Folklore & Fantasy
Kleinhans Music Hall 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY, United StatesMenacing timpani rolls set the tone for Rossini's solemn Overture to Semiramide, a deceivingly upbeat narration of family rivalries. Bartók's Dance Suite—featuring five original Hungarian folk soundscapes composed for the 50th anniversary of the merger of Buda and Pest—offers a vibrant musical journey. Chopin's poetic Piano Concerto No. 1 stands as a sparkling showcase of virtuosity.
Nikki Plays Beethoven
Kleinhans Music Hall 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY, United StatesVerdi’s tangled and tragic operatic tale La Forza del Destino complements the symphonic fantasy Francesca da Rimini, Tchaikovsky’s interpretation of the eternal torment of elicit lovers depicted in Dante’s Inferno narrative. Concertmaster Nikki Chooi tackles the celebrated improvised cadenzas of Beethoven’s monumental Violin Concerto in D major.
Beethoven’s Pastoral
Kleinhans Music Hall 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY, United StatesDreamlike images in orchestral colors infuse the ethereal Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, Debussy’s iconic tone poem. Buffalo-born Robert Paterson’s colorful Triple Concerto compellingly examines Earth’s fragility, while Beethoven’s gentle Sixth Symphony portrays a charming countryside turn, evoking deep relaxation and contentment.
Mahler & Mahler
Kleinhans Music Hall 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY, United StatesOnly sixteen Lieder (songs for voice and piano) survive from Alma Mahler's vast output, as her husband Gustav curtailed her publication efforts. Five poem-based works evoke love—intoxicating, intimate, infinite, and reflective of loves' past. Gustav's initially panned Symphony No. 1 employs musical imagery akin to a song cycle, interpreting nature's joys and sorrows.
Grieg & Schumann: Romantic Impressions
Kleinhans Music Hall 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY, United StatesBrahms' vibrant and lively Hungarian Dances were inspired by the cherished traditional heritage of a long-time friend. Schumann's passionate Fourth Symphony, emblematic of his joyful marriage to Clara, languished for ten long years before final publication. Grieg's heroic Piano Concerto shines with rich Norwegian folk melodies, virtuosic cadenzas, and majestic flourishes.
JoAnn’s Classical Christmas
Kleinhans Music Hall 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY, United StatesJoin JoAnn Falletta on a captivating journey through centuries of seasonal music highlighted by soprano Sirgourney Cook performing "O Holy Night," John Jacob Niles' "I Wonder as I Wander" and Handel's "Let the Bright Seraphim" from Samson. Perfect for the whole family, this performance promises a warm, illuminating feast celebrating winter's spirit and charm.
Mozart’s Mass
Kleinhans Music Hall 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY, United StatesOur Mozart Festival opens with the "Prague" Symphony No. 38, composed on the heels of The Marriage of Figaro's tremendous success. Rich in complex subtleties and lyrical sophistication, it spans a full spectrum of emotion. Mozart's unfinished "Great" Mass in C minor—his most exalted and personal work—was deeply influenced by the Baroque traditions of Bach and Handel. Its original movements journey from somber to soaring, with later 20th-century revisions completing the piece.
Mozart’s Violin
Kleinhans Music Hall 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY, United StatesContinuing our Mozart Festival, enjoy works by two peers: Joseph Bologne's jaunty Symphony No. 2 and Maria Theresia von Paradis's Overture to The School Candidate, her sole surviving orchestral piece, in commedia dell'arte form. Mozart's five violin concertos, composed in 1775, culminate in a Fifth that is imaginative and technically challenging. The fiery "Haffner" Symphony, honoring a former Salzburg patron, is bold and regal.
Shostakovich No. 5
Kleinhans Music Hall 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY, United StatesComposed to acknowledge an honorary degree despite not attending university, a mischievous Brahms penned the tongue-in-cheek Academic Festival Overture, featuring boisterous student drinking songs. Reinecke's Concerto in E minor spotlights the harp in a virtuosic display of shimmering arpeggios and rhythmic optimism. The forced optimism of Symphony No. 5, glorifying Stalin's regime, proved both career- and lifesaving for Shostakovich.
Beethoven’s Fifth
Kleinhans Music Hall 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY, United StatesFour notes instantly recognizable across generations welcome back the much-loved Symphony No. 5 to the Kleinhans stage. Dance Symphony's rhythmic jazz motifs were drawn from an evocative Copland ballet about a morbid conjurer who could raise the dead and make them dance. Beethoven expands on Mozart's influence in his Piano Concerto No. 1, featuring challenging key changes and bold harmonies.