Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Mark Elder conductor
Emerson String Quartet
Paul Neubauer viola
 
Dvořák String Quintet, Op. 97 (American)
Dvořák The Midday Witch
Dviořák Symphony No. 3
 
We invite the legendary Emerson String Quartet to help us explore Dvořák’s chamber music, featuring the famous American String Quintet. Festival conductor Mark Elder says the Third Symphony “starts with one of Dvořák’s most wonderful tunes.” It’s a work that clearly shows the sudden and profound impact of his recent acquaintance with the music of Wagner and Liszt.
 
Festival Fare: Stay after the June 13 concert for a free performance of Dvořák’s Wind Serenade in Orchestra Hall.

GREEK is a translation of Oedipus myth into the Thatcher era. The economically depressed East End of London forms the background for the story of “Eddy,” a working class kid who’s who dreams of a better world. Racism, violence and mass unemployment appear as symptoms of a plague of oppression that afflicts the city, and Eddy’s only means of survival is to become a violent skinhead.
 
Mark-Anthony Turnage is among the most relevant communicators and creators of today. His orchestral and operatic music is often forthright and confrontational, unafraid to mirror the realities of modern life, yet its energy is exhilarating. With his flair for vivid titles, and his complete absorption of jazz elements into a contemporary classical style, Turnage produces work with a strong appeal to an enquiring, often young audience. Born in Britain in 1960, Turnage studied with Oliver Knussen and John Lambert, and later with Gunther Schuller.