2009 Classic Landmarks Masters

2009 Classic Landmarks Masters

The music at the foundation of the orchestral repertoire, the music of the titans, the heart and soul of classical tradition.

Classic Landmarks Master Builders

Come early to hear Symphony Preludes, an informative and in depth to prepare you for the concert experience, starting at 7:15 pm in the Upper Circle lobby, free to all ticket holders.

Thank you to our series sponsor, Classic Landmarks Master Builders. Click on their logo to learn more about their business and their contributions to our community.

  • September 19, 2009, 8:00 pm
  • The Red Violin
  • Bill Eddins opens the Masters series with film scores adapted into concert music by two of today's most distinguished composers (from the films Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Red Violin). Gershwin's Second Rhapsody was also originally film music, and Canadian composer Howard Shore's new fanfare receives its Canadian premiere.
  • October 3, 2009, 8:00 pm
  • Brahms' Second Symphony
  • Acclaimed American cellist Julie Albers makes her ESO debut in the fiery Second Cello Concerto by Dmitri Kabalevsky. Johannes Brahms wrote his Second Symphony in the summer of 1877 during a visit to the Austrian Alps, and it is one of his sunniest scores. Malcolm Forsyth's exciting overture expressed the composer's vision of joyous reconciliation in South Africa.
  • November 14, 2009, 8:00 pm
  • Mahler & Schubert
  • Themes from Mahler's song "The Heavenly Life" are the basis of his Fourth Symphony, and he brings the words to life with a soaring soprano solo in the passionate final movement. Schubert's youthful Sixth Symphony evokes the effervescent music of Rossini, and is distinguished by a stream of lovely and innocent melodies.
  • November 28, 2009, 8:00 pm
  • Katherine Chi plays Beethoven
  • Calgary's Katherine Chi tackles a titan - Beethoven's mighty "Emperor" Concerto. Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger is a titan of the opera repertoire, and this evening marks the first Canadian performance of this glorious orchestral tribute.
  • January 9, 2010, 8:00 pm
  • Beethoven Masters
  • Bill Eddins and the ESO present a night of youthful Beethoven with music both familiar and unusual – including a recently discovered Oboe Concerto, the piano concerto the young composer used as a display piece to establish himself in Vienna, and the optimistic symphony he composed in spite of his impending deafness.
  • January 23, 2010, 8:00 pm
  • Ode to Joy
  • This unforgettable night features two choral works - old and new - both pleas for humanity to unite in peace. Beethoven’s epochal Ninth Symphony receives its first Masters series performance of the 21st century. John Estacio’s The Houses Stand Not Far Apart, written in 2008 for the Richard Eaton Singers, is set to text by acclaimed Canadian poet and playwright John Murrell.
  • February 20, 2010, 8:00 pm
  • Karen Gomyo Plays Violin Rhapsody
  • The sensational Karen Gomyo performs extroverted works by Bartók and Piazzolla, inspired by folk music of Romania and Argentina. Bill Eddins conducts two of his favourites – a sunny and melodious symphony by “Papa” Haydn, and Stravinsky’s luminous miniature dedicated to the memory of Debussy.
  • March 6, 2010, 8:00 pm
  • Mozart Treasures
  • “There’s just something beautiful about Mozart. And it is an everyman drama in a way, beyond all the myths about the great child prodigy, this and that… there’s that element of humanity on the verge of attaining that which is reserved for the gods.” (Bill Eddins)
  • March 27, 2010, 8:00 pm
  • Vivaldi's Guitar Concerto
  • “A superb musician,” wrote the New York Times of Manuel Barrueco, who makes his ESO debut playing Vivaldi’s Guitar Concerto and Sierra’s Folias, based on Spanish dances of the 16th and 17th centuries. Respighi’s popular Ancient Airs and Dances are orchestral jewels. Petroushka, which made Stravinsky a star in Paris in 1911, is a ballet based on the Russian tale of a puppet brought to life.
  • May 1, 2010, 8:00 pm
  • Lara St. John plays Sibelius
  • Audience favourites, Lara St. John and Jacques Lacombe, join forces with the ESO in Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, a dramatic and lyrical tour de force. Jacques Hétu’s tone poem evokes a mighty river in Quebec, and Chausson’s Symphony is colourful, melodious, and romantic.
  • May 15, 2010, 8:00 pm
  • Dawn Upshaw sings Schubert
  • There are few sopranos as versatile, celebrated, or in demand as Dawn Upshaw. She makes her sensational ESO debut singing Osvaldo Golijov’s Three Songs, and his adaptation of four songs by Schubert, all written expressly for her. And carefree, sunny Italy is celebrated in one of Mendelssohn’s most popular and vivacious scores.
  • June 12, 2010, 8:00 pm
  • Marc-André Hamelin plays Shostakovich
  • Marc-André Hamelin and our Principal Trumpet Robin Doyon join the ESO for Shostakovich’s popular and infectiously optimistic concerto. Richard Strauss’ light and exuberant Burleske also features Mr. Hamelin. Allan Gilliland’s colourful Shadows and Light (written for the ESO) and Debussy’s stunning La mer (The Sea) complete the program