January 28, 2019

Lincoln Center Announces 2019/20 Great Performers Season

Great Performers

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Lincoln Center Announces 2019/20 Great Performers Season

Christine Goerke and Stephen Gould join Gianandrea Noseda and the National Symphony Orchestra for Act II of Tristan und Isolde; Gustavo Dudamel, the L.A. Philharmonic, and Yuja Wang give the New York premiere of the newest John Adams piano concerto; violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja partners with Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra for Ligeti; violinist Renaud Capuçon joins Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra for Dvorák

Two chamber orchestras present premieres influenced by time-honored classics:

Harry Christophers leads the Britten Sinfonia and The Sixteen in James MacMillan’s Stabat Mater; Pekka Kuusisto and The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra perform

Anders Hillborg’s Bach Materia after the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3

Recitals by Christian Gerhaher and Gerold Huber; Magdalena Kožená and Simon Rattle;

Susan Graham and Malcolm Martineau; Daniil Trifonov; Steven Osborne; Matthias Goerne and Jan Lisiecki; Jeremy Denk; Isabelle Faust and Alexander Melnikov; and the Emerson String Quartet pair Bartók’s six quartets with Beethoven’s “Razumovsky” quartets in a three-concert series

Sunday Coffee Concert Series spotlights rising stars; Mahler on Film;

and free chamber music in the David Rubenstein Atrium

NEW YORK, NY (January 28, 2019) — Jane Moss, Lincoln Center’s Ehrenkranz Artistic Director, has announced details of Lincoln Center’s 54th Great Performers series. Since its inception, the series has showcased many of the world’s most accomplished and inspirational musicians in the concert halls and performance spaces that span the Lincoln Center campus. The 2019/20 season features an array of the most prominent and beloved musicians of our time as well as up-and-coming artists bursting onto the scene: distinguished vocalists and illustrious instrumental soloists; acclaimed period-instrument orchestras, esteemed choral groups and renowned chamber ensembles; and virtuosic orchestras and their extraordinary conductors.

Highlights of the season include the very first opportunity in New York to hear dramatic soprano Christine Goerke singing Isolde in Act II of Tristan und Isolde; Gustavo Dudamel in back-to-back concerts featuring Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony and the New York premiere of the new piano concerto John Adams wrote for Yuja Wang, Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?; mezzo-soprano Susan Graham’s return to Alice Tully Hall; Daniil Trifonov in an all-Bach recital; the complete Bartók quartets paired with Beethoven by the Emerson String Quartet; Simon Rattle conducting Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle and Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with the London Symphony Orchestra; Simon Rattle as pianist in an evening of song with mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená and friends; and Jeremy Denk performing Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I.

Visits from two renowned chamber orchestras feature premieres that use centuries-old masterworks as their influence. The Britten Sinfonia and The Sixteen, with conductor Harry Christophers, present the North American premiere of James MacMillan’s Stabat Mater, a new take on the timeless hymn text depicting Mary weeping at the cross. And The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and their artistic partner Pekka Kuusisto bring Anders Hillborg’s Bach Materia, based on the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3.

Several artists have curated programs in 2019/20 that delve deeply into the hearts and minds of a sole composer, offering audiences a fascinating and intensive glimpse into the creative process. Two of Bach’s most introspective and seminal piano works figure prominently in the season: at the outset, phenom Kit Armstrong takes a turn at the Goldberg Variations, and toward the end, the ever-inventive and introspective Jeremy Denk reflects upon The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I. Other single-composer-focused programs include:

• Christian Gerhaher and Gerold Huber open Great Performers with an all-Mahler program: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Lieder aus Des Knaben Wunderhorn, and Kindertotelnieder;

• Harry Christophers with the Britten Sinfonia and The Sixteen perform the North American premieres of the Stabat Mater and the Miserere of the profoundly devout James MacMillan, the preeminent Scottish composer;

• Three all-Beethoven programs: the first with Isabelle Faust, who explores the composer’s early work with the first three violin sonatas; the second with Steven Osborne, who, in contrast, probes late Beethoven with the final three piano sonatas; and baritone Matthias Goerne and pianist Jan Lisiecki present an evening of song including An die ferne Geliebte, the cycle considered by many to be connected to the “Immortal Beloved” letters;

