Lincoln Center Unveils 2014-15 Great Performers Season

The 49th season of Lincoln Center's Great Performers series, which will run from November 2, 2014 through May 10, 2015, was announced today by Jane Moss, Ehrenkranz Artistic Director. Highlighting the season are the return of the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, led by Riccardo Chailly and of Michael Tilson Thomasconducting the London Symphony Orchestra. The "Art of the Song" series returns in 2015 with recitals by four outstanding vocal artists. The 2014-2015 season also features a period-instrument chamber orchestra series, a recital series, and a film series, and includes pre- and post-concert discussions and lectures. A new series, "Complimentary Classical" will bring four compelling string quartets to the David Rubenstein Atrium in free concerts in 2015.

The renowned Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, led by its chief conductor Riccardo Chailly, opens the Great Performersseason, and the "Symphonic Masters" series, on November 9 with the first of two concerts in Avery Fisher Hall. The opener pairs Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 4 with Bruckner's monumental Symphony No. 7, given its premiere in 1884 by the Orchestra; the second concert on November 10 features Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 5 and violinist Nikolaj Znaider in Beethoven's Violin Concerto.

Jane Moss said, "Every Great Performers season is a celebration of exceptional musical virtuosity and artistic interpretation. Next season, it's a special pleasure to showcase the world's finest orchestras, chamber ensembles, and recitalists on our stages. Significant highlights include the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, the return of conductors Ivan Fischer, Yannick Nezet-Seguin and William Christie, performances by singers such as Natalie Dessay and Simon Keenlyside, as well as the sublime artistry of Joshua Bell and Emanuel Ax among many others-all performing profound musical masterpieces that move us deeply and expand our spirit."

BNY Mellon is a Proud Sponsor of Great Performers.

Next season's Great Performers presentations will open in November, after the fifth edition of the critically-acclaimed White Light Festival, which begins on October 7 with the Berlin Philharmonic performing Peter Sellars' stunning, St. Matthew Passion of J.S. Bach.

The "Symphonic Masters" series continues on January 18, 2015, with the return of Maestro Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra with a program of Brahms' Symphony No. 3 and Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto with soloist Renaud Capuçon. On January 21, Pinchas Zuckerman joins the Orchestra for Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 ("Turkish") and the evening closes with Brahms Symphony No. 1. On February 22, Yannick Nézet-Séguin returns to Lincoln Center with theRotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra joined by Nicholas Angelich for Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 1, and works of Dutch composer Rudolf Escher and Tchaikovsky. The London Symphony Orchestra, led by its Principal Guest Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas closes the series with a March 18 concert that features pianist Yuja Wang in Gershwin's Concerto in F, Britten's Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, and Sibelius' Symphony No. 2. Tilson Thomas last visited Great Performers in April 1995 when he led the New World Symphony Orchestra in two programs. He has not appeared in New York leading the LSO since 1992. All "Symphonic Masters" concerts take place in Avery Fisher Hall.

Next season's "Chamber Orchestras" series at Alice Tully Hall offers four renowned European period-instrument ensembles. Following a triumphant performance of Aci, Galatea e Polifemo this past October at the White Light Festival, Le Concert d'Astrée, led by its founder, harpsichordist and conductor Emmanuelle Haïm, returns to Lincoln Center with an all-Handel program on November 30. Joining Haïm for the centerpiece of the program-excerpts from Giulio Cesare in Egitto-are acclaimed soprano Natalie Dessay as Cleopatra and rising French countertenor Christophe Dumaux as Caesar.

A Lincoln Center favorite, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment returns on February 28 with guest conductor Adam Fischerleading a program that includes Brahms' Violin Concerto with soloist Viktoria Mullova and Dvorák's Symphony No. 9 ("From the New World").

William Christie brings the latest crop of young artists from Le Jardin des Voix to the stage of Alice Tully Hall on April 23 as he leads them and the musicians of Les Arts Florissants in a program of works by Handel, Vivaldi, Scarlatti, Stradella, Steffani, Caldara, and Cimarosa.

The "Chamber Orchestras" series concludes on May 10 with Italian ensemble Europa Galante returning to Lincoln Center after a 10-year absence, under the direction of its founder, conductor and violinist Fabio Biondi. The program offers three Mozart Symphonies-Nos. 10, 11 and 13-all composed while Mozart was in Milan, along with works by 17th- and early 18th-century Milanese composers whose music the young prodigy would likely have been exposed to on his three Italian journeys.

The 2014-2015 "Virtuoso Recitals" series presents exclusive New York recitals by five preeminent artists in four concerts. On January 29, 2015, pianist Garrick Ohlsson marks the Scriabin anniversary (d. 1915) year with a program of the Russian composer's Sonatas No. 5 and No. 7 ("White Mass") and Désir, along with works by Russian contemporaries Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff. Joshua Bell offers a recital on March 4, and later that month, on March 30, violinist Lisa Batiashvili and pianistPaul Lewis perform a duo recital of works by Schubert and Bach. Concluding the "Virtuoso Recitals" series on May 7 is pianistEmanuel Ax with a program of works by Debussy and Chopin. All "Chamber Orchestras" concerts take place in Alice Tully Hall.

