chicago-symphony – Gathering Note

From friendship to music: Williamson premieres Theofanidis’ Indigo Heaven at the CSO

_{CSO Principal Clarinet Stephen Williamson. Photo Credit: Todd Rosenberg}

Originally published on Seen and Heard International

On a summer day in 2022, Stephen Williamson stood outside in Aspen, Colorado, with his clarinet. Surrounded by an endless blue sky, mountains, and the sun, Williamson—the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s principal clarinetist—worked through intricate passages of a brand-new concerto. Its composer, Christopher Theofanidis, was right there with Williamson, shaping the music in real time. “Playing it outside in the fresh air, with the mountains around us, brought a whole new dimension to the sound,” Williamson recalls.

After almost three years of anticipation—due in part to an unexpected health setback— Williamson is finally set to premiere the concerto, Indigo Heaven, which was written specifically for him. “This piece has been on my mind for so long,” he says. “It’s deeply personal, and I can’t wait to finally share it with an audience.” That moment in Aspen was just one step in a long journey for the work, which began as a casual conversation and evolved into one of this concert season’s most highly anticipated premieres.

Sibelius, Schoenberg, and the CSO — a must-hear concert this week

This week, Chicago audiences will have the chance to hear one of the world’s foremost violinists, Christian Tetzlaff, take on Sibelius’ haunting Violin Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Under the baton of David Afkham, the program also features Schoenberg’s Pelléas und Melisande, a lush, late-Romantic tone poem that offers a fascinating contrast to the modernist reputation Schoenberg would later cultivate. This performance also takes on added meaning—especially in the wake of the devastating Los Angeles fires that tragically destroyed portions of the Schoenberg archives.

Esa-Pekka Salonen and organist Iveta Apkalna bring Sinfonia concertante to life in Chicago debut

^{Organist Iveta Apkalna makes her CSO debut in the CSO’s first performance of composer and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Sinfonia concertante for Organ and Orchestra. Photo Credit: Todd Rosenberg}

Originally published on Seen and Heard International

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has returned home to Orchestra Hall after a successful tour through Florida, New York and Oklahoma, launching an anticipated two-week residency with conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen. Salonen, a dynamic force in contemporary music, steps onto the Chicago podium at a transitional moment in his career, following his well-publicized decision to not seek a new contract as music director of the San Francisco Symphony over creative differences. In his current lineup in the Windy City, the Finnish maestro will guide the CSO through a compelling lineup, including Bartók staples, Beethoven’s buoyant Symphony No. 2, and a performance of Salonen’s own Sinfonia Concertante for organ and orchestra.

The first program of Salonen’s residency focused on three orchestral showpieces, with his own Sinfonia Concertante framed by Richard Strauss’ Don Juan and Béla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra. While Salonen’s work was a new addition to the orchestra’s repertoire, the Strauss and Bartók pieces have a storied history with the CSO, particularly through its landmark recordings with Fritz Reiner. The orchestra’s first RCA recording of the Concerto for Orchestra is widely regarded as one of the definitive interpretations. Reiner’s deep understanding of Bartók’s music—coupled with the orchestra’s balance, precision, and virtuosity in the recording—shaped Bartók’s popularity in America and contributed significantly to the CSO’s growing reputation as a world-class ensemble.

Klaus Mäkelä meets Shostakovich

The election last week has been, to put it mildly, numbing. I made it through about a year of the first Trump administration before the despair set in. It was the Jesuits—thank you, St. Joseph and Seattle University—who helped keep my soul intact, offering me a lifeline of reflection and community. And, surprisingly, Leif Ove Andsnes’ Sibelius recital album also played its part.

John Sharp and Don Quixote: Chicago Symphony’s principal cellist returns to a classic role

CSO Principal Cello John Sharp. Photo Credit: Todd Rosenberg

Originally published at Seen and Heard International

“It was intimidating and it was thrilling. That’s what I remember about my first audition week,” John Sharp says, reflecting on his first moments with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. “To see Solti conduct and the way the orchestra played—it was really something incredibly exciting.”

Sharp, now the CSO’s principal cellist, began his musical journey far from the concert stage. Growing up in Texas, it was a stroke of luck that led him to the cello. “It was complete chance, really. I raised my hand,” he recalls, thinking back to his early days with the cello. “I was trying all kinds of things and ended up choosing the cello.” That choice propelled him on a professional journey that, starting October 24th, will see him perform Richard Strauss’ Don Quixote with the CSO under the baton of Donald Runnicles.