November 6, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE OREGON SYMPHONY IN DECEMBER:
CLASSICAL RARITIES -- AND A BIG HELPING OF HOLIDAY DELIGHTS

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(PORTLAND, Ore.) – The Oregon Symphony welcomes the winter season with a December concert line-up that opens with a program of seldom-played Classical works, centered around what promises to be an unforgettable performance of Béla Bartók’s Second Piano Concerto by one of the world’s premier pianists, Yefim Bronfman. Then it’s a full-speed-ahead sprint to the holidays with four consecutive seasonal programs that are sure to include something to warm the heart of every listener as 2009 nears its big finish. Complete details follow:

 

SATURDAY-MONDAY, DEC. 5-7:
PIANIST YEFIM BRONFMAN TACKLES THE CHALLENGING BARTÓK SECOND

• When and Where: Three performances, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5 and 6, and 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7; Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

• The Performers: The Oregon Symphony, with Music Director Carlos Kalmar on the podium, joined by piano soloist Yefim Bronfman.

• The Program:
• Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 1
• Béla Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 2
• Charles Ives: Three Places in New England
• Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 104, “London”

• Tickets: $15 to $100; at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office, 923 SW Washington St., in downtown Portland. Ticket office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 during the same hours, at the concert hall box office starting two hours before the performance, or online at any time from the orchestra’s web site, OrSymphony.org.  

• What’s So Special About These Concerts:
• One of the world’s great pianists, Yefim Bronfman, makes a rare Portland appearance at these concerts, returning to the Oregon Symphony for the first time in 18 years. (Bronfman’s last Oregon Symphony collaboration was in January 1992.)
• Bronfman plays Bartok’s Piano Concerto No. 2, considered, paradoxically, to be one of the composer’s most accessible pieces for listeners and among the most challenging for performers. Bronfman’s recording of the same concerto with the Los Angeles Philharmonic earned him a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance.
• The four works on the program are all Oregon Symphony rarities. Three of them have each been performed by the orchestra only once before in its entire history: Haydn Symphony No. 1 in 1993, the Bartok concerto in 1982 and Ives’ Three Places in New England in 1976. The final work – Haydn’s final symphony, No. 104 – is rarer still; it hasn’t been performed here since 1975.  
• The concert offers a unique opportunity to experience how Haydn – known as the father of the symphony – developed over time as it presents both his first and last symphonies on the same program.
• Ives’ Three Places in New England, composed in the early years of the 20th century, is filled with recognizable melodies intended to convey an impression of three well-known American landmarks.

 

FRIDAY-SUNDAY, DEC. 11-13:
GOSPEL CHRISTMAS RETURNS FOR ITS 11TH INSPIRATIONAL YEAR

• When and Where: Three performances, at 7:30 p.m. each evening, Friday through Sunday, Dec. 11-13; Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

• The Performers: The Oregon Symphony, led by Guest Conductor Charles Floyd, with the Northwest Community Gospel Choir under the direction of Gary Hemenway.

• The Program:
• A variety of contemporary and holiday Gospel favorites, as well as original arrangements for choir and orchestra by conductor Charles Floyd.

• Tickets: $20 to $93; at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office, 923 SW Washington St., in downtown Portland. Ticket office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 during the same hours, at the concert hall box office starting two hours before the performance, or online at any time from the orchestra’s web site, OrSymphony.org. Tickets are also available from Ticketmaster.com.

• What’s So Special About These Concerts:
• Now in their 11th season, the Oregon Symphony’s annual Gospel Christmas concerts have become a much-loved Portland holiday tradition, with many audience members returning year after year – and some snapping up tickets a year in advance.
• The 100+ singers in the Northwest Community Gospel Choir join together specifically for these concerts each year. Choir members come from the choirs of more than 30 local churches and meet every Saturday for three months to rehearse for Gospel Christmas under the direction of Gary Hemenway, pastor of Journey Church in Walla Walla, WA.
• Los Angeles-based conductor Charles Floyd – a nationally known pianist, arranger and composer himself – has conducted every Oregon Symphony Gospel Christmas performance since the first one in 1999.
• The presenting sponsor of these concerts is the Heathman Hotel.

 

SATURDAY, DEC. 19:
THE CHRISTMAS MUSIC OF MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER

• When and Where: Two performances, at 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19; Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

• The Performers: The internationally famous musical phenomenon known as Mannheim Steamroller, joined by members of the Oregon Symphony.

• The Program:
• A wide array of the music Mannheim Steamroller fans have come to expect over the past 25 years it has been touring the world: distinctive interpretations of traditional holiday tunes.

• Tickets: $25 to $130; at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office, 923 SW Washington St., in downtown Portland. Ticket office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 during the same hours, at the concert hall box office starting two hours before the performance, or online at any time from the orchestra’s web site, OrSymphony.org. Tickets are also available from Ticketmaster.com.

• What’s So Special About This Concert:
• Mannheim Steamroller, the globe-trotting musical brainchild of composer and producer Chip Davis, has been touring the world for a quarter-century performing in its sui generis musical style: not quite classical, not quite jazz, not quite rock ‘n’ roll.
• Along the way it has sold 40 million records and earned a loyal international following, particularly for its distinctive interpretation of traditional holiday favorites.
• These two concerts, the ensemble’s first performances alongside members of the Oregon Symphony, are part of Mannheim Steamroller’s 25th Anniversary Christmas Tour, which will take the group to 58 cities in November and December.

 

SUNDAY, DEC. 20:
KIDS’ CONCERT SERIES CELEBRATES THE SPIRIT OF THE SEASON

• When and Where: One performance only, at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20; Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

• The Performers: The Oregon Symphony, with Resident Conductor Gregory Vajda on the podium, joined by narrator Pam Mahon, young violinist Kelly Talim and Dance West of Beaverton.

• The Program: Both classical and popular holiday melodies appropriate for young listeners, including excerpts from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s immortal ballet score for The Nutcracker, “Winter” from Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, as well as carols and yuletide favorites ranging from “Sleigh Ride” to “Frosty the Snowman.”  

• Tickets: $12 to $43; at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office, 923 SW Washington St., in downtown Portland. Ticket office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 during the same hours, at the concert hall box office starting two hours before the performance, or online at any time from the orchestra’s web site, OrSymphony.org.  

• What’s So Special About This Concert:
• This is the second program in the Oregon Symphony’s three-concert Pink Lemonade Kids Series. Each concert in the series has a special theme related to the season of the year – December’s concert serves up a broad and delightful sampling of music for winter, Christmas and Hanukkah.
• Kids Concerts are short performances – about an hour in length, without intermission – programmed specifically to appeal to young audiences ages 5-10. They’re an ideal way to introduce children to classical music.
• Local actress/singer Pam Mahon hosts all three concerts in the series, keeping things moving briskly along and making sure the young audience members are actively involved in what’s going on on-stage.
• Presenting sponsor of this concert is The Standard.

 

MONDAY, DEC. 21:
… AND, RIGHT BEFORE THE BIG DAY, TIDINGS OF “COMFORT AND JOY”

• When and Where: One performance only, at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21; Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

• The Performers: The Oregon Symphony, with Resident Conductor Gregory Vajda on the podium, joined by mezzo soprano Hannah Penn and the Pacific Youth Choir.

• The Program:
• An innovative array of much-loved seasonal favorites for the family, arranged around themes such as “gifts of the season,” “carols familiar and not” and “sleigh rides.” And, of course, to get everyone into the spirit: a Christmas sing-along.  

• Tickets: $20 to $93; at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office, 923 SW Washington St., in downtown Portland. Ticket office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 during the same hours, at the concert hall box office starting two hours before the performance, or online at any time from the orchestra’s web site, OrSymphony.org. Tickets are also available from Ticketmaster.com.

• What’s So Special About This Concert:
• This is the concert for people who just can’t get enough Christmas music as the big day approaches – carols, traditional seasonal favorites and what else but a no-holds-barred audience sing-along.
• Presenting sponsor of this concert is the stations of All Classical FM.

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CONTACT:
Carl Herko
Vice President, Media & Public Relations
(503) 416-6347
cherko@orsymphony.org