Music lovers’ menu for 2015 at the Opera House

August 12, 2014 by J-Wire Staff
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The Sydney Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2015 program.

John RObertson

John Robertson

For his second year as Chief Conductor, David Robertson has again invited some of the world’s best soloists and conductors to our shores, including violinists Anne-Sophie MutterChristian Tetzlaff and Gil Shaham, pianists Yuja WangPeter Serkin and Simon Trpčeski and the voices of Stuart Skelton, Christine Brewer and Michelle DeYoung.

Robertson will be in Sydney four times during 2015 – conducting music ranging from Sculthorpe and Sibelius to Beethoven and Berlioz.  He’ll begin in February by conducting all four Schumann symphonies over two weeks and the Season Opening Gala of Beethoven Nine with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, a cast of soloists including baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes. The main highlight of Robertson’s second season will be an ‘opera in the concert hall’ presentation of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde in June. This will see Australian Heldentenor Stuart Skelton returning home to perform his first Tristan. American artist S Katy Tucker will again transform the concert hall with her spectacular visuals. Robertson will also conduct a special performance of Holst’sPlanets in March and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis in October.

The exquisite Anne-Sophie Mutter has clearly fallen well and truly in love with Sydney and she will be returning to play Dvořák’s Violin Concerto. Gil Shaham will play the Barber Violin Concerto before teaming up with his wife, fellow violinist Adele Anthony for the Bach concertos. The magnificent Christian Tetzlaff will play the Australian premiere of Jörg Widmann’s Violin Concerto, which the composer wrote for him, as well as Mendelssohn’s gorgeous concerto, and Janine Jansen will play the Brahms violin concerto, conducted by her husband Daniel Blendulf.

The orchestra will also continue its collaborations with other Sydney arts companies in 2015. Le Grand Tango in April sees a partnership with associate artists of Sydney Dance Company and in August John Bell will direct a musical-dramatic presentation of Romeo and Juliet with actors from Bell Shakespeare and Simone Young conducting music from Prokofiev’s ballet.

Another standout of the season will be a poignant tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landing with our ANZAC Day Salute concert featuring the premiere of War Music by Australian composer James Ledger with words by the great Australian songwriter Paul Kelly.

Throughout 2015 the SSO will welcome the brightest young stars in conducting including Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Vasily Petrenko, Jakub Hrůša, Matthias Pintscher and Ward Stare. We see also the return of two of the great master conductors, each with two programs: Charles Dutoit will conduct signature French repertoire in September, and former SSO chief conductor Edo de Waart will close the season with Wagner, Richard Strauss and Elgar.

Two-time Grammy and six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald will join the orchestra for an evening of Broadway classics as part of our Kaleidoscope series, which this year will also include James Morrison’s A–Z of Jazz and the brilliantly talented young string trio Time for Three (Tf3) – who have taken the world by storm.

In 2015 there’s a huge variety of concerts with something for everyone who loves music. And with David Robertson at the helm it’s set to be yet another exhilarating year for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.**

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