This fall, classical musicians look to the past to honor the legacy of an Atlanta legend, but also look ahead to the future, reaching out to contemporary audiences with bold ideas, unusual collaborations and new music.
Mahler's 'Resurrection.' Music Director Robert Spano conducts Mahler's monumental "Resurrection" Symphony, a personal favorite of Robert Shaw, the renowned former ASO director whose best loved works inspired the 2015-16 season on the occasion of the centennial anniversay of his birth. The performance will feature the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus with special guests Laura Tatulescu, soprano, and Kelley O'Connor, mezzo-soprano. Other fall highlights of the Shaw-inspired season include Principal Guest Conductor Donald Runnicles conducting Beethoven's Eighth Symphony in October and Spano leading an all-star performance of Verdi's Requiem in November. Sept. 17-19. Symphony Hall. www.atlantasymphony.org.
'Winter Journey.' This season, the Atlanta Opera unveils its new "Discoveries" series, which places smaller operatic works in venues across the city. The first is an unusual production of Franz Schubert's "Winterreise" or "Winter Journey." Technically a cycle of songs for voice and piano most often performed in recital, "Winter Journey" will get a full production from the Atlanta Opera with multimedia visual projections by artist Vita Tzykun. Charismatic baritone David Adam Moore sings the role of Schubert's poet-narrator who undertakes a lonely journey in winter during the dead of night. Atlantans will have the opportunity to see the performance at Kennesaw State University's Bailey Performance Center where the work will have its Atlanta premiere or at Oglethorpe University during a run at the Conant Performing Arts Center. Sept. 12. Kennesaw State University's Bailey Performance Center. Sept. 17-20. Oglethorpe University's Conant Performing Arts Center. www.atlantaopera.org.
Christine Brewer and Paul Jacobs. Spivey Hall opens its season with a concert from two Grammy Award-winning artists together in concert: Soprano Christine Brewer and Organist Paul Jacobs. In a wide-ranging program that includes works by Bach, Handel, Puccini and Gounod, Brewer and Jacobs will explore the repertoire for voice and organ. With Brewer's famously lush and dramatic soprano accompanied by Jacobs on Spivey's 4413-pipe organ, this one should be pretty epic. Oct. 10. Spivey Hall. www.spiveyhall.org.
Edgar Meyer and Christian McBride. Classical bassist Edgar Meyer and jazz bassist Christian McBride, arguably the two best bassists in the world, join together for an evening of virtuosic performance. Meyer, hailed by The New Yorker as "the most remarkable virtuoso in the relatively un-chronicled history of his instrument," is also well-known for his innovative collaborations with musicians like Chris Thile of Punch Brothers, while McBride is known for the irresistible warmth and charm of his jazz musicianship. The opportunity to see two bass legends together in a collaborative concert is not to be missed. Oct. 30. The Schwartz Center for Performing Arts at Emory. www.arts.emory.edu.
'Spices, Perfumes, Toxins!' It's rare for percussionists to take center stage at Symphony Hall, but the ASO premiere of contemporary Israeli composer Avner Dorman's work "Spices, Perfumes, Toxins!" under the baton of Robert Spano provides the perfect showcase for ASO percussionists Thomas Sherwood and Charles Settle. In late September, they'll step out from their usual, somewhat hidden spot behind the orchestra to take the spotlight. Dorman's piece has musical influences that span the globe (the first movement, "Spices," is based on Middle Eastern and Indian scales), and it features an array of percussion instruments, from marimbas and vibraphone to Turkish hand drums and Arabic tambourine, providing Sherwood and Settle plenty of opportunity to bang and shine. Sept. 24-26. Symphony Hall. www.atlantasymphony.org.
Itzak Perlman. In October, the world's most renowned violinist, Itzak Perlman, performs an intimate recital with piano on the stage of Symphony Hall, a concert that will include some of the world's most beloved chamber repertoire. Undoubtedly a highlight of the season. Oct. 18. Symphony Hall. www.atlantasymphony.org.
David Finckel, Wu Han, Philip Setzer. Married couple David Finckel and Wu Han are superstars of the chamber music world for their virtuosity on their respective instruments, cello and piano, as well as for their roles as co-artistic directors of the famed Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. For their Emory concert they'll be joined by renowned violinist Philip Setzer in a program that includes Beethoven piano trios Op.1, no. 2 and Op. 70, no. 1 ("the Ghost trio"). Nov. 7. The Schwartz Center for Performing Arts at Emory. www.arts.emory.edu.
OTHER FALL EVENTS AROUND ATLANTA:
Theater: Memory, race and classic remakes take center stage
Classical music: Mahler, Schubert and virtuoso pairings on tap
Dance: Athleticism, technology and intimacy meld
Visual arts: High fashion, samurais and Andy Warhol fill galleries this fall
Pop music: Festivals, Dave Grhol, Janet Jackson rule the fall music scene
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