♦ 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 most beautiful [sounds] in the world” (Diapason—Paris).
♦ Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody
Heinz Hall
01/17 7:30PM
01/18 7:30PM
01/19 2:30PM
SAMY MOUSSA: Elysium [PSO Premiere]
RACHMANINOFF: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 5
Notes: Rachmaninoff wrote, “What I try to do when writing down my music is to make it say simply and directly what is in my heart.” His Rhapsody, with its swooning 18th variation, balances sizzling virtuosity and heartrendingly emotional melodies. Rising pianist Janice Carissa brings this spectacular concerto to life in her PSO debut. Tchaikovsky’s Fifth rounds out this program of unabashedly lyrical, romantic music.
♦ 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.
♦ CITY THEATRE
♦ THE REAL JAMES BOND…WAS DOMINICAN
1300 Bingham Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Performance Dates & Times: https://citytheatrecompany.org/play/the-dnaworks-production-of-the-real-james-bond-was-dominican/
Notes:
Written and Performed by Christopher Rivas
Developed with and Directed by Daniel Banks
January 18 – February 16, 2025
What happens when a James Bond-obsessed Dominican boy (who won’t go anywhere without his Nerf gun) finds out that the real James Bond was Dominican? Learning that Bond creator Ian Fleming drew upon the life of Porfirio Rubirosa—a Dominican diplomat, international polo champion, race-car driver, and spy—as the inspiration for 007 shook actor Christopher Rivas’ very foundation. Set to a live percussion score and immersive projections, The Real James Bond…Was Dominican is a young man’s guide to love, color, code-switching, white-washing, fake-it-til-you-make-it, and the roller coaster of finding one’s true self.
♦ PITTSBURGH OPERA
♦ Armida
Benedum Center
01/25 8:00PM
01/28 7:00PM
01/42 7:30PM
02/02 2:00PM
Notes: All’s fair in love and war. To prevent the capture of Jerusalem by the knights of the First Crusade, The Prince of Darkness has sent the enchantress Armida into the world to seduce the Christian heroes and turn them from their duty. The bravest of these, Rinaldo, has fallen under Armida’s spell. But, to her surprise, she becomes enchanted by him as well. She comes to love him so deeply that she cannot bring herself to destroy him. For both, duty clashes with desire. As war rages around them, will love conquer them both?
Containing some of Haydn’s most inspired music, not only is Armida Haydn’s most highly regarded opera, but the composer himself referred to it as his best work. These will be Pittsburgh Opera’s first performances of Armida. Pittsburgh Opera will mount a new production.