Chicago Symphony Orchestra

The magnificent Chicago Symphony Orchestra returns to the splendor of Foellinger Great Hall, led by one of the most outstanding American conductors working today. Hailed for the natural ease of his conducting and the deep insight of his musicianship, James Gaffigan is currently the Chief Conductor of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and is in high demand for collaborations with leading orchestras and opera houses throughout Europe, the United States, and Asia. In celebration of Leonard Bernstein’s centenary, the program opens with the dramatic Symphonic Suite from On the Waterfront, known as one of Bernstein’s greatest works and the only score he wrote for a film. Violinist James Ehnes, praised for his “honeyed tone and immaculate technique” (The Guardian), performs Barber’s beloved Violin Concerto, and the evening closes with Rachmaninov’s stirring orchestral masterpiece, the Symphonic Dances.

Bernstein: Symphonic Suite from On the Waterfront
Barber: Violin Concerto, Op. 14
Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances, Op. 45

This performance will last approximately one hour and 43 minutes, and includes a 20-minute intermission.