Quarter notes: farewell

I had been wondering when the Seattle Symphony would announce some big, audacious, splashy farewell for Gerard Schwarz’s final season. There was a two concert Hovhaness festival and the season finale is Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony, but neither seemed a big enough way to say good bye to a conductor who oversaw the growth of the Seattle Symphony for 26 years. That was until I opened my email yesterday.

In partnership with two leading philanthropists — Agnes Gund and Charles Simonyi — eighteen (yes, eighteen!) new pieces, by American composers will be commissioned and premiered through out the course of the season. That is a new piece of music on every concert led by Schwarz. Suddenly, the season looks like a suitable send off.

The composers composing new works and a list of concerts where new works will be premiered follow the jump.

September 8–10: Beethoven & Wine FestivalWorld Premiere work by Augusta Read Thomas

September 23–26: Yefim Bronfman Plays Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2World Premiere work by Joseph Schwantner

September 30, October 2–3: Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7World Premiere work by Aaron Jay Kernis

October 14–16: Bach’s “Brandenburg” Concerto No. 1World Premiere work by Daron Hagen

October 23: An Organ CelebrationWorld Premiere work by Samuel Jones

November 4–6: Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto with André WattsWorld Premiere work by David Stock

December 7: Yo-Yo MaWorld Premiere work by Bernard Rands

December 29–31, January 2: Beethoven’s NinthWorld Premiere work by Gunther Schuller

January 6 & 8: Violinist Gil ShahamWorld Premiere work by Bright Sheng

January 20–22: Mozart’s RequiemWorld Premiere work by Daniel Brewbaker

February 3, 5 & 6: Violinist Vadim Repin Plays Symphonie espagnoleWorld Premiere work by Ellen Taafe Zwillich

February 17–19: Viola Spectacular with Pinchas ZukermanWorld Premiere work by Robert Beaser

March 24: Hovhaness Festival with Cellist Lynn HarrellWorld Premiere work by Chen Yi

March 26: Hovhaness Festival with Cellist Lynn HarrellFeaturing a new work by George Tsontakis

March 31: Saint-Saëns “Organ” SymphonyWorld Premiere work by David Schiff

April 2 & 3: Saint-Saëns “Organ” SymphonyWorld Premiere work by Richard Danielpour

June 2, 4 & 5: Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2World Premiere work by Paul Schoenfield

June 16 & 18: Gerard Schwarz Conducts Mahler’s “Resurrection” SymphonyWorld Premiere work by Philip Glass