of the Czech countryside and rollicking dances . Haydn wrote his Sinfonia Concertante in B-flat Major as a charming showpiece for an unusual combination of solo instruments — violin , cello , oboe , and bassoon . Bright in spirit and full of wit , this work will show off the solo skills of four of the BSO ’ s talented musicians .
BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO . 7
SAT , JAN 8 , 8 PM
RYAN BANCROFT , CONDUCTOR CHLOË HANSLIP , ELECTRIC VIOLIN
LIGETI Concert Românesc ADAMS The Dharma at Big Sur BEETHOVEN Symphony No . 7
Ligeti ’ s Concert Românesc , which draws from folk music he studied at the Folklore Institute of Bucharest , opens the program . Hailed for her “ impassioned lyricism ” and “ ecstatic indulgence ” by The Guardian , Chloë Hanslip plays the electric violin in Adams ’ The Dharma at Big Sur . American conductor Ryan Bancroft leads the orchestra in Beethoven ’ s remarkable Seventh Symphony .
Ryan Bancroft
ELLINGTON AND GERSHWIN
SAT , FEB 19 , 8 PM
KEN-DAVID MASUR , CONDUCTOR AARON DIEHL , PIANO
BACEWICZ Overture ELLINGTON “ New World A-Comin ’” GERSHWIN Second Rhapsody BRAHMS Symphony No . 2
Pianist extraordinaire Aaron Diehl joins the BSO for Ellington ’ s intoxicating “ New World A-Comin ’” and Gershwin ’ s Second Rhapsody , an animated and jaunty follow-up to Rhapsody in Blue . Guest conductor Ken-David Masur leads the orchestra in Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz ’ s Overture , featuring exhilarating passages from the strings and horns , and closes the program with Brahms ’ sunny and uplifting Second Symphony .
Aaron Diehl
BEETHOVEN NINTH
SAT , APR 9 , 8 PM PREMIUM
Ah Young Hong
MARIN ALSOP , CONDUCTOR AH YOUNG HONG , SOPRANO TAYLOR RAVEN , MEZZO JONATHAN JOHNSON , TENOR SIMON SHIBAMBU , BASS
WORDSMITH , SPOKEN WORD ARTIST MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY CONCERT CHOIR THE CARTER LEGACY SINGERS KEUR KHALEYI , AFRICAN DRUMMING TROUPE SEAN JONES AND PEABODY JAZZ
REENA ESMAIL See Me ( BSO Commission ) BEETHOVEN Symphony No . 9 , “ Choral ”
In her final program of the season , Marin Alsop reimagines Beethoven ’ s Ninth Symphony as a 21st-century call for unity , justice , and empowerment . The concert opens with the first live performance of Reena Esmail ’ s See Me that flows into Beethoven ’ s Ninth , featuring new text from Wordsmith . Join Marin Alsop , the BSO , and members of the rich musical community of Baltimore for this bold interpretation of Beethoven ’ s ideas in response to today ’ s world .
AWADAGIN PRATT RETURNS
SAT , MAY 7 , 8 PM
CHRISTIAN REIF , CONDUCTOR AWADAGIN PRATT , PIANO
HENZE “ Mänadentanz ” from The Bassarids MOZART Symphony No . 39 JESSIE MONTGOMERY Piano Concerto ( BSO Co-Commission ) STRAUSS Der Rosenkavalier Suite
Acclaimed pianist Awadagin Pratt performs a new piano concerto by Jessie Montgomery , whose music has been described as “ turbulent , wildly colorful , and exploding with life ” by The Washington Post . German conductor Christian Reif guides the orchestra in one of Mozart ’ s final symphonies and two phenomenal operatic works , pairing the unchecked ferocity of Henze ’ s “ Mänadentanz ” with the frivolity of Strauss ’ Der Rosenkavalier Suite .
Taylor Raven
Christian Reif
15