ASO looks ahead to 2018-19 season

Courtesy artsBHAM

As the Alabama Symphony Orchestra’s 2017-18 season winds down, many of its musicians are preparing for summer gigs in far-flung places around the globe. First, though, they have some serious business to attend to.

Three hefty Masterworks programs remain in May and June, beginning with a tribute to Leonard Bernstein on May 4-5. Music by Jennifer Higdon, Mendelssohn and Sibelius follows on May 18-19, featuring the acclaimed 22-year-old violinist Simone Porter, and the season concludes June 1-2 with Rimsky-Korsakov, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky. All three programs will be led by Music Director Carlos Izcaray.

In addition, their protégés in the Alabama Youth Symphony Orchestra make their final 2017-18 appearance on May 19, led by Blake Richardson.

But the summer hiatus won’t mean complacency. Looming on the horizon are Masterworks and Pops series for 2018-19, as both Izcaray and SuperPops conductor Christopher Confessore are fully aware.

Thirteen Masterworks events are slated, beginning Oct. 19-20 with Strauss’ “Don Juan,” Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos in D minor and Bartók’s “Concerto for Orchestra.” Brahms, Hindemith and Schumann take Nov. 16-17 slots, withpianist Shai Wosner as soloist. 

Schubert’s Symphony No. 9, Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet,” Orff’s “Carmina Burana” and two works by William Grant Still — often called the dean of African-American composers — are among other highlights. The stellar array of soloists includes pianists Joyce Wang and Winston Choi, and violinists Francisco Fullana and Paul Huang.

From January through the end of the season in June, ASO will revisit an old Viennese friend.

“The 2018-19 season will be an opportunity to journey through all the symphonies by Beethoven, which will be played in chronological order as we explore the epic life of one of history’s greatest musicians,” Izcaray said.

ASO has accomplished the feat before with former music director Justin Brown, who received accolades from New Yorker music critic Alex Ross during his visit to Birmingham, and from several other critics after the orchestra performed the Symphony No. 7 at Carnegie Hall in New York. 

Symphony No. 1 starts the cycle Jan. 11-12, and Symphony No. 9 (“The Ode to Joy”) completes it May 31-June 1, 2019.

On the SuperPops front, the orchestra will explore Broadway, Hollywood legends, music for Christmas and New Year’s, video games, Disney movies and “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” in concert in high-definition on a giant screen. Series guests include Birmingham singer Kristi Tingle Higginbotham, the Hilltop Singers and New York jazz ensemble The Mambo Kings. The series’ seven concerts migrate from Samford University’s Wright Center to the Alys Stephens Center, Alabama Theatre and BJCC Concert Hall.

Confessore calls the series “an incredible collection of great music across many genres. Our SuperPops season offers something for everyone and I can’t wait to share these great performances with our audience.”

In addition, six Coffee Concerts will be held on Friday mornings throughout the season, a Halloween concert is planned for Oct. 14 and Izcaray will conduct Handel’s “Messiah” on Dec. 14 with the ASO Chorus. Four Concertmaster & Friends events are still in the planning stages, as are other series.

Subscription packages for Masterworks start at $88, and $110 for SuperPops. 

Single tickets for both series go on sale in August. Go to alabamasymphony.org for updates, concert details, ticket information and more.