• Iván Fischer and his Budapest Festival Orchestra present consecutive concerts from two Bohemian composers who were not only geographically aligned, but contemporaries. An all-Dvorák program features the violin concerto with soloist Renaud Capuçon, paired with the Eighth Symphony; and an all-Mahler program with Kindertotenlieder and contralto Gerhild Romberger in her New York debut is followed by the monumental Symphony No. 5;

• Daniil Trifonov performs all-Bach: The Art of Fugue and Bach arrangements and transcriptions by Brahms, Rachmaninoff, and Liszt;

• Gianandrea Noseda, in his first Lincoln Center appearance as the National Symphony Orchestra’s music director, welcomes an all-star cast for a concert performance of Act II of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, with Stephen Gould and Christine Goerke in the title roles;

• The London Symphony Orchestra and Simon Rattle present an all-Bartók program, with the Concerto for Orchestra setting the stage for the harrowing one-act opera Bluebeard’s Castle;

• Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4, “Romantic,” is the focus of the first of two concerts given by the Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic;

• The Attacca Quartet and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw join forces for a concert of her chamber music in which Shaw performs as vocalist and guest violist.

The esteemed Emerson String Quartet, known for offering thoughtful programs comparing and contrasting pairs of composers, offers a three-concert series at Alice Tully Hall, juxtaposing all six of Bartók’s string quartets with Beethoven’s three “Razumovsky” quartets. Additional highlights of the season include the series Mahler on Film, pre-concert lectures, and a wide range of recitals and concerts from established luminaries to rising stars presented in David Geffen Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Walter Reade Theater, and the David Rubenstein Atrium.

“Great Performers offers a diverse range of classical music programs, from the vast landscape of a Mahler symphony to the intimacy of the late Beethoven piano sonatas,” says Jane Moss. “We are especially pleased that wonderful artists such as Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra, singer Susan Graham, esteemed pianist Daniil Trifonov, and the up-and-coming young conductor Lahav Shani, among many others, will be performing on our stages this season. It is certain to be a season of memorable and meaningful musical experiences for all of us. “

Lincoln Center’s Great Performers 2019/20

Series Overviews at a Glance

Symphonic Masters

The Symphonic Masters series is the foundation of Great Performers, and each year Lincoln Center presents five of the world’s leading orchestras and their accomplished music directors at David Geffen Hall. The 2019/20 season is no exception, with four well-established maestros at the peaks of their careers and the debut of a newcomer who is destined to achieve the same stature.

Equally at home with both the operatic and symphonic repertoire, the versatile Gianandrea Noseda, in his first Lincoln Center appearances as the National Symphony Orchestra’s music director, demonstrates his operatic prowess conducting opera in concert: Act II of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde with an all-star cast that includes heroic tenor Stephen Gould as Tristan; dramatic soprano Christine Goerke singing Isolde; Ekaterina Gubanova as Brangäne; Günther Groissböck as King Marke; baritone Hunter Enoch as Kurwenal; and Neal Cooper as Melot. (November 17, 2019).

Next, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel return to Lincoln Center with a pair of concerts: the first is devoted solely to the expansive and dramatic Symphony No. 4 of Bruckner (“Romantic”) (November 24, 2019). In contrast, the second concert is a veritable illustration of the orchestra’s virtuosity and flair: Dudamel shows off his orchestra with Ginastera’s Variciaones concertantes and Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Pianist Yuja Wang displays her own incredible technique and musicianship as soloist for the New York premiere of Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?¸ the new piano concerto John Adams composed at her request. (November 25, 2019).

February brings the charmingly unpredictable Iván Fischer, who leads two concerts with his Budapest Festival Orchestra. They begin with an all-Dvorák program highlighted by the Violin Concerto with Renaud Capuçon plus the Symphony No. 8 (February 23, 2020); the following evening is an all-Mahler program featuring contralto Gerhild Romberger’s New York debut in Kindertotenlieder, as well as the monumental Symphony No. 5 (February 24, 2020).

