Conductors
Robert Baldwin
November sees the SLS presenting two of the finest Russian masterpieces for audiences. It’s a celebration in need of a fanfare, so we’ve added Miklos Rozsa’s rousing Entr'acte March from “El Cid” to open the festivities. Recent Salt Lake resident and conductor of the Utah Opera Chorus, pianist Caleb Harris will join us for Sergei Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Easily Rachmaninov’s most inventive work, it also contains one of the top melodies ever written, so popular that it has been used in several films. The centerpiece of the concert will be Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 (Pathetique). This symphony, sadly the composer’s last work, is nevertheless Tchaikovsky’s finest example of symphonic writing. Full of every element of life, the slow last movement is possibly a precursor of Tchaikovsky’s death which occurred only days after the premiere performance. The poignancy and power of the work make it a universal favorite with audiences ad players alike.
Shepherds and Kings await us in our 2015 Holiday Concert. We will be performing several selections from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio as well as our third production of Menotti’s beloved holiday opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors. We will be joned by the talents from the University of Utah’s Lyric Opera Ensemble, directed by Dr. Robert Breault. Join us for a program light on little holiday kitsch, but loaded with the appropriate sentiment to start your season on the right foot with the giving spirit.
Saddle up, pardners! Join us for a Wild West version of our annual Family Fun Concert. There will be western favorites and some surprises, too, as we learn about music, cowboys, horses and tumbleweeds. Always fun and appropriate for the entire family, our Family Fun concert has been an annual favorite for generations, and is fun for all generations!
The winners of the SummerArts Piano Concerto Competition take center stage with Salt Lake Symphony conducted by Resident Conductor and U of U DMA alum, Jong-hun Bae. These gifted young people will each play one concerto movement.
Few pieces have the primal energy as Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. This year marks a first for the Salt Lake Symphony, our initial performance of this monumental work. Originally intended for ballet when composed in 1913, the piece has become a staple in the concert hall as the quintessential work of the early 20th century. With its driving rhythms and eerie sounds, it’s a piece that creates a lasting memory for performers and audiences alike. It’s not the only legacy we will celebrate at this concert, though. We will open the concert with our annual side-by-side performance, featuring talented young musicians sitting alongside our musicians. After their rousing opening of Dvo?ák’s Slavonic Dances, we will perform the Utah premiere of Jett Hitt’s Yellowstone Concerto, with Dr. Hasse Borup playing the solo violin part. Join us for and evening of music and musicians filled with energy and excitiement. This is an event not to be missed!
After last month’s rhythms from Stravinsky, we could only follow it with the rhythms of another master, Ludwig van Beethoven. Join guest conductor Gordon Johnson (Great Falls Symphony) as he leads the Salt Lake Symphony through Beethoven’s glorious Symphony No. 7. Once called the apotheosis if the dance, the work sparkles with thrilling motives that build to an amazing climax in each movement. We are pleased to also welcome the young musicians of the Rocky Mountain Strings to perform Sarasate’s Navarra on this program. The group, from right here in Salt Lake County, is renown for their technique and artistry, all the result of excellent teaching right here in Utah. The concert opens with Respighi’s The Fountains of Rome, a colorful slideshow in sound of some of Rome’s most famous landmarks.
We end our 40th Anniversary Season with a trip to France and spend it with some of our favorite collaborators, the Utah Voices, directed by Kelly DeHaan. Music from the French Baroque to Impressionism will be featured, culminating with the spiritually-moving Requiem by Gabriel Faure. Thank you to all of our patrons for a fantastic 40th season. We look forward to performing for you next September as we begin Season 41!
The Salt Lake Symphony joins the Choral Arts Society of Utah for the Annual Days of '47 Pops Concert in Abravanel Hall to kick off Utah's Pioneer Celebration. Sterling Poulson and Robert Baldwin share conducting duties leading the choir, orchestra and special guests in two nights of Family Friendly Music.
Sponsored by:
KUTV 2News
Sorenson Legacy Foundation
Salt Lake's new Eccles Theater Hall becomes alive with sounds of Russia and Germany for our opening concert. The program will feature our outstanding horn section in Weber’s Overture to Der Freischütz. We are pleased to welcome Utah Symphony principal cellist Rainer Eudeikis to perform Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, an exciting work of virtuosity and melodic invention. Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 ends the evening. Prokofiev’s Fifth is a monument of the 20th century orchestral repertoire and a testament to the creative artist. Though lacking an exact program, Prokofiev described the work as “a hymn to free and happy Man, to his mighty powers, his pure and noble spirit.” Don’t miss this unforgettable, uplifting evening of music!
The SLS welcomes many friends, Romans and countrymen to the stage for our November concert. Our annual side-by-side event will feature young artists playing alongside seasoned veterans for the Roman Carnival Overture by Hector Berlioz. The theme continues with the rest of the program with Khatchaturian’s Adagio from Spartacus and Debussy’s seldom heard symphonic fragments from his unfinished opera, Le Martyre de Saint Sebastien. Music by the most famous Roman composer of all ends the program, with a rousing finale—-Respighi’s Belkis, Queen of Sheba Suite. Get your marching sandals ready and join your Salt Lake Symphony for the march into the past. The Legions depart on Saturday, November 12, 2016 at Libby Gardner Concert Hall.
Get in the holiday spirit with the Utah Voices and the Salt Lake Symphony for a free Christmas concert at Temple Square, Saturday November 26, 2016 7:30 pm. The Salt Lake Tabernacle is the stage for the opening concert of the Christmas Season at Temple Square. Utah Voices conductor Kelly DeHaan and SLS conductor, Robert Baldwin will share the podium and help spread good cheer to all.