LOUISVILLE, Ky. (July 2, 2012) — The anticipated return of the Louisville Orchestra arrives Sept. 8 as the entire orchestra family appears together on stage for its “Fanfara” season opening gala concert.
Music Director Jorge Mester and The Louisville Orchestra last week announced the Orchestra’s 2012-13 Season — its 75th Anniversary Season — to include all the series Orchestra fans have come to love. Subscription prices vary by series and are now available by calling 1-502-587-8681 or by visiting LouisvilleOrchestra.org.
Carefully crafted by Maestros Mester and Bernhardt, the Louisville Orchestra’s 75th season will reignite Louisville’s love of live orchestral music with a little something for everyone.
“We have all worked very hard to bring the wonderful Louisville Orchestra and our musicians back to the stage to regale all music lovers with great programs and inspiring concerts,” Mester said.
The season launches at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8th at Whitney Hall with a Fanfara designed to celebrate the endeavors of the entire orchestra family. The orchestra’s classics and pops will be combined in one musical extravaganza replete with Mester and Bernhardt as well as guest artists, pianist Jeremy Denk (first half) and Las Vegas entertainer Steve Lippia (second half).
“I’m honored to be sharing the stage with Jorge and our musicians at Fanfara and to follow their classical set with some of the best pops charts from the Great American Songbook, music of Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Rodgers and Hammerstein and more,” Bernhardt said. “It’s going to be a thrill.”
Tickets are available now to subscribers and are included in all “Classics” subscription packages. The general public will be able to purchase tickets for Fanfara on Aug. 13.
The New York Times hails pianist Jeremy Denk and his performances as “bracing, effortlessly virtuosic, and utterly joyous.”
Denk is one of the fastest rising stars in all of classical music and he makes his Louisville Orchestra return appearance in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25. At intermission, the audience will raise a glass to honor Bernhardt and his 30 years with the Louisville Orchestra in a reception in the lobby. Guests will return to their seats for a toe-tapping second half featuring entertainer, Steve Lippia with Bob and the band in a Pops tribute to the great American songbook.
Classics and Coffee Series
The orchestra’s evening “Classics” and matinee “Coffee” concerts are the core of each season.
The 75th Birthday season features favorites, such as Rimsky–Korsakov’s Scheherazade, Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition and concertos of Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky, Camille Saint-Saëns, Franz Liszt and Samuel Barber, among others. This season also offers numerous works never before performed by the orchestra.
“We always try to incorporate works which have never been performed by this Orchestra as a means of expanding our repertoire,” Mester said.
Australian guest conductor Sarah Ioannides conducts a program featuring guitarist Sharon Isbin, as example. In that program, Louisville audiences will be introduced to “From Afar: Fantasy for Guitar and Orchestra” by Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer, Joseph Schwantner. Other first performances include works by Philip Glass, Edward Elgar, Benjamin Britten, Osvaldo Golijov, Richard Strauss, Peter Schickele, and Ottorino Respighi.
A feature this season will be a week-long festival entitled, “Music Unwound” the week of March 25, 2013. Curated by music scholar and author, Joseph Horowitz, “Music Unwound” is an adventurous collaboration among five American orchestras to bring humanities content into the concert hall.
Louisville is honored to be a part of a multi-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in presenting “Copland in Mexico” in March. Programming will include collaborative presentations including photography exhibitions, films, lectures, portrayals and multi-media projections involving the University of Louisville, Louisville Visual Arts Association and Speed Art Museum. The orchestra’s concerts that week will conclude with a live presentation of a 1936 black and white film entitled, “Redes” (The Wave) scored by composer Silvestre Revueltas and with cinematography of the seminal American photographer Paul Strand, both of whom were associates and major influences on the works of Aaron Copland. Other guests will appear from Mexico City and Los Angeles as part of the week’s activities.
With a variety of subscription options designed to meet all schedules and budgets, the Classics and Coffee series offers music for everyone. The public can choose from six to 10 concert packages and evening or matinee performances for the perfect package to suit their schedule.
Subscription packages start at $89 and are available by calling 1-502-587-8681 or online at LouisvilleOrchestra.org.
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