Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Louis Langrée, conductor, Hélène Grimaud, piano
Taft Theatre, 317 E 5th St, Cincinnati, OH
11 a.m. Friday, April 14, 8 p.m. Saturday, April 15
Tickets start at $12 in advance
(513) 381-3300 or visiting www.cincinnatisymphony.org
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra concludes its two-year Brahms Fest Friday (11 a.m.) and Saturday (8 p.m.), April 14-15 at the Taft Theatre with Music Director Louis Langrée. The performances will feature two of the composer’s most crowd-pleasing masterpieces: the Third Symphony, the third movement of which was featured in the CSO’s LUMENOCITY in August 2016, as well the dramatic Second Piano Concerto. Joining the CSO for the Piano Concerto No. 2 is the captivating pianist Hélène Grimaud, a favorite of Cincinnati audiences. Known around the globe not only as an expressive and virtuosic pianist but also as an avid conservationist, activist and writer, Ms. Grimaud has earned acclaim for her performances and recordings with some of the world’s foremost orchestras.
“This Brahms Fest program features his Third Symphony and Second Piano Concerto, two remarkable works written just a year apart representing the full maturity of a confident Brahms. At this point in his life, Brahms was finally beginning to shed the inhibition he felt from being unfairly proclaimed as the successor to Beethoven,” said Mr. Langrée. “The Third Symphony is the most compact of Brahms’ Four Symphonies, and with its subtlety and range of emotion, marks a maturity in Brahms’ orchestrational craft. In the Second Piano Concerto, Brahms reimagines the scope a concerto, writing a work of tremendous complexity in four movements that synthesizes large-scale symphonic moments with the intimacy of chamber music.”
These performances are the final installment of the CSO’s two-year exploration of Brahms’ music and influences, in tandem with Cincinnati’s rich German heritage.
Classical Revolution: Classical Revolution Cincinnati will partner with the CSO to celebrate Brahms Fest at Northside Tavern on Sunday, April 9 at 8 p.m. Members of the CSO, as well as other local musicians, will perform music composed and inspired by Brahms. The Tavern will have the official Brahms Fest beer on tap—a winter hefeweizen created by local Newport brewery EI8HT-BALL. Admission is free and open to the public; donations are encouraged. More
information about Classical Revolution can be found at classicalrevolutioncincinnati.com.
