OFF THE CUFF
FRIDAYS 8 PM
Discover the story behind the music . Led by the conductor , Off The Cuff features captivating music along with commentary from the conductor , and a post-concert Q & A session . Perfect for first-time symphony attendees and aficionados alike , this is the place to be entertained and informed .
BERNSTEIN ’ S “ KADDISH ”
FRI , OCT 7 , 8 PM
JAMES CONLON , CONDUCTOR JUDITH AND LEAH PISAR , SPEAKERS ERICA PETROCELLI , SOPRANO UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CONCERT CHOIR JASON FERDINAND , DIRECTOR MARYLAND STATE BOYCHOIR STEPHEN HOLMES , DIRECTOR
BERNSTEIN Symphony No . 3 , “ Kaddish ”
Stunning music and profound words combine to awaken our collective dreams of peace and freedom . In Leonard Bernstein ’ s “ Kaddish ” Symphony , the Hebrew prayer for times of bereavement sparks a heated exploration of spirit and fate , a testament made all the more poignant with updated words by Holocaust survivor Samuel Pisar ( narrated here by his family ).
SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE
FRI , NOV 18 , 8 PM
MATTHIAS PINTSCHER , CONDUCTOR
SHOSTAKOVICH SYMPHONY NO . 5
FRI , JAN 27 , 8 PM
EVA OLLIKAINEN , CONDUCTOR SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No . 5
Shostakovich ’ s transcendent Fifth Symphony uses the coded language of musical irony that was off limits in the repressive Soviet regime . The trailblazing Finnish conductor Eva Ollikainen conducts this nuanced score with characteristic thoughtfulness .
MAHLER 5
FRI , MAR 10 , 8 PM
FABIEN GABEL , CONDUCTOR MAHLER Symphony No . 5
Mahler floods the ear and heart with every conceivable human emotion in the inexhaustible Fifth Symphony , a work he himself described as a “ foaming , roaring , raging sea of sound ”. The French maestro Fabien Gabel guides the way through an uber-emotional program with sure-handed grace .
BERLIOZ Symphonie fantastique
Conductor Matthias Pintscher leads the orchestra in an Off The Cuff performance featuring Berlioz Symphonie fantastique . Witness the wonder of an orchestra pushed to the limits of sonic imagination when Berlioz transforms the symphony into a maniacal paean to obsessive love .
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