Download Brahms` Symphony No. 2 - Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

PRESS CONTACTS:
Alyssa Porambo, 410.783.8044
[email protected]
Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Bryan Joseph Lee, 301.581.5211
[email protected]
The Music Center at Strathmore
Hannu Lintu Leads the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in
Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, Oct. 30-Nov. 1
Twenty year-old Conrad Tao performs Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1
Baltimore, Md. (October 2, 2014) – The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) welcomes the return of
internationally renowned conductor Hannu Lintu for performances of Brahms’ Second Symphony,
Thursday, October 30 at 8 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore, and Friday, October 31 and
Saturday, November 1 at 8 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Also on the program are
Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3 and Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1, performed by 20-yearold piano sensation Conrad Tao and BSO Principal Trumpet Andrew Balio. Please see below for
complete program details.
Brahms composed his ebullient and tender Second Symphony at the peak of his career. He began
working on the piece in the summer of 1877, while on vacation in a country retreat in Pörtschach, and
later premiered the symphony in Vienna in December of the same year. Returning to the BSO for a third
engagement is Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu, having made a smashing debut in 2010 leading Sibelius’
Finlandia and Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony and returning in 2013 for a Sibelius’ Second Symphony,
Tchaikovsky’s Francesca da Rimini and Liszt’s Second Piano Concerto.
A program of both depth and light, the concert opens with Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3, written
for his only opera, Fidelio. The opera tells how Leonore disguises herself as a prison guard named Fidelio
to rescue her husband Florestan from death in a political prison. Beethoven struggled to produce an
overture for Fidelio, and ultimately wrote four versions. His first attempt, for the 1805 premiere, is believed
to be overture now known as Leonore No. 2. Beethoven then focused on the version for the opera’s 1806
performances, creating Leonore No. 3, which is considered to be the greatest of the overtures.
Dubbed a musician of “probing intellect and open-hearted vision” by The New York Times, Conrad Tao
has pursued a varied career as pianist, composer and violinist for nearly a decade. He gave his first piano
recital at age four and at eight made his orchestral debut playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A Major with
the Utah Chamber Music Festival Orchestra. Tao joins Principal Trumpet Andrew Balio for Shostakovich’s
brief Piano Concerto No. 1. While Shostakovich is generally known for his dramatic, serious music, he
had an antic sense of humor as a young man, and his First Piano Concerto (1933) unites virtuosity with
an irreverent spirit.
Hannu Lintu, conductor
Highlights of Hannu Lintu’s 2014-2015 season include appearances with the BBC Scottish Symphony,
Warsaw Philharmonic and Lahti Symphony orchestras, and the Hallé; WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln,
Orquestra Simfonica de Barcelona, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and the Malaysian
Philharmonic Orchestra. In the USA, he returns to the Baltimore Symphony and Saint Louis Symphony
orchestras and will make his debut with the Detroit Symphony and Minnesota orchestras.
Last season marked Hannu Lintu’s first season as chief conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony
Orchestra. Until summer 2013, he held the positions of artistic director and chief conductor of the
Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra and principal guest conductor with the RTÉ National Symphony
Orchestra in Dublin. He has previously held artistic director positions with the Helsingborg Symphony and
Turku Philharmonic orchestras.
Hannu Lintu has made several recordings for Ondine, Naxos and Hyperion, and has received several
prizes for his recordings, including a Grammy nomination in the Best Opera CD category in 2011.
Conrad Tao, piano
Dubbed a musician of "probing intellect and open-hearted vision" by The New York Times, Conrad Tao
has appeared worldwide as a pianist and composer. In June 2011, the White House Commission on
Presidential Scholars and the Department of Education named Conrad a Presidential Scholar in the Arts,
and the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts awarded him a YoungArts gold medal in music.
Later that year, Conrad was named a Gilmore Young Artist, an honor awarded every two years to the
most promising American pianists. In May of 2012, he was awarded the Avery Fisher Career Grant.
During the 2014-2015 season, Conrad performs with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, San Diego
Symphony and the Toronto Symphony, among others. In Europe, he will be returning to perform with the
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm, and the Bern Symphony in Switzerland. He also
performs recitals in Europe and throughout the U.S. with repertoire ranging from Bach to Toru Takemitsu
to Julia Wolfe.
Andrew Balio, trumpet
Wisconsin native Andrew Balio was appointed principal trumpet of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in
2001 by Yuri Temirkanov. Prior orchestral appointments include principal trumpet of the Israel
Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta and the Orquesta Sinfonica del Estado de Mexico. Starting in
September 2014, he begins a one-year appointment as principal trumpet of the Oslo Philharmonic. His
solo debut was at age 15 with the Milwaukee Symphony, playing the Haydn Concerto and he made his
Carnegie Hall solo debut in 2013 with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra. His teachers include Charles
Schlueter, Adoph Herseth, Roger Voisin and Gene Young. Mr. Balio has appeared as a soloist
throughout Europe and South America under such conductors as Mehta, McGeegan, Temirkanov,
Rozdestvensky and Herbig. In 2006, he founded Future Symphony Institute, a think tank that brings
together the best minds to solve orchestras’ challenges to be financially viable while preserving their
artistic mission.
COMPLETE PROGRAM DETAILS
Brahms’ Symphony No. 2
Thursday, October 30, 2014 at 8 p.m. – The Music Center at Strathmore
Friday, October 31, 2014 at 8 p.m. – Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (JMSH)
Saturday, November 1, 2014 at 8 p.m. – JMSH
Hannu Lintu, conductor
Conrad Tao, piano
Andrew Balio, trumpet
Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 3
Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 1
Brahms: Symphony No. 2
Tickets start at $29 and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 410.783.8000 or
BSOmusic.org.
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The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is funded by an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts
Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is supported in part by funding from the Montgomery County
government and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is also supported by the Citizens of Baltimore County and the Mayor
and City Council of Baltimore.
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