Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony—according to Frederick Stock, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra‘s second music director, in Talks About Beethoven’s Symphonies — is “dedicated to all Mankind. Embracing all phases of human emotion, monumental in scope and outline, colossal in its intellectual grasp and emotional eloquence, the Ninth stands today as the greatest of all symphonies.”

Stock continues: “The Ninth is unquestionably the greatest of all symphonies not only because it is the final résumé of all of Beethoven’s achievements, colossal as they are even without the Ninth, but also because it voices the message of one who had risen beyond himself, beyond the world and the time in which he lived. The Ninth is Beethoven, the psychic and spiritual significance of his life. In the first movement we find the bitter struggle he waged against life’s adversities, his failing health, his deafness, his loneliness. The Scherzo depicts the quest for worldly joy; the third movement, melancholy reflection, longing — resignation. The last movement, the ‘Ode to Joy,’ is dedicated to all Mankind. There’s something astonishing about a deaf composer choosing to open a symphony with music that reveals, like no other music before it, the very essence of sound emerging from silence,” writes CSOA scholar-in-residence and program annotator Phillip Huscher. “The famous pianissimo opening — sixteen measures with no secure sense of key or rhythm — does not so much depict the journey from darkness to light, or from chaos to order, as the birth of sound itself or the creation of a musical idea. It is as if the challenges of Beethoven’s daily existence — the struggle to compose music, his difficulty in communicating, the frustration of remembering what it was like to hear — have been made real in a single page of music.”

The magnificent piece, “Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth)” is the culmination of Mahler’s own fate—and how he managed to cope with it—both spiritually and emotionally. It is one of Mahler’s greatest works, which came from deep grief over the loss of his child and his own concerning health. This chamber version retains the character of the original, treating each player as a soloist. Mahler’s chamber-like writing is successfully realized, adding intimacy in the performing and listening experience, and enabling a monumental work to be performed in a smaller venue. This version also allows the vocal soloists to be heard more clearly without competing against a large orchestra. Intimately masterful.

Our “Portrait of a Composer” concert this season spotlights Tchaikovsky. A Russian born composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was deeply inspired by Shakespeare when he wrote “Romeo and Juliet (Fantasy-Overture)”, the opening piece for our performance. One of the most popular pieces of its kind, Tchaikovsky’s “Piano Concerto No. 1”, will be one you’ll remember. As our final piece, “Symphony No. 5” will leave you feeling triumphant. The “Fifth Symphony” moves from a subterranean soundscape into a mysterious march, with a restless melody and dancelike rhythm, followed by a second movement which grows into a soaring and passionate statement, then plunging into the lowest depths. The third movement is full of rhythmic games with irregular phrases. In the final movement, Tchaikovsky transforms the theme from minor to major, with trumpet fanfares ringing out. The music frequently teases the listener with the first notes of the theme, seeming uncertain ending with an exhilarant and triumphant celebration.

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A fun concert with music accompanying the narration of “Wild Symphony”. Top-selling writer, Dan Brown (author of The Da Vinci Code, Inferno, and more) combines his musical talents and his writing talents for his first children’s story—The story of a big blue whale, fast cheetahs, beetles and graceful swans—with each of them having their own special secret to share. Along the way, Maestro Mouse has some surprises left… a hiding buzzy bee, some jumbled letters spelling out clues, and a coded message to solve. Dan Brown creates “a wide-ranging, peppy blend of rhyming poems, puzzles, motivational messages, and music.”

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The main attraction for our Holiday concert is Vivaldi’s “Gloria”. From the genre of cantata-mass, this hybrid form is set for solo voices, choir, and orchestra. Textural contrast, expressive variety, and emotion arise from the words of the mass. Enjoy the beautiful sound of the Baroque style throughout this special holiday performance. Learn More »

More than any other ballet, Tchaikovsky’s famous Ballet, The Nutcracker, is about children and the magic of childhood.  The story is about a young girl, Clara, and therefore many of the dancers in the ballet are also children.  For many young people, the enchanting performance of The Nutcracker is their first experience seeing professional dance performance.

The ballet is set on Christmas Eve, when the hero, a nutcracker, comes to life.  The story of this revered ballet is full of excitement and wonder, and the final scene finds Clara waking up to the Christmas Tree with the Nutcracker doll in her arms realizing that it was all a dream. Visit Concert Page to Learn More »

More than any other ballet, Tchaikovsky’s famous Ballet, The Nutcracker, is about children and the magic of childhood.  The story is about a young girl, Clara, and therefore many of the dancers in the ballet are also children.  For many young people, the enchanting performance of The Nutcracker is their first experience seeing professional dance performance.

The ballet is set on Christmas Eve, when the hero, a nutcracker, comes to life.  The story of this revered ballet is full of excitement and wonder, and the final scene finds Clara waking up to the Christmas Tree with the Nutcracker doll in her arms realizing that it was all a dream. Visit Concert Page to Learn More »

The “Gentle” Nutcracker is a shortened, specially-designed Sensory Friendly performance of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker”, which is for neurodiverse individuals, their families, and caregivers. Special care is taken to provide a comfortable, caring environment for all who attend this wonderful performance. For any questions, please contact us at the LSO office!

As you anxiously await the performance of “Shostakovich Symphony No. 5”, LSO will first bring you Beethoven’s “Overture to Coriolan”, depicting the Roman leader, Gaius Marcius Coriolanus’ transition from brutality to tenderness, followed by Bloch’s “Schelomo”. The voice of Schelomo (Hebrew name for King Solomon) is the cello which embodies the greatness, glory, and sensuality of the great King. When Shostakovich takes center stage, his fifth symphony opens with the color of glistening rivers by the strings, doom-laden fanfares from brass and percussion, followed by the largo movement of lamenting, and finally the furious explosion of brass and timpani in the final movement—with flurries of strings and woodwinds as it rushes to a thundering finale. A must see and hear! Visit Concert Page to Learn More »

Composed by Mark Crawford for the Netflix movie, “The Social Dilemma”, this piece will be performed by the LSO while a shortened version of the movie is shown on screen behind the orchestra—setting the mood and evoking the emotional impact of the film! Following this thought-provoking performance, the orchestra moves to Gustav Mahler’s “Symphony No. 4”. Choosing the Chamber version by Yoon Jae Lee, our Maestro brings the audience unique sounds of Mahler in a more intimate and profound setting—the result being a beautifully small symphony preserving the sound of Mahler. Don’t miss this experience! Visit Concert Page to Learn More »

“Shoot for the Stars” Opening Night features “The Planets” by Gustav Holst, a seven-movement orchestral suite. Each movement is named after a planet with its own unique astrological character. The night begins with John Adams’ “Short Ride in a Fast Machine”, catching your attention with his unique use of minimalist tonal language and rhythmic dissonance, followed by Michael Daugherty’s new Harp Concerto, “Harp of Ages” which shows us the diversity of one of the oldest instruments while bringing in elements of 20th century pop culture—the blues and Irish rhythmic excitement. Visit Concert Page to Learn More »