Lilly Classical Series
Below is the 2017–2018 Lilly Classical Series of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Doors will open one hour and fifteen minutes before the performance begins. Single tickets will go on sale Monday, August 7 at 10:00 a.m. unless otherwise noted.
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Opening Weekend: Gershwin & TchaikovskyFriday, September 29 at 8:00 p.m. Krzysztof Urbański, Conductor Mozart | Overture to The Magic Flute Music Director Krzysztof Urbański and the ISO open the new season with a pair of beloved masterworks: Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony—an emotional whirlwind the great composer described as “a complete resignation before fate”—and Gershwin’s jazz-inspired Concerto in F with the incomparable pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. |
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Joshua Bell with the ISOFriday, October 6 at 8:00 p.m. Jun Märkl, Conductor Liszt | Les Préludes Two of Indianapolis’ favorite guest artists return to the Hilbert Circle Theatre. Violin sensation Joshua Bell is the soloist for Bruch’s dazzling “Scottish Fantasy,” and conductor Jun Märkl leads Schumann’s majestic “Rhenish” Symphony |
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American Masters: Bernstein & CoplandFriday, October 13 at 8:00 p.m. Michael Francis, Conductor Bernstein | Symphony No. 2, "Age of Anxiety" Florida Orchestra Music Director Michael Francis leads the ISO in music of the American Masters: Copland’s Symphony No. 3—the final movement of which recalls the famous “Fanfare for the Common Man”—and Bernstein’s “Age of Anxiety” inspired by the poetry of W. H. Auden |
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Augustin Hadelich ReturnsFriday, October 27 at 8:00 p.m. Andrey Boreyko, Conductor Mahler (arr. Britten) | "What the Wild Flowers Tell Me" 2006 IVCI Gold Medalist and 2016 Grammy Award winner Augustin Hadelich is the soloist for the Violin Concerto of Benjamin Britten. Plus, Russian-born conductor Andrey Boreyko leads the ISO in the Ninth Symphony of Dmitri Shostakovich—of which the composer proclaimed, “Musicians will love to play it and critics will delight in blasting it. |
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Prokofiev Piano ConcertosFriday, November 17 at 8:00 p.m. Krzysztof Urbański, Conductor Friday: Saturday: Three piano soloists perform five pieces over two nights! The unparalleled keyboard virtuosity of Sergei Prokofiev comes to life in the Hilbert Circle Theatre in this once-in-a-lifetime musical experience. |
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Music for the Royal FireworksSaturday, January 6 at 5:30 p.m. Nicholas McGegan, Conductor Handel | Royal Fireworks Music Baroque master Nicholas McGegan and the ISO ring in the New Year with Handel’s “Music for the Royal Fireworks,” plus Mozart’s Third Violin Concerto with dazzling young soloist, Karen Gomyo. |
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Ohlsson Plays TchaikovskyFriday, January 19 at 8:00 p.m. Krzysztof Urbański, Conductor Borodin | Polovtsian Dances Music Director Krzysztof Urbański and the ISO welcome legendary master of the keyboard, Garrick Ohlsson, for Tchaikovsky impassioned First Piano Concerto. Plus, Borodin’s Polovotsian Dances — the inspiration for Broadway’s “Kismet” — and Shostakovich’s light-hearted Sixth Symphony. |
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Beethoven's "Pastoral"Friday, January 26 at 8:00 p.m. Krzysztof Urbański, Conductor Beethoven | Symphony No. 6 ("Pastoral") His Sixth Symphony is Beethoven at peace, alone in his beloved nature. Beethoven’s “Pastoral” will be paired with Mahler’s songs from “The Magic Horn of Youth,” of which Mahler’s protégé Brunco Walter said, “Everything that moved him was there—nature, piety, longing, love, parting, night, the world of spirits...” |
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Saint-Saëns' Violin Concerto No. 3Friday, February 2 at 8:00 p.m. Bramwell Tovey, Conductor Weber (orch. Berlioz) | Invitation to the Dance Young American violinist Benjamin Beilman—hailed by the Washington Post as “mightily impressive”—joins the ISO for Camille Saint-Saëns’ spirited Violin Concerto No. 3. Long-time Vancouver Symphony Music Director Bramwell Tovey leads Stravinsky’s enchanting and colorful Petrushka. |
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Kirill Gerstein plays Beethoven's "Emperor"Friday, February 23 at 8:00 p.m. Nikolaj Znaider, Conductor Beethoven | Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor" Beethoven’s final piano concerto is also his greatest. In the hands of Russian sensation Kirill Gerstein, it will be a concert experience not to be missed. |
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Vadim Gluzman Plays BruchFriday, March 2 at 8:00 p.m. Hans Graf, Conductor Schumann | Overture, Scherzo & Finale Israeli violinist Vadim Gluzman has thrilled audiences across the globe with a heroic style harkening back to the greatest virtuosi. This concert also features the return of guest conductor Hans Graf. |
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Bronfman Plays BeethovenFriday, March 9 at 8:00 p.m. Krzysztof Urbański, Conductor Beethoven | Coriolan Overture Hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “a marvel of digital dexterity, warmly romantic sentiment, and jaw-dropping bravura,” Yefim Bronfman is one of the great artists of the day. He joins Music Director Krzysztof Urbański and the ISO for Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto. |
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Sibelius Symphony No. 5Saturday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m. Matthew Halls, Conductor Bach | Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major Finland so loved Jean Sibelius that they declared his 50th birthday a national holiday and commissioned him to compose a symphony for the occasion. The result was the majestic Fifth Symphony, which has endured for more than a century as a testament to the great composer’s genius. |
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Urbański Conducts Tchaikovsky's FourthFriday, April 6 at 8:00 p.m. Krzysztof Urbański, Conductor Kilar | Orawa Just before the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra departs for the SHIFT Festival at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center, Music Director Krzysztof Urbański leads Tchaikovsky’s thrilling Fourth Symphony, plus the Cello Concerto of his countryman Witold Lutoslawski. |
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Saint-Saëns "Egyptian" Piano ConcertoSaturday, April 28 at 5:30 p.m. Gustavo Gimeno, Conductor Ravel | Mother Goose Suite Camille Saint-Saëns made his debut piano recital at age 10. His precocious talent would blossom into prodigious output including a Piano Concerto cycle rivaling any other. The ISO performs the capstone “Egyptian” Concerto with Spanish-born soloist Javier Perianes. |
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Rachmaninoff's Ravishing Second SymphonyFriday, May 4 at 8:00 p.m. Karina Canellakis, Conductor Debussy | "Rondes de printemps" from Images The premiere of Rachmaninoff’s First Symphony was so poorly received that it took years of psychotherapy and hypnosis to drive away his self-doubt. Thankfully, he persevered with the triumphant Symphony, a lush and romantic masterpiece that moves us to this day. |
Mozart's Final Year
In a life spanning just 35 years, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart left an astonishing musical legacy. More than two centuries after his death, Mozart’s music still speaks to us, moves us, and leaves us breathless. To conclude the 2017−18 Lilly Classical Series, Music Director Krzysztof Urbański, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and special guests explore the incredible masterworks composed in Mozart’s final year: the haunting Requiem—Mozart’s last statement—and the timeless opera, The Magic Flute.
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MOZART REQUIEMFriday, June 1 at 8:00 p.m. Krzysztof Urbański, Conductor Mozart | Overture to "La Clemenza di Tito" |
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Mozart's "The Magic Flute"Friday, June 8 at 8:00 p.m. Krzysztof Urbański, Conductor Mozart | The Magic Flute |
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