NSO Classical: 2009-2010 Season

Upcoming Events

• James Gaffigan, conductor / Denis Matsuev, piano, plays Rachmaninoff

  Feb 18 - 20, 2010 | Buy Now
  Young, rising star conductor James Gaffigan leads virtuoso Russian pianist Denis Matsuev in Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2. The program also features Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 and Auerbach's haunting Requiem for Icarus.

• Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, conductor/Ingrid Fliter, piano, plays Mozart

  Mar 4 - 6, 2010 | Buy Now
  Former NSO Principal Guest Conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos returns to conduct Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 with Argentinean pianist Ingrid Fliter, as well as Mozart's Serenata notturna and Strauss's Symphonia Domestica.

• Christoph Eschenbach, conductor/Verdi Requiem

  Mar 11 - 13, 2010 | Buy Now
  In his first NSO concert since his appointment as the Music Director of the Kennedy Center and NSO, Christoph Eschenbach conducts Verdi's Requiem with four great singers of today.

• Jakub Hrusa, conductor/Daniel Müller-Schott, cello, plays Dvorák

  Mar 25 - 28, 2010 | Buy Now
  Prague Philharmonia's young Chief Conductor, Jakub Hruša, leads fellow rising star Daniel Müller-Schott in Dvorák's Cello Concerto. The program also includes Schubert's "Unfinished" and Janácek's Taras Bulba.

• Iván Fischer, conductor/Bach

  Apr 1 - 3, 2010 | On Sale 2/10/10,
  NSO Principal Conductor Iván Fischer celebrates Easter week by conducting Bach's Mass in B minor with renowned vocal soloists and the University of Maryland Concert Choir.

• Gospel Concert

  Apr 24, 2010 at 8:00 PM | On Sale 2/10/10,
  Curated by Rev. Nolan Williams Jr., the Orchestra, WPAS Men and Women of the Gospel Choir, and special guests perform newly commissioned orchestrations along with classic and popular gospel repertoire.

• Hans Graf, conductor/Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano, plays Connesson & Ravel

  Apr 29 - May 1, 2010 | On Sale 2/10/10,
  The NSO, conducted by Hans Graf, plays a commission by composer Guillaume Connesson and Ravel's Left Hand Concerto, both with celebrated pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, who plays with "classical refinement and cool beauty" (The New York Times).

• John Adams, conductor/Eric Owens, bass-baritone

  May 13 - 15, 2010 | On Sale 2/10/10,
  The unique and imaginative John Adams conducts his Walt Whitman–inspired composition The Wound Dresser, featuring baritone Eric Owens. Also on the program are works by Barber and Elgar as well as Copland's Suite from Billy the Kid.

• John Adams, conductor/Leila Josefowicz, violin

  May 20 - 22, 2010 | On Sale 2/10/10,
  John Adams returns for a program that includes two of his works, The Dharma at Big Sur, featuring violinist Leila Josefowicz, and his City Noir Symphony. Also on the program are works by Britten and Stravinsky.

• Iván Fischer, conductor/Stravinsky & Rimsky-Korsakov

  Jun 3 - 5, 2010 | On Sale 4/7/10,
  In his final performances of the season, NSO Principal Conductor Iván Fischer takes the podium to lead Stravinsky's once-controversial, now-beloved Le Sacre du Printemps.

• Kristjan Järvi, conductor/ Evelyn Glennie, percussion, plays Tuur

  Jun 10 - 12, 2010 | On Sale 4/7/10,
  As part of the VSA arts International Festival, the NSO, conductor Kristjan Järvi, and percussionist Evelyn Glennie perform Tüür's "Magma." The uplifting program also features music from Ellington and Bernstein.

• Juraj Valcuha, conductor/Jennifer Koh, violin, plays Szymanowski

  Jun 17 - 19, 2010 | On Sale 4/7/10,
  Jennifer Koh returns with her "pure, singing violin" (The New York Times) to perform Szymanowski's Violin Concerto No. 1, led by conductor Juraj Valcuha. Mahler's titanic Symphony No. 1 rounds out the program.

• Jeffrey Kahane, conductor/Yo-Yo Ma, cello

  Jun 29, 2010 at 8:00 PM | On Sale 4/7/10,
  Known on the global stage for his passion and flawless performances, cellist Yo-Yo Ma returns to the NSO for a concert led by Jeffrey Kahane, whom the Denver Post says possesses "undeniable charisma."

