Utah Symphony Kicks off 75th Anniversary Season with Two-Week Beethoven Symphony Festival

Music Director Thierry Fischer and the Utah Symphony celebrate the launch of their 75th anniversary season with a two-week, four-concert Beethoven Festival comprising the composer's first eight symphonies. Tickets, priced from $18 to $69 ($10 for students), are available for purchase through www.utahsymphony.org or by calling (801) 355-2787.

Utah Symphony's 2015-16 season begins on Friday, September 11 with Maestro Fischer conducting the Orchestra in the great composer's Coriolan Overture and Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5. A concert the following day, on Saturday, September 12, pairs Symphony No. 8 with Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral". The following weekend the festival continues with the First Symphony and Symphony No. 3 "Eroica," on Friday, September 18, and Symphonies Nos. 2 and 7 on Saturday, September 19.

To complete the composer's full symphonic cycle, on December 4 and 5, Maestro Fischer and the Utah Symphony will be joined by the Utah Symphony Chorus for performances of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 "Ode to Joy."

Celebrations of Utah Symphony's 75th anniversary will continue throughout the 2015-16 season in a number of ways, including the conclusion of a two-year Mahler Symphony Cycle in tribute to Maurice Abravanel, whose indelible mark as the music director from 1947 to 1979 left a profound impact on the organization and Utah's cultural landscape. A black-tie gala concert on October 1, 2015 led by Maestro Fischer will feature pianist Lang Lang performing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24 and Grieg's Piano Concerto. Proceeds from the gala event will benefit the Utah Symphony's concert Carnegie Hall April 29, 2016, marking its first visit to New York City in 41 years.

Additional highlights of the 2015-16 season include world premieres of an orchestral work by Nico Muhly as well as Andrew Norman's percussion concerto "Switch"; collaborations on the Masterworks series with five of the state's great cultural organizations including Utah Opera, Ballet West, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and The Madeleine Choir School.

RELATED EVENTS

Utah Symphony Principal Keyboard Jason Hardink offers a series of preconcert talks about Beethoven and his creative process, integrating excerpts of Beethoven's piano music as they relate to symphonies performed each evening by the Utah Symphony. All events start at 6:45 PM in the 1st Tier Room at Abravanel Hall, and are free to all ticket holders.

• September 11, 2015: "Beethoven's Heroic Decade"
A discussion of the musical style and innovation found in the mature works of Beethoven's middle period; includes selections from Beethoven's famous Piano Sonata in F Minor, opus 57 "Appassionata."

• September 12, 2015: "Musical Narratives: The Art of Storytelling in Beethoven's Music"
Beethoven's "Pastorale" Symphony (No. 6) wielded immense influence over the collective imagination of the ensuing generations of Romantic composers; this event includes selections from Beethoven's only programmatic piano sonata, "Les Adieux" opus 83a.

• September 18, 2015: "Finding Eroica: Beethoven's Journey to the Symphony"
Beethoven conceived his monumental "Eroica" Symphony over a number of years; this event gives listeners the rare opportunity to hear his opus 35 piano variations, an early model for the last movement of the "Eroica" Symphony, the same evening as the symphony itself.

• September 19, 2015: "Heroic Antics: Humor in Beethoven's Music"
While Beethoven's reputation rests largely on the stormy drama of his most famous works, much of his music is good-natured and exhibits a great deal of wit and humor. This preconcert event features one of the composer's most amusing and clever works for piano, the Sonata in E-flat Major, opus 31, no. 3.

Utah Symphony | Utah Opera education department has an online Listen & Learn section with in-depth information on the Beethoven symphonies written by Jeff Olpin. Click here to access the information: www.utahsymphony.org/insight/online-learning

Through its annual cultural festival, Utah Symphony will celebrate its 75th anniversary by teaming up with local arts partners on 75 or more special performances, events and workshops spread throughout the community during the 2015-16 season, called collectively "75 and Counting". For more information, please visit www.usuo.org/festival

Utah Symphony is a community sponsor of Pleasant Grove's Beat Beethoven 5K run on Saturday, September 12 at 9 AM. Racers attempt to complete the 5K course before the end of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 (performed by Utah Symphony in its opening concert the previous night), which is approximately 35 minutes in length. For more information and to sign up to join in the race, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/UT/PleasantGrove/BeatBeethoven

In celebration of the orchestra's 75th-anniversary season, Music Director Thierry Fischer and the Utah Symphony release their first recording together on September 11, 2015, featuring a performance of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1, "Titan," recorded live in Maurice Abravanel Hall on September 12 and 13, 2014. The album is available for pre-order on iTunes and Amazon. After the September 11 release date, the CD will also be available for purchase through the Utah Symphony's online store and gift shop at Abravanel Hall.

On Sept. 9, Gov. Gary Herbert honored Utah Symphony as part of the Governor's Mansion Artist Series. Utah Governor's Mansion Artist Awards recognize the finest individuals and organizations in visual and performing arts throughout the state. Previous Utah Symphony honorees have included Keith Lockhart (2002) and Ralph Matson/Barbara Scowcroft (2010).

PROGRAMS

The Utah Symphony presents
Beethoven Symphony Festival

Abravanel Hall, 123 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah

Thierry Fischer, conductor

Beethoven Symphony Festival: Nos. 4 & 5
September 11, 2015 | 7:30 p.m.

BEETHOVEN Coriolan Overture
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5

Beethoven Symphony Festival: Nos. 8 & 6
September 12, 2015 | 7:30 p.m.

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 8
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral"

Beethoven Symphony Festival: Nos. 1 & 3
September 18, 2015 | 7:30 p.m.

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 1
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 "Eroica"

Beethoven Symphony Festival: Nos. 2 & 7
September 19, 2015 | 7:30 p.m.

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 2
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7

Concert Sponsors:
Masterworks Series Sponsor: OC Tanner
Beethoven Festival Sponsor: Zions Bank
Conductor Sponsor: Arnold Machinery
Concert Sponsor: OC Tanner
Symphony Season Sponsor: George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation

Tickets, priced from $18 to $69 ($10 for students), are available for purchase through www.utahsymphony.org or by calling (801) 355-2787. Tickets increase $5 on the day of the performance.

About the Utah Symphony

Founded in 1940, the Utah Symphony performs more than 175 concerts each season and offers all Utahns easy access to world class live musical performances of the world's greatest music in the state's top venues. Since being named the orchestra's seventh music director in 2009, Thierry Fischer has attracted leading musicians and top soloists, refreshed programming, drawn increased audiences, and galvanized community support. In addition to regional and domestic tours, including the Mighty 5 Tour of Utah's National Parks, the Utah Symphony has embarked on seven international tours and will perform at Carnegie Hall in Spring 2016 coinciding with the orchestra's 75th anniversary celebrations. The Utah Symphony has released more than 100 recordings, including the new recording of Mahler Symphony No. 1 in Sept. 2015. Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, the orchestra's parent organization, reaches 450,000 residents in Utah and the Intermountain region, with educational outreach programs serving more than 155,000 students annually. In addition to performances in Abravanel Hall, and concerts throughout the state of Utah, the Utah Symphony participates in Utah Opera's four annual productions at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre and presents the Deer Valley Music Festival each summer in Park City, Utah. With its many subscription, education, and outreach concerts and tours, the Utah Symphony is one of the most engaged orchestras in the nation. For more information visit www.utahsymphony.org.