Appointed at the mere age of 28 as the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra’s chief conductor, Daniel Barenboim protégé Lahav Shani brings his new orchestra for an all-Brahms program. His Lincoln Center debut features the beloved Emanuel Ax as the soloist for the Piano Concerto No. 1, as well as the composer’s Symphony No. 4 (March 15, 2020).

Wrapping up the series is Simon Rattle with the London Symphony Orchestra. Their two-day appearance opens by showcasing the ensemble in Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra. The second half of the concert is devoted to the composer’s harrowing Bluebeard’s Castle (May 3, 2020), with Gábor Bretz portraying the villainous Bluebeard, and Rinat Shaham singing the role of Judith, his unsuspecting bride. The next evening is distinctly different as Patricia Kopatchinskaja, known for her fierce and fearless approach to music-making, joins Rattle and the orchestra for the Ligeti Violin Concerto. Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas brasilieras No. 5 features the orchestra’s renowned cello section with soprano Camilla Tilling, who joins Maestro Rattle as the orchestra turns its attention to Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 in the second half of the program (May 4, 2020).

These programs are supported by the Leon Levy Fund for Symphonic Masters.

Symphonic Masters is made possible in part by endowment support from UBS.

Chamber Orchestras

Alice Tully Hall provides a particularly intimate concert-going environment for smaller ensembles, and the 2019/20 Chamber Orchestra season offers a broad palette of internationally renowned groups, each with its own distinct personality. The season begins with two extraordinarily contrasting settings of the Stabat Mater, the sacred hymn text depicting Mary weeping by the cross, that span nearly three centuries.

November brings the North American premiere of Stabat Mater by James MacMillan, a deeply devout Catholic whose choral works have been described as “a direct response to his Christian faith.” A benefactor commissioned the work for conductor Harry Christophers and his choir, The Sixteen, who were joined by the Britten Sinfonia for its world premiere at the Barbican in 2016. Two years later, the group reassembled to perform it at the Vatican, where it was the first-ever work to be live-streamed from the Sistine Chapel. (November 7, 2019)

At the other end of the spectrum from the Macmillan is Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater of 1736, performed by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Choir of the Age of Enlightenment, the democratic period-instrument orchestra specializing in music of the late 18^th century. Conductor Jonathan Cohen, a frequent collaborator with the ensemble, leads the Pergolesi along with Vivaldi’s joyously uplifting Gloria, and they will be joined by sopranos Katherine Watson and Rowan Pierce, and countertenor Iestyn Davies. (November 21, 2019)

In February, Concerto Köln brings all four of their concertmasters to perform an all-concerto concert of Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Locatelli, and Geminiani (February 27, 2020).

And in May, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra concludes the season with violinist Pekka Kuusisto, who performs and leads Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major and the New York premiere of Anders Hillborg’s Bach Materia, composed as part of a project by the Swedish Chamber Orchestra in which six composers were commissioned to write works inspired by and responding to each of the six Brandenburg concertos. The orchestra, led from within the ensemble, returns for the second half of the program with Haydn’s Symphony No. 99 and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1. (May 16, 2020).

Art of the Song

For more than 30 years, the Art of the Song series has featured the world's finest vocalists in recital. In 2019/20, Lincoln Center presents four of the leading vocalists of our time in the intimate and elegant setting of Alice Tully Hall.

Baritone Christian Gerhaher and his steadfast collaborator, pianist Gerold Huber, open the series with an all-Mahler program that includes Kindertotenlieder and songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn (October 29, 2019).

Czech mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená performs heart-wrenchingly beautiful songs from her homeland by Dvorák and Janácek, along with works of Strauss, Chausson, Brahms, Ravel, and Stravinsky. She is joined at the piano by her husband, Sir Simon Rattle, and several of their closest Berlin and London colleagues and collaborators: violinist Rahel Rilling, violist Amihai Grosz, cellist Dávid Adorján, clarinetist Andrew Marriner, and flutist Kaspar Zehnder (