite on October 21 and 22. On March 24 and 25, guest conductor Richard Egarr will make his Utah Symphony debut on an all-Bach program that includes Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 and features Egarr as the soloist in the composer's Piano Concerto in D Minor. Returning by popular demand to the Abravanel Hall stage are Hans Graf, Mark Wigglesworth, Jun Märkl, and Kazuki Yamada.

Acclaimed international pianists

This season the Utah Symphony presents eight internationally-acclaimed pianists at Abravanel Hall, performing concertos by composers ranging from Beethoven to Rachmaninoff, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky. Maestro Fischer and the Utah Symphony launch the 2016-17 season during two consecutive weekends in September with piano greats Jonathan Biss playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 on September 9 and 10, and the following weekend, September 16 and 17, Emanuel Ax performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor." Andrey Gugnin performs Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 with guest conductor Juraj Valcuha on October 21 and 22, and Alexander Gavrylyuk makes his Utah Symphony debut on November 11 and 12 under Maestro Fisher performing Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2 will be performed December 2 and 3 by Jeffrey Kahane on a program led by guest conductor Hans Graf that also features symphonies by Rachmaninoff and Mozart. Francesco Piemontesi makes his Utah Symphony debut in two concerts January 13 and 14 performing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 27, led by guest conductor Mark Wigglesworth. On April 14 and 15, piano sensation Yefim Bronfman returns to the Abravanel Hall stage to perform Beethoven's Piano Concerti 3 and 4 in one concert under the direction of Maestro Fischer. Finally, German pianist Benyamin Nuss will perform Gershwin's beloved classic, "Rhapsody in Blue," on May 5 and 6.

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2016-17 MASTERWORKS SERIES GUEST ARTISTS

GUEST CONDUCTORS
Hans Graf
Mark Wigglesworth
Jun Märkl
Kazuki Yamada
Juraj Valcuha
Richard Egarr

GUEST PIANISTS
Emanuel Ax
Yefim Bronfman
Jonathan Biss
Andrey Gugnin
Jeffrey Kahane
Benyamin Nuss

UTAH SYMPHONY DEBUT GUEST SOLOISTS
Alexander Gavrylyuk, piano
Francesco Piemontesi, piano
Noah Bendix-Balgley, violin
François Leleux, oboe

GUEST STRINGS SOLOISTS
Narek Hakhnazaryan, cello
Fumiaki Miura, violin
Karen Gomyo, violin
Simone Porter, violin

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Tickets and Subscriptions

Subscription renewals and purchases are available online at www.utahsymphony.org starting January 27, 2016. 2015-16 season subscribers have until March 31, 2016 to renew their subscriptions or request seat changes for the 2016-17 season before seats will be released to new subscribers and subscribers requesting seat changes. Subscriptions may also be renewed or purchased by calling (801) 533-6683 or by visiting the Abravanel Hall Ticket Office (123 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah).

To request a 2016-17 Utah Symphony season brochure, please call Utah Symphony | Utah Opera Patron Services at (801) 533-6683, email info@usuo.org, or write to ATTN: USUO Patron Services, 123 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101.

Single tickets for the 2016-17 Utah Symphony season will be available starting June 28, 2016.

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2016-17 O.C. TANNER COMPANY MASTERWORKS SERIES

Beethoven & Tchaikovsky
September 9 & 10, 2016 | 7:30 p.m. Abravanel Hall Thierry Fischer, conductor
Jonathan Biss, piano
HANDEL Music for the Royal Fireworks
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 1
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5

Emanuel Ax plays Beethoven's "Emperor"
September 15, 2016 | 7:30 p.m. Browning Center, Ogden
September 16 & 17, 2016 | 7:30 p.m. Abravanel Hall
Thierry Fischer, conductor
Emanuel Ax, piano
BEETHOVEN Overture to Fidelio
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor"
BRAHMS Symphony No. 1

Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3
October 20, 2016 | 7:30 p.m. Browning Center, Ogden
October 21 & 22, 2016 | 7:30 p.m. Abravanel Hall
Juraj Valcuha, conductor (Utah Symphony debut) Andrey Gugnin, piano
RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 3
BARTÓK Dance Suite
JANÁ?EK Sinfonietta

Dvo?ák's "New World" Symphony
November 4 & 5, 2016 | 7:30 p.m. Abravanel Hall Thierry Fischer, conductor
HAYDN Symphony No. 7 "Noon"
IVES Symphony No. 1
DVO?ÁK Symphony No. 9 "From the New World"