Past Events

• Season Opening Ball Concert

  Sep 26, 2009 at 7:00 PM
  The new season begins with this gala opening event led by NSO Principal Conductor Iván Fischer with guest pianist Evgeny Kissin and violinist József Lendvay Jr. on a program to include works by Chopin and Sarasate.

• Iván Fischer, conductor/Beethoven & Bartók

  Oct 1 - 3, 2009
  NSO Principal Conductor Iván Fischer conducts Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony No. 6, the composer's joyful expression of being in the countryside. Also on the program is Bartók's The Wooden Prince.

• Ludovic Morlot, conductor/Markus Groh, piano, plays Brahms

  Oct 8 - 11, 2009
  Exciting young conductor Ludovic Morlot conducts Brahms's First Piano Concerto, featuring pianist Markus Groh, whose playing has been praised as "impeccable" (The Guardian). Also on the program are works by Tchaikovsky and Martinu.

• Lorin Maazel, conductor/ Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin, plays Barber

  Oct 15 - 17, 2009
  Lorin Maazel returns to conduct Barber's Violin Concerto featuring soloist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg. Maazel also conducts Franck's Symphony and his own The Giving Tree narrated by his wife, the actress Dietlinde Turban-Maazel, in her NSO debut.

• Alexander Vedernikov, conductor/Vadim Repin, violin, plays Brahms

  Nov 5 - 7, 2009
  Former Bolshoi Theatre Music Director Alexander Vedernikov makes his US orchestra debut, conducting the Brahms Violin Concerto with soloist Vadim Repin, whom the Los Angeles Times praises for his "muscular performances, aggressive and astounding."

• Andrew Litton, conductor/Lang Lang, piano, plays Beethoven & Prokofiev

  Nov 13, 2009 at 8:00 PM
  Andrew Litton conducts the "sparkling and dramatic" (San Francisco Chronicle) Lang Lang in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 and Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3.

• Hugh Wolff, conductor/Joshua Bell, violin, plays Lalo

  Nov 19 - 22, 2009
  An acclaimed American conductor with a global perspective, Hugh Wolff conducts a program featuring Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole with Joshua Bell, whom the Boston Herald calls "the greatest American violinist active today."

• Andrew Litton, conductor/Yuja Wang, piano, plays Higdon

  Dec 3 - 5, 2009
  Pianist Yuja Wang premieres Jennifer Higdon's Piano Concerto with Grammy-winning conductor Andrew Litton. Also on the program are Rimsky-Korsakov's Suite from The Snow Maiden and Tchaikovsky's First Symphony.

• Handel's Messiah

  Dec 17 - 20, 2009
  Get in the holiday spirit with the NSO's annual performance of Handel's masterpiece, this year featuring conductor Rossen Milanov, four guest vocal soloists, and The Washington Chorus in the large-scale, epic Beecham/Goossens orchestration.

• Leonard Slatkin, conductor/Nikolaj Znaider, violin, plays Elgar

  Jan 7 - 9, 2010
  Former NSO Music Director Leonard Slatkin returns to the Kennedy Center, to lead soloist Nikolaj Znaider in Elgar's Violin Concerto. Znaider will play the same Guarnerius violin with which Fritz Kreisler premiered Elgar's work 100 years ago.

• Michael Stern, conductor/Emanuel Ax, piano, plays Beethoven

  Jan 14 - 16, 2010
  Emanuel Ax returns to perform Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2 led by renowned conductor Michael Stern. The program also features symphonies by Barber and Sibelius.

• Iván Fischer, conductor/Christianne Stotijn, mezzo-soprano & Stig Andersen, tenor

  Jan 21 - 23, 2010
  NSO Principal Conductor Iván Fischer returns with music by a favorite composer, Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde. The performances feature tenor Stig Andersen and the exciting young mezzo-soprano Christianne Stotijn.

• Iván Fischer, conductor/Mischa Maisky, cello, plays Tchaikovsky

  Jan 28 - 30, 2010
  NSO Principal Conductor Iván Fischer leads Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations and Lensky's Aria featuring cellist Mischa Maisky, whose performances are marked by "sentiment and dancing energy" (The New York Times).