September 25 at 7:30 pm
James Sommerville, conductor
Joni Henson, soprano
Concert Sponsor
R. Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier Waltzes
R. Strauss: Excerpts from Capriccio
Mozart: Aria Bella Mia Fiamma, Addio!
Mozart: Overture to Don Giovanni
R. Strauss: Death and Transfiguration
The HPO welcomes back soprano Joni Henson, one of the leading Canadian singers of her generation, to perform dramatic works by Richard Strauss and Mozart. Music Director James Sommerville has programmed brilliant but rarely-heard masterpieces by these two geniuses concluding with the epic tone poem Death and Transfiguration.
Joni Henson, soprano
November 13 at 7:30 pm
James Sommerville, conductor
Sarah Jeffrey, oboe
Rossini: Overture to Barber of Seville
Mozart: Oboe Concerto
Murphy: Black Sand (commissioned by the HPO)
Brahms: Symphony No. 2
Humorous and fun, Rossini's tuneful overture sets the stage. Brilliant young oboist Sarah Jeffrey performs Mozart's elegant Oboe Concerto, a masterpiece in the repertoire. James Sommerville leads the orchestra in Brahms' Second Symphony, a work of serenity and joy tinged with melancholy.
Sarah Jeffrey, oboe
January 15 at 7:30 pm
James Sommerville, conductor
Ewald Cheung, violin
Silvestrov: Silent Music
Sibelius: Violin Concerto
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 "Eroica"
The evening unfolds with an ephemeral piece for strings by living Russian composer Valentin Silvestrov. Violinist Ewald Cheung performs Sibelius' gorgeous and virtuosic Violin Concerto. Beethoven's masterful Eroica marks a turning point in symphonic writing. Originally planned as a tribute to Napoleon, Beethoven later renamed the Symphony, angry that Napolean had proclaimed himself emperor.
Ewald Cheung, violin
March 5 at 7:30 pm
Alain Trudel, conductor
Janina Fialkowska, piano
Schumann: Carnaval (arr. Ravel)
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2
Ravel: Pavane for a Dead Princess
Schumann: Symphony No. 3 "Rhenish"
The incandescent Polish-Canadian pianist Janina Fialkowska returns to Hamilton to perform Chopin's Second Piano Concerto. The HPO welcomes favourite Canadian maestro Alain Trudel to lead the orchestra in Schumann's buoyant Third Symphony and two brilliant and colourful arrangements for orchestra by Ravel.
Janina Fialkowska, piano
April 16 at 7:30 pm
James Sommerville, conductor
Kati Agócs: New Commission
L. Boulanger: D'un matin de printemps and D'un soir triste
Respighi: Fountains of Rome
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
The Hamilton Philharmonic is the star of the show in two rarely-heard gems by French impressionist composer Lili Boulanger. Respighi's wildly popular tone-painting, The Fountains of Rome, forms a rich atmospheric portrait of Rome's great monuments. The season ends with a blaze of orchestral colours in Berlioz's revolutionary masterpiece, Symphonie Fantastique.
James Sommerville, conductor