Brahms & Tchaikovsky
November 10, 2016 | 7:30 p.m. Browning Center, Ogden
November 11 & 12, 2016 | 7:30 p.m. Abravanel Hall
Thierry Fischer, conductor
Alexander Gavrylyuk, piano (Utah Symphony debut)
IVES Symphony No. 3 "The Camp Meeting"
BRAHMS Symphony No. 3
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1

The Music of Prokofiev
November 18 & 19, 2016 | 7:30 p.m. Abravanel Hall Thierry Fischer, conductor
Madeline Adkins, violin (Utah Symphony concerto debut)
Utah Symphony Chorus*
University of Utah Choirs*
PROKOFIEV Lieutenant Kijé, Symphonic Suite
PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No. 2, (Concertmaster Madeline Adkins in her Utah Symphony concerto debut)
PROKOFIEV Alexander Nevsky, Cantata*

Beethoven & Rachmaninoff
December 2 & 3, 2016 | 7:30 p.m. Abravanel Hall Hans Graf, conductor
Jeffrey Kahane, piano
MOZART Symphony No. 19
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 2
RACHMANINOFF Symphony No. 3

Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto
January 6 & 7, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. Abravanel Hall Thierry Fischer, conductor
Noah Bendix-Balgley, violin (Utah Symphony debut)
IVES Symphony No. 2
WEBERN Variations for Orchestra
TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto

Tristan & Isolde
January 13 & 14, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. Abravanel Hall Mark Wigglesworth, conductor
Francesco Piemontesi, piano (Utah Symphony debut)
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 27
WAGNER (arr. Henk de Vlieger) Tristan and Isolde, an orchestral passion

Brahms' Symphony No. 2
February 2, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. Browning Center, Ogden
February 3 & 4, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. Abravanel Hall
Thierry Fischer, conductor
Narek Hakhnazaryan, cello
BRAHMS Academic Festival Overture
SHOSTAKOVICH Cello Concerto No. 1
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2

Mozart's Requiem
February 17 & 18, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. Abravanel Hall Thierry Fischer, conductor
Utah Symphony Chorus
MOZART Requiem
IVES Symphony No. 4

Brahms' Symphony No. 4
February 24 & 25, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. Abravanel Hall Thierry Fischer, conductor
François Leleux, oboe (Utah Symphony debut)
HUMMEL Introduction, Theme, and Variations for Oboe and Orchestra
MICHAEL JARRELL Oboe Concerto (U.S. premiere, Utah Symphony co-commission)
BRAHMS Symphony No. 4

An Evening of Bach
March 24 & 25, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. Abravanel Hall Richard Egarr, conductor & piano (Utah Symphony debut)
Mercedes Smith, flute
Madeline Adkins, violin
J.S. BACH Orchestral Suite No. 3
J.S. BACH Brandenburg Concerto No. 5
J.S. BACH Piano Concerto in D Minor
J.S. BACH Orchestral Suite No. 4

Pictures at an Exhibition
April 6, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. Browning Center, Ogden
April 7 & 8, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. Abravanel Hall Thierry Fischer, conductor
Fumiaki Miura, violin
ELGAR Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1
ELGAR Violin Concerto
RAVEL/BOULEZ Frontispice
MUSSORGSKY/RAVEL Pictures at an Exhibition

Bronfman plays Beethoven Piano Concerti 3 & 4
April 14 & 15, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. Abravanel Hall Thierry Fischer, conductor
Yefim Bronfman, piano
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3
BERG Three Pieces for Orchestra
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4

Barber's Violin Concerto
April 28 & 29, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. Abravanel Hall Jun Märkl, conductor
Karen Gomyo, violin
BARBER Adagio for Strings
BARBER Violin Concerto
BRAHMS Piano Quartet No. 1 (orchestrated by Arnold Schoenberg)

Rhapsody in Blue
May 5 & 6, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. Abravanel Hall Kazuki Yamada, conductor
Benyamin Nuss, piano
COPLAND El Salón México
GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Scheherazade

The Rite of Spring
May 26 & 27, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. Abravanel Hall Thierry Fischer, conductor
Simone Porter, violin
TCHAIKOVSKY Souvenir d'un lieu cher
VARÈSE Amériques
STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring

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