Music changes the way we feel in our world. Undeniably, great symphonic music forms our perspectives, shaping our actions and reactions. These uncertain times, exciting and greatly rewarding, are also a world of unrest. We need music and the arts now more than ever.
I feel privileged to make music with our Kansas City Symphony, and I’m extraordinarily proud of our 2016-17 Classical Series season lineup. It’s an impressive mix, including three great vocal works that are meditations on humanity: Mozart’s Requiem, which we will perform in Helzberg Hall for the first time; Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, a towering 20th century masterpiece; and Mahler’s ineffably beautiful “Song of the Earth.” Superb symphonies by Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Beethoven and Rachmaninoff are joined by works of our time, young American talents, and we will celebrate the life of Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara with a world premiere of his work for violin and orchestra, Fantasia.
We welcome the debuts of conductor Cristian Măcelaru, violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, and pianist/composer Daniil Trifonov, who performs his own concerto. Our very own Kansas City Symphony Concertmaster Noah Geller returns as soloist in Bartók’s mesmerizing Violin Concerto No. 2 and Principal Flutist Michael Gordon plays Mozart in his Classical Series debut. Additionally, multiple remarkable artists — and good friends — return as well: violinists Stefan Jackiw and Philippe Quint; conductors Bernard Labadie, Asher Fisch and Jun Märkl; mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung; and pianists Robert Levin and Emanuel Ax, to name just a few.
I cherish this season already and trust you will too. To learn more about all of the wonderful performances in our 2016-17 season or to find out more about becoming a season subscriber, please contact our Symphony Box Office at (816) 471-0400 or visit kcsymphony.org.
See you at the concerts!
–Michael Stern, Kansas City Symphony Music Director
