The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) and Edward T. Cone Music Director Rossen Milanov announce a 2022-2023 Season filled with top guest artists and varied programming. Distinctive Latin and Spanish, English, American, Italian, and Eastern European sounds can be heard among works by Joaquín Turina, Ruperto Chapí, Edward Elgar, Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, George Gershwin, Gioachino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, Alexander Borodin, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. There are symphonies by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky as well as newer works by Jessie Montgomery and Carlos Simon, the US premiere of Marcos Fernandez’ America, and the world premiere of William Harvey’s Seven Decisions of Gandhi.
PSO debuts include star soprano Pretty Yende performing arias by Rossini and Verdi, plus violinists Anne Akiko Meyers and Elina Vähälä and violist Roberto Díaz, each showcasing their talents with works respectively by Arturo Márquez, Benjamin Britten, and Hector Berlioz. Piano virtuoso Inon Barnatan marks his return appearance with the PSO with a performance of Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2.
The season opens September 10-11 with Anne Akiko Meyers performing the melodies and dance rhythms of Mexico’s leading composer Arturo Márquez’ Fandango violin concerto. Another highlight is the US Premiere of Marcos Fernández’ homage to Leonard Bernstein, America. Also on the program are Joaquín Turina’s Danzas fantásticas, Ruperto Chapí’s Prelude to La Revoltosa, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol.
On October 15-16, violinist Elina Vähälä makes her PSO debut performing Benjamin Britten’s inventive Violin Concerto, Op. 15. Exploding gestures and fleeting melodies are found in Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst, and Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations completes the program.
Opera star Pretty Yende graces the stage at the January 14-15 Edward T. Cone Concert, voicing a boy’s idyllic remembrances of his native city in Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915. Ms. Yende also performs Gioachino Rossini’s “Una voce poco fa” aria from Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) and Giuseppe Verdi’s “È strano! è strano!” from La Traviata. The balance of the program is taken up by Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring.
On February 4-5, pianist Inon Barnatan performs Brahms’ monumental Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major. Carlos Simon’s Fate Now Conquers draws upon structural elements of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, also on the program.
On March 11-12, Sameer Patel conducts the world premiere of William Harvey’s Seven Decisions of Gandhi featuring the composer as solo violinist. This concerto for violin and full orchestra was inspired by the life of Mahatma Gandhi. The work is set off by Alexander Borodin’s thrilling Polovtsian Dances and Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique” Symphony.
Capping the season on May 13-14, violist Roberto Díaz performs Hector Berlioz’ Harold in Italy, which musically evokes a young man’s wanderings through Italy. Study for Orchestra spotlights the compositional work of Julia Perry, and George Gershwin’s popular An American in Paris recalls the sights and sounds of the City of Light.
Tickets are available by subscription, starting at $180: princetonsymphony.org or 609-497-0020.