After a season's hiatus, the popular and critically-acclaimed "Art of the Song" series returns to Alice Tully Hall in early 2015 with recitals by four luminous vocal artists. Opening the series on February 4 is American tenor Matthew Polenzani singing works by Liszt, Satie and Barber, joined by Julius Drake, piano. Following acclaimed appearances with "Art of the Song" (2012) and the White Light Festival in 2013, soprano Anna Caterina Antonacci returns, joined by pianist Donald Sulzen, in an all French program highlighted by Poulenc's La voix humaine, on March 5. English mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly sings Mahler's Rückert-Lieder and works of Schubert, Elgar and Copland in her recital, with pianist Joseph Middleton, on April 12. Concluding the series on April 29, English baritone Simon Keenlyside is joined by pianist Emanuel Ax for a program of vocal and piano works by Duparc, Poulenc, and Fauré.

The award-winning Takács Quartet welcomes guest artists for two concerts in Alice Tully Hall. On February 26, English violistLawrence Power joins the quartet for Mozart's String Quintet in G minor, on a program that also includes Schubert's Quartettsatz and Beethoven's String Quartet in F major ("Razumovsky"). Young Korean pianist and Avery Fisher Career Grant winner Joyce Yang and the Quartet perform Dvorák's Piano Quintet in A major on March 19, on a program that also includes Haydn's "Emperor" Quartet and Debussy's String Quartet in G minor.

"Great Voices on Film," presented in association with the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Classifilms, offers companion thematic programs next season. Programs 1 and 2 focus on vocal music of Handel with screenings of two remarkable performances: the 1996 Peter Sellars staging of Theodora, with William Christie featuring Dawn Upshaw (Program 1 on March 2) and one act from Adrian Nobel's 2010 staging of Alcina, conducted by Marc Minkowski (Program 2, on March 4). The second half of the series explores the music of Kurt Weill. Program 3 on April 1 is the 2010 production by La Fura dels Baus ofThe Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny and Program 4, also on April 1, includes the 1993 Peter Sellars production of The Seven Deadly Sins with Teresa Stratas as Anna, and selections of Weill songs sung by the legendary Lotte Lenya. All of the screenings take place at the Walter Reade Theater.

The November 16 New York debut of the Simón Bolívar String Quartet, whose members are the four section leaders from Venezuela's Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra, highlights the "Sunday Morning Coffee Concerts" series which will have a total of six recitals in 2014-2015 in the intimate setting of the Walter Reade Theater. Cantus, the American male vocal ensemble, opens the series on November 2 with a program of works by Sibelius, Wagner, Dvorák, Eric Whitacre, and Veljo Tormis. Rising, young German-Japanese pianist Alice Sara Ott takes the Walter Reade stage on November 30 for a program of Beethoven and Liszt works. Kicking off the new year on January 25, 2015 is Young Concert Artists International 2011 First Prize winner, violinist Paul Huang, performing sonatas by Respighi and Grieg. Acclaimed Scottish-born pianist Steven Osborne offers works on Rachmaninoff and Musorgsky's Pictures from an Exhibition on February 8. Closing out the series on March 8 is duo Lawrence Power, viola and Simon Crawford-Phillips, piano, in a program of works by Bowen, Britten and Eight Pieces from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. "Sunday Morning Coffee Concerts," returns to its original 11 am start time. Following each concert, audience members are invited to meet with the artists for coffee and conversation in the Walter Reade's Furman Gallery.

Great Performers introduces a new string quartet series, "Complimentary Classical," that will bring four remarkable ensembles to the David Rubenstein Atrium in four free concerts in 2015. Making its Lincoln Center debut on January 22 is the young, Los Angeles-based Calidore String Quartet. February 19 features the Daedalus Quartet which has performed at the Mostly Mozart Festival. On March 26, also having its first Lincoln Center engagement, is England's award-winning Heath Quartet. The concluding concert on April 23 features the dynamic, young JACK Quartet, which recently performed a sold-out concert atWhite Light Festival 2013.

Pre- and post-concert talks by noted musicologists, writers and academics including Scott Burnham, Ellen T. Harris, and Christopher H. Gibbs, along with discussions with artists, will provide background and insights into the programs. Details of confirmed talks follow with program information, and in the separate Season Chronology.

TICKET INFORMATION

Subscription Tickets for Great Performers 2014-2015, are on sale February 5 by phone via CenterCharge, 212-721-6500, by mail to: Great Performers, Alice Tully Hall Box Office, 1941 Broadway, New York, NY 10023-6588, in person at the Alice Tully Hall Box Office, 65th Street and Broadway, and online next week at LCGreatPerformers.org, Single tickets are on sale startingJune 16. To request a season brochure, call 212-875-5766.