Orchestra Of St. Luke's Announces 2019-20 Carnegie Hall Season With Bernard Labadie

For its 2019-2020 Subscription Series presented by Carnegie Hall, Orchestra of St. Luke's (OSL) and Principal Conductor Bernard Labadie will perform three bold concert programs, including Mendelssohn's "Scottish" Symphony and pianist Beatrice Rana performing Bach keyboard concertos, a program dedicated entirely to works for double orchestra by Handel and Vivaldi, and a celebration of Beethoven's 250th birthday with four works displaying the composer's audacious genius.

Commenting on the musical selections this season, Bernard Labadie said, "These three programs at Carnegie Hall next season will invite New York audiences to hear and experience the music of some of their favorite composers in new and novel ways. Felix Mendelssohn was known to have performed Bach's keyboard works on a modern pianoforte, so it is only fitting that we have paired two of his most popular orchestral works with two of Bach's keyboard concertos to be performed by Beatrice Rana on modern piano. Our second concert explores the unique sonic experience of works for double orchestra with rarely-performed antiphonal works by Handel and Vivaldi. Finally, we will join Carnegie Hall in celebrating the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth with a theatrical, jubilant, and opulent program of lesser-heard works by Beethoven, including the grandiose Choral Fantasy and the monumental Mass in C Major."

On October 17, 2019 Principal Conductor Bernard Labadie's brings his artistic vision to two works by Felix Mendelssohn: Overture and Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56 "Scottish." Mendelssohn, who is credited with reviving the music of J.S. Bach in the 19th century, was devoted to Bach's keyboard works, often performing them on the piano. This program honors Mendelssohn's passion for Bach with two of his keyboard concertos performed on the piano by young Italian virtuoso Beatrice Rana.

The second concert of the series takes place on February 6, 2020, when Orchestra of St. Luke's fills Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage with an extravagant program of works for double orchestra by Handel and Vivaldi. Daniel Hope joins the Orchestra and Bernard Labadie for Vivaldi's Concerto in A Major for Violin, Strings, and Continuo, while Marie-Nicole Lemieux performs two contrasting settings of the Salve Regina by Vivaldi, both for contralto and double orchestra.

On March 5, 2020, Orchestra of St. Luke's celebrates Ludwig van Beethoven's 250th birthday with four rarely-performed orchestral and choral works by Beethoven, including his sweeping and dramatic Leonore Overture No. 2. The Overture stole the show when his only opera Fidelio was first performed in 1805, prompting the composer to revise it extensively. As a stand-alone work, the overture is an operatic tone poem in its own right. For Beethoven's Choral Fantasy the incredible forces of pianist Jeremy Denk, La Chapelle de Québec, soprano Karina Gauvin, mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor, tenor Jeremy Ovenden, and baritone Joshua Hopkins join together for one of Beethoven's most indulgent and joyous compositions, while his Mass in C Major is an underrated masterpiece.

Details about the 2019-2020 Carnegie Hall Series follow in this release.

Subscription tickets for OSL's 2019-2020 Carnegie Hall Season are on sale now at carnegiehall.org.

A schedule and tickets info for Orchestra of St. Luke's upcoming performances through June 2018 are available at OSLmusic.org.