ASO SHOWS
On Tuesday, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra announced the details of its 2014-15 season, which extends from this September through the following June. The ASO's concerts will take place at the Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St., and in other locations. For information about times and ticket prices, call 404-733-4900 or go to http://aso.org/1415.
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its 70th anniversary with a 2014-15 season full of premieres, including three world premieres, plus music from a remarkable array of soloists and guest conductors.
On Tuesday, the ASO revealed its new schedule, which begins Sept. 25 with MacArthur Prize-winning pianist Jeremy Denk performing Mozart’s 20th piano concerto and ends the following June with performances of selections from the opera “Samson et Dalila” by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns.
In between are dozens of musical outings with ensembles both big and small and music that runs the gamut from the familiar to the brand-new.
Among the Atlanta premieres:
- Pre-eminent American composer John Adams will conduct a program that includes one of his own compositions, "Scheherazade.2," which will be the first time the ASO has performed that piece here.
Among the world premieres:
- Jonathan Leshnoff's Symphony No. 2, "Innerspace," will be presented in November under the baton of ASO music director Robert Spano. Leshnoff is composer-in-residence with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra and a member of the faculty at Towson University.
- In April 2015, Spano will conduct the orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus in the world premiere of "Creation/Creator," by Dallas-born composer Christopher Theofanidis, who has a long-standing relationship with the ASO.
- In that same month, Boston-based composer Michael Gandolfi will see the world premiere of his "Sinfonia Concertante" in a performance featuring four ASO principal musicians.
The soloists performing with the symphony are a diverse crowd. They include the ASO’s own principals, such as clarinetist Laura Ardan and concert master David Coucheron, and such guest artists as violinist Midori and pianist Lang Lang.
In one of the more anticipated shows, organist Cameron Carpenter will present a program of Messiaen, Poulenc and Saint-Saëns, performing on a digital organ of his own design that he trucks from concert to concert.
Carpenter, who brings great showmanship to symphony halls, affects a Mohawk-style haircut, and his stage attire varies from tight black leather to Swarovski-crystal-adorned outfits. But he backs up the flash with virtuosity: One of his tricks is to move some of the more ridiculously complicated keyboard lines down to the pedals and play them with his feet.
The ASO will pay homage to the movies in several different concerts.
In October, the orchestra, under the direction of guest conductor Tim Fox, will perform music from Danny Elfman, creator of soundtracks for many Tim Burton films.
In November, conductor Jack Everly will direct a tribute to the sounds of science fiction.
Another television star, Jason Alexander, will exercise both his singing and comedic chops during a Pops series concert Oct. 24-25 at the Woodruff Arts Center.
For nine seasons, Alexander played sidekick George Costanza on “Seinfeld.” In his role as a performer with symphony orchestras, Alexander has been known to belt out songs from “Pippin,” “The Music Man” and “Merrily We Roll Along.”
To be on stage backed by a full orchestra in black tie — that’s glory of which the nebbishy George Costanza could only dream.
