Fall Arts Preview - Classical Music

Seattle Symphony—There's no doubt that the opening of Benaroya Hall, the Symphony's new downtown home, will be the biggest event in the city's classical scene since—well, since Seattle Opera's Tristan und Isolde last month. The SSO's gala opening week—call it "Benaroyapalooza"—starts this very weekend with Gerard Schwarz leading the orchestra in Lazarof, Diamond, Webern, Stravinsky, and Wagner, with special guest Jessye Norman (9/12). They're inaugurating the smaller Recital Hall with a dream concert of Mozart's last three symphonies the next afternoon (9/13). Violinist Kyung-Wha Chung gets to be the first solo recitalist (9/14); Chuck "Feels So Good" Mangione brings his band (9/15). The SSO's "Music of Our Time" series opens 9/16 with works by the orchestra's five former composers-in-residence: Richard Danielpour, Bright Sheng, David Stock, Stephen Albert, and Samuel Jones. Yo-Yo Ma joins the SSO 9/18 in Sheng's Spring Dreams and Strauss' Don Quixote; and a Pip-less Gladys Knight comes for a pops concert 9/19. That morning is Kids' Day, with the Northwoods Wind Quintet and the Magic Circle Mimes doing Peter and the Wolf (9/19). For the grand finale, the "Day of Music"—12 hours of local performers in venues all over the hall grounds—is absolutely free (9/20).

The first regular-season concert (9/24-27) brings André Watts for Macdowell's Piano Concerto No. 2, plus Beethoven and Mahler. SSO autumn guests include violinists Vadim Repin and Sarah Chang, trumpeter Hakan Hardenberger, and pianists Ivan Moravec and Yefim Bronfman; repertory includes new works by Henri Lazarof and Samuel Jones, Beethoven's Sixth and Seventh, Elgar's Enigma Variations, and the dazzling first piano concertos by Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Later in the season, watch for the premiere of Alan Hovhaness' Cello Concerto with Janos Starker (3/18, 3/20), Gil Shaham as soloist for Korngold's luscious Violin Concerto (4/8-10), Lutoslawski's Concerto for Orchestra (4/22-25), and a concert performance of Deems Taylor's opera Peter Ibbetson (4/29, 5/1).

The Distinguished Artists Series is packed with household names: James Galway (10/2), Midori (11/13), Igor Oistrakh (2/16), Katia and Marielle Labeque (3/30), and Dawn Upshaw (4/16). On the Symphony Specials series: Mstislav Rostropovich (12/10), Itzhak Perlman (1/21), and Victor Borge (6/19). The Chamber Orchestra series: six Mozart piano concertos from 1784, Nos. 14-19, with revolving soloists and conductors (10/22, 1/28, 5/13). There are three concerts in the Basically Baroque series (10/16-17, 1/15-16, and 3/5-6); five in the Pops series, notably Burt Bacharach (10/23, 10/25) and Marvin Hamlisch (6/11, 6/13); and three in the Popular Culture series: Ray Charles (10/9), Nigel Kennedy (11/28), and Evelyn Glennie (2/12). Boston Pops wunderkind Keith Lockhart leads the SSO in a Halloween concert; also on this Light Classics series is a Viennese evening (12/30-31) and a concert celebrating spring (5/20). The SSO's Messiah arrives 12/16-17. On the Young Artists Recital series, we'll hear from cellist Daniel Lee (10/27), pianist Adam Neiman (2/23), and violinist Karen Gomyo (4/20). The SSO invites the competition in the Visiting Orchestras series: The St. Petersburg Philharmonic (10/21), the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (2/26), and the Pittsburgh Symphony (3/24). Regular-season concerts are now Thu-Sun. Single tickets are $9 and up; various series and sub-series range from $25.50 to $864. 215-4747. Whew.

Auburn Symphony—Stewart Kershaw leads this first-rate ensemble, comprising players from the Pacific Northwest Ballet and the Northwest Chamber Orchestra who like the chance to tackle music outside their usual repertories. Two concerts scheduled so far, both at the Auburn Performing Arts Center: one with Tchaikovsky, Copland, and Dvorak (10/24-10/25), the other with Bernstein, Hindemith, and Richard Strauss (1/30-31). 939-8509.

Bellevue Philharmonic Orchestra—The BPO's starting an exciting new era, with a new music director, Fusao Kajima, and some welcome programming innovations. He'll debut with the orchestra (not counting his audition concert last spring) 10/8-9 with works by Walton, Mozart, Respighi, and Stravinsky. It's the first of their five regular-season subscription concerts at Westminster Chapel. Highlights later on include Hindemith's zingy Symphonic Metamorphoses (11/5-6) and Mozart's unfinished operatic torso Zaïde (5/27-28). Kajima's also planning an appearance for the BPO at next June's Seattle International Film Festival, accompanying The Battleship Potemkin live with Shostakovich's score. 425-455-4171.

Emerald City Philharmonic—This fall, this enthusiastic group is tackling something no other community orchestra is—a concert opera, Mozart's one-act backstage comedy The Impresario (10/24). Three other concerts round out their season (2/13, 4/19, 6/5). Jim Mihara conducts. 523-0966.

Northwest Chamber Orchestra—They're moving into Benaroya as well with their orchestral and chamber series. Jon Kimura Parker joins Adam Stern and the orchestra for Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 on their opening concert, along with works by Brahms, Handel, and Dag Wiren (10/31, 11/1). Oboist Alex Klein is the guest for a Mozart/Haydn concert (11/21-22); coming later in the season will be guitarist Celino Romero (2/20-21), violinist Joseph Silverstein (4/10-11), and flutist Eugenia Zukerman (5/15-16). They'll also bring two orchestral concerts to the Kirkland Performance Center (11/20, 2/19).

Eight chamber concerts will rotate between Benaroya, the Seattle Asian Art Museum, and the Kirkland Performance Center. Highlights include a baroque concert with trumpeter Rolf Smedvig (10/18), a Latin-American program (11/15), and cellist Nathaniel Rosen and NWCO musicians in Schubert's String Quintet (1/9-10). Subscriptions are $35-$145. 343-0445.

Northwest Mahler Festival—The NWMF's gradually spreading out into the regular season. They're repeating their powerful performance last July of Mahler's Sixth at the Seattle Symphony's "Day of Music" Benaroya opening celebration (9/20), with Geoffrey Simon conducting. Around Easter, they're planning to go at Mahler's Second with Eric Hanson on the podium, and the "Symphony of a Thousand," Mahler's Eighth, will get its first Seattle performance in years next July. 667-6567.