The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Presents BEETHOVEN'S “EROICA” SYMPHONY, 3/27-30

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Edo de Waart continue the 2014 Beethoven Festival with Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, "Eroica," on March 27-30, 2014 at the Pabst Theater. The performances include Stravinsky's Concerto in D major, John Adams's Saxophone Concerto with saxophonist Timothy McAllister, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, "Eroica." Stravinsky's Concerto in D major for String Orchestra was composed from 1946-1947. The Concerto in D major was Stravinsky's first European commission after his move to the United States in 1939. The work was commissioned by the Swiss conductor and arts patron Paul Sacher to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of Sacher's Basel Chamber Orchestra. The Concerto in D is representative of Stravinsky's neoclassical style, defined by the inclusion of various stylistic and formal aspects of Classical form.

John Adams's Saxophone Concerto was composed and premiered in 2013. The use of the saxophone in the classical repertory is rare and amounts to only a handful of solos, such as the "Jet Song" solo in Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story. Adams grew up with a saxophone-playing father, and he has incorporated the instrument into many of his works. Adams writes about the piece: "While the concerto is not meant to sound jazzy per se, its jazz influences lie only slightly below the surface. I make constant use of the instrument's vaunted agility as well as its capacity for a lyrical utterance that is only a short step away from the human voice."

Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in E-flat minor, Opus 55, "Eroica," was composed in 1803-1804 and premiered in 1805. Beethoven had been enamored with Napoleon Bonaparte and his fight against political tyranny and inequality. However, when Napoleon appointed himself Emperor, Beethoven, dismayed by the hypocrisy, scratched out the Symphony's original inscription of "intitolata Bonaparte" with a knife and instead titled the piece Sinfonia eroica (Heroic Symphony). The symphony pushed the art of symphonic writing into a new realm, as it was nearly twice as long as symphonies written before it and contained a complex harmonic language.

A B O U T T H E A R T I S T S

The 2013.14 season is Edo de Waart's fifth as the sixth music director of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He is also chief conductor of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, artistic partner of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and conductor laureate of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. Guest conducting highlights include performances with the San Francisco Symphony, NHK Symphony, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Washington's National Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony, and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. As an opera conductor, Mr. de Waart has conducted at Nikikai Opera, Geneva Opera, Opera de Bastille, Santa Fe Opera, and Metropolitan Opera. Semi-staged and concert opera performances include Der Rosenkavalier (The Metropolitan Opera), Bluebeard's Castle (Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra), and The Rake's Progress (Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra). He regularly conducts an opera with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic as part of the Concertgebouw's Zaterdag Matinee series.

Edo de Waart's extensive catalogue encompasses releases for Philips, Virgin, EMI, Telarc, and RCA. With the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, he has recorded all the orchestral works of Rachmaninoff, the overtures of Wagner for Octavia/Exton, and a Wagner series for Challenge Classics.

Born in Holland, he studied oboe, piano, and conducting at the Music Lyceum in Amsterdam and upon graduating took up the position of associate principal oboe of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Two years later, at the age of 23, he won the Dimitri Mitropoulos Conducting Competition in New York which resulted in his appointment as assistant conductor to Leonard Bernstein at the New York Philharmonic. On his return to Holland, he was appointed assistant conductor to Bernard Haitink at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. In 1967, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra appointed him guest conductor and, six years later, chief conductor and artistic director. Since then, Edo de Waart has also been music director of the San Francisco Symphony and Minnesota Orchestra, chief conductor and artistic director of the Sydney Symphony, and chief conductor of De Nederlandse Opera. In December 2004, he was made a Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion, and in 2005, he was appointed an Honorary Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia.

Hailed by The New York Times as "one of the foremost saxophonists of his generation," Timothy McAllister is an acclaimed soloist, member of the PRISM Quartet, and a champion of contemporary music credited with more than 150 premieres of new compositions by eminent and emerging composers worldwide. His solo, orchestral, and chamber music recordings appear on the Naxos, Albany, Stradivarius, Summit, OMM, New Focus Recordings, Centaur, Equilibrium, and Innova labels. He has been featured on National Public Radio, Dutch National Radio, BBC, WQXR-NYC, WFMT-Chicago, and various PBS affiliates throughout the United States. His celebrated work is highlighted in the Deutsche Grammophon DVD release of the world premiere of John Adams's City Noir, filmed as part of Gustavo Dudamel's inaugural concert as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Described by the Sydney Morning Herald as an "astonishing performance," he presented the world premiere of John Adams's Saxophone Concerto in August 2013 with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the baton of the composer in the Sydney Opera House. Subsequent United States premieres with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Saint Louis Symphony have followed, along with a recording for the Nonesuch label. Upcoming solo engagements include the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the New World Symphony, among others. Timothy McAllister is both a Conn-Selmer and D'Addario Woodwinds Artist.

A B O U T T H E P E R F O R M A N C E

Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony

Timothy McAllister, saxophone

Thursday, March 27 | 7:30 p.m.

Friday, March 28 | 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 29 | 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, March 30 | 2:30 p.m.

Tickets range from $25-$90. For more information, please call 414.291.7605 or visit mso.org. Tickets may also be purchased through the Pabst Theater Box Office at 414.286.3663.

This weekend's concerts are sponsored by David & Julia Uihlein in dedication to Peg Bradley.

The 2013.14 Classics Series is presented by UPAF. Friday Classics Series is sponsored by Chase. Saturday Classics Series is sponsored by Rockwell Automation. Sunday Classics Series is sponsored by Johnson Controls. Wisconsin Public Radio is the Beethoven Festival Media Sponsor.

Ranked among the top orchestras in the country, the MSO is the largest cultural institution in Wisconsin. Since its inception in 1959, the orchestra has received critical acclaim for artistic excellence. The orchestra's full-time professional musicians perform more than 135 concerts each season. A cornerstone organization in Milwaukee's arts community, the MSO provides enrichment and education activities for audiences of every age, economic status, and background.

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