Out of this world

Theme from ‘2001: A Space Odyssey,’ big-name guest artists highlight upcoming season

Fri., March 22, 2013

By Jim Kershner jimkershner@comcast.net

Inside

Find a list of concerts on the 2013-14 schedule, including Classics, SuperPops and Symphony With a Splash. Page c5

For season subscriptions and other subscriber packages, go to www.spokanesymphony.org or call

(509) 624-1200.

2013-14 concert schedule

Classics series

The 10-concert classics series are all at the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, Saturday concerts at 8 p.m., Sunday concerts at 3 p.m. All will be conducted by music director Eckart Preu unless otherwise noted:

Sept. 21-22 – P.I. Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien, Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto, Béla Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra and an “audience choice” selection, to be announced. With guest violinist Ilya Kayer.

Oct. 12-13 – Andrew Norman’s “The Great Swiftness,” Robert Schumann’s Cello Concerto, Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. With guest cellist Zuill Bailey.

Oct. 26-27 – Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5 (“Reformation”), Anton Bruckner’s Psalm 150, John Tavener’s “Song of the Angel,” Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem. With the Spokane Symphony Chorale, guest soprano Dawn Wolski and guest baritone Eugene Brancoveanu.

Nov. 16-17 – Anna Clyne’s “Night Ferry,” Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, Paul Hindemith’s “Symphonic Metamorphosis.” With guest pianist Jon Nakamatsu.

Jan. 25-26 – Aaron Copland’s “El Salon Mexico,” Carlos Chavez’s Sinfonia India (Symphony No. 2), John Mackey’s “Harvest: Trombone Concerto,” Enrico Chapela’s “Ínguesu” Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from “West Side Story.” With featured trombonist Ross Holcombe.

Feb. 8-9 – Johannes Brahms’ Variations on a Theme of Joseph Haydn, Arnold Schoenberg’s Concerto for String Quartet, Schumann’s Symphony No. 2. With guest conductor Pavel Baleff and a quartet consisting of Mateusz Wolski, Amanda Howard-Phillips, Nick Carper and John Marshall.

Feb. 22-23 – James MacMillan’s Three Interludes from “The Sacrifice,” Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major, Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1. With guest pianist Jeremy Denk.

March 15-16 – John Adams’ “Shaker Loops,” Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2, W.A. Mozart’s Symphony No. 39. With resident conductor Morihiko Nakahara and guest violinist Sayaka Shoji.

April 12-13, 2014 – Esa-Pekka Salonen’s “Foreign Bodies,” Strauss’s “Four Last Songs,” Strauss’s “Also Sprach Zarathustra.” With guest soprano Amber Wagner.

May 10-11, 2014 – Prokofiev’s “Alexander Nevsky,” Ravel’s arrangement of Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition.” With the Spokane Symphony Chorale and guest mezzo-soprano Meredith Arwady.

SuperPops series

The six-concert SuperPops lineup, all performances at the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox:

Oct. 19 – “Symphony Idol,” with guest performers Matt Giraud, LaKisha Jones and Haley Scarnato, who have placed in the “American Idol” in various seasons. They’ll sing jazz, pop, rock and Broadway.

Nov. 9 – “Big Band,” with conductor Matt Catingub presiding over favorites from the Big Band era.

Dec. 21-22 – “Holiday Pops,” the annual Christmas tradition, with the Spokane Symphony Chorale and the Spokane Area Children’s Chorus.

Feb. 15 – “Casablanca,” the classic Humphrey Bogart movie with the famous score played live by the Spokane Symphony.

March 8 – “Jerome Kern Tribute, featuring ‘Showboat’ in Concert,” with guest singers from the Tony-winning revival.

April 26, 2014 – “Video Games Live,” an immersive concert event featuring music from video games played live and interactive segments. (Note: The Super Pops series can be purchased either with or without this concert).

Symphony With a Splash series

The informal “happy hour” series. featuring lobby entertainment, mingling, food, drinks and a one-hour concert. All are at the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox.

Nov. 1 – John Adams’s “Scratchband,” Tan Dun’s “Self Portrait From Death and Fire: Dialogues With Paul Klee,” Henri Vieuxtemps’ “Souvenirs d’Amerique,” Copland’s “Appalachian Spring.”

Jan. 17 – Philip Glass’s Symphony No. 3 (Movement 2), Michael Torke’s “Adjustable Wrench,” Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony.

March 21, 2014 – Javier Alvarez’s “Metro Chabacano,” Chapela’s “Li Po,” Daniel Bjarnason’s “Bow to String, Movements 1 and 3,” Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 (“Haffner”).

Other Symphony events

Dec. 5-8 – “The Nutcracker,” with the State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara.

“New Year’s Eve with Beethoven’s Ninth,” Dec. 31, which has become a sold-out Spokane tradition.

Oct. 1-2, Feb. 11-12 and April 22-23, 2014 – Chamber Soirees, in the Georgian Room of the Spokane Club.

July 31 and Aug. 7 – Soirees on the Edge, music and wine outdoors at the Cliff House Estate at Arbor Crest Wine Cellars.

For season subscriptions and other subscriber packages, go to www.spokanesymphony.org or call (509) 624-1200.

Last weekend, Eckart Preu and the Spokane Symphony tantalized listeners with a “truncated allusion” to “Also sprach Zarathustra” during a lesser-known Richard Strauss piece.

Next season, they’ll deliver the entire cosmic package.

“Also Sprach Zarathustra” – also known as the theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey” – is the most spectacular piece in the symphony’s just-announced 2013-14 season. It requires an extra-large cast of musicians.

“This concert is the biggest one in the series – a big orchestra and a big soprano,” said Preu, in a season announcement event Monday night for season subscribers at the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox. “I never thought I’d be able to play it this with the orchestra.”

It’s part of a 150th anniversary celebration for composer Strauss on April 12-14, 2014, which also includes Strauss’s “Four Last Songs.”

The season will also include some in-demand guest artists, beginning with cellist Zuill Bailey, an international star who is the incoming artistic director of Spokane’s Northwest Bach Festival.

“We wanted to welcome him to town,” Preu said.

Other big classical names include pianist Jon Nakamatsu, who will play Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, and pianist Jeremy Denk, who will play Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major.

“There’s probably not a hotter ticket in piano right now than Jeremy Denk,” Preu said.

The SuperPops season opens with a concert titled “Symphony Idol,” featuring singers who were “American Idol” top 10 contestants. Other highlights include a screening of the classic Humphrey Bogart movie “Casablanca” with the score played live, an in-concert version of Jerome Kern’s “Showboat,” and “Video Games Live,” an interactive musical spectacle that was canceled this season due to the musician’s strike.

“The aim for the whole season? Something for everybody,” said resident conductor Morihiko Nakahara, who will conduct most of the SuperPops concerts.