April 2025 Concerts

♦ PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ♦ Lisiecki Performs Mozart Heinz Hall 03/07 7:30PM 03/09 2:30PM NORIKO KOIDE: Swaddling Silk and Gossamer Rain [PSO Premiere] MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 22 PROKOFIEV: Symphony No. 5 Notes: Praised for his “pristine, lyrical and intelligent” playing (The New York Times), Jan Lisiecki returns to perform Mozart’s elegant and effervescent piano concerto. Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony is filled with grand, sweeping, lyrical music tinged with brooding introspection. When his Fifth premiered in the US, Prokofiev’s picture graced the cover of Time Magazine, and the magazine’s lengthy profile of him quoted Koussevitzky’s assessment: “[The Fifth Symphony is] the greatest…

♦ PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ♦ Shostakovich’s Final Symphony Heinz Hall 01/31 7:30PM 02/02 2:30PM SIBELIUS: Pohjola’s Daughter VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Oboe Concerto SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 15 Notes: Written in 1971 when Shostakovich’s health was declining, the final symphony by this profoundly private composer is a reflection on his life and career: intensely personal, enigmatic, and somewhat surreal, with inexplicable quotes from music by Rossini, Glinka and Wagner alongside references to his own music from his younger years. ♦ Dvorak’s New World Heinz Hall 02/14 7:30PM 02/15 7:30PM 02/16 2:30PM CARLOS SIMON: Four Black American Dances [PSO Premiere] SAINT-SAËNS: Violin Concerto No….

♦ PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ♦ Debussy’s La Mer Heinz Hall 01/10 7:30PM 01/12 2:30PM MARÍA HULD MARKAN SIGFÚSDÓTTIR: Oceans [PSO Premiere] PROKOFIEV: Violin Concerto No. 2 SIBELIUS: The Oceanides [PSO Premiere] DEBUSSY: La Mer Notes: Debussy developed his love of the sea beginning with childhood visits to the Mediterranean, and this imaginative, impressionistic sketch captures all the moods of the sea, from tranquil to ominous and stormy. Sibelius’ music evokes the myths and movement of deep waters while the PSO premiere of Sigfúsdóttir’s Oceans whirls with atmospheric flow. In another debut, soloist Vadim Gluzman plays Prokofiev with “one of the…

♦ PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ♦ Strauss and Puccini Heinz Hall November 29, 7:30PM December 1, 2:30PM SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 3 HENRI TOMASI: Concerto for Alto Saxophone [PSO Premiere] PUCCINI: Anniversary Celebration Highlights STRAUSS FAMILY: Viennese Favorite Notes: Enjoy a delightful musical feast this Thanksgiving weekend! Music Director Manfred Honeck leads a lighthearted celebration of charming polkas and popular waltzes from his hometown of Vienna. Schubert’s Third Symphony and the PSO debut of sax virtuoso Steven Banks add to the elation as the program sings with a heart-on-sleeve celebration of Puccini’s greatest opera hits in this annual program of audience favorites….

♦ PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ♦ Brahms and Schumann Heinz Hall November 1, 7:30PM November 2, 7:30PM November 3, 2:30PM BRAHMS: Violin Concerto SCHUMANN: Symphony No. 2 Notes: Swiss conductor (and fashion model) Lorenzo Viotti joins charismatic violin virtuoso Ray Chen for Brahms’ formidable, technically challenging masterwork that brings together tender lyricism, grand romanticism, and soulful Hungarian melodies. Schumann’s Second Symphony is a work of unparalleled richness and depth. ♦ Strauss’ Alpine Symphony Heinz Hall November 15, 7:30PM November 17, 2:30PM HAMISH MACCUNN: The Land of the Mountain and the Flood [PSO Premiere] RAUTAVAARA: Concerto for Flute, “Dances with the Winds”…

♦ PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ♦ Ravel’s Piano Concerto Heinz Hall October 18, 7:30PM October 20, 2:30PM BARTÓK: Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin RAVEL: Piano Concerto in G SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 4 Notes: Bartok’s The Miraculous Mandarin tells of a girl forced to lure a wealthy Mandarin to his tragic fate. Its theme of the dark passions between men and women is as gripping—and controversial—as when it first premiered. Tom Borrow, a fast-rising artist of the new generation of virtuoso soloists, debuts with his signature work—Ravel’s terrifically entertaining and jazzy Piano Concerto. Concluding the concert is Sibelius’ darkly atmospheric and gloriously…

♦ PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ♦ Opening Night with Itzhak Perlman Heinz Hall September 21 8:00pm Notes: Join Manfred Honeck as he leads your Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in a one-night-only extravaganza of film music favorites featuring the infinite charms of legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman, performing live as we honor his commitment to music education and encouraging the next generation of musicians. Enjoy cocktails, premium concert seats, and a post-concert dessert reception with Manfred Honeck and PSO musicians. Doors will open at 7:30 pm for the 8:00 pm concert, food and beverage spaces are closed for the gala event. ♦ Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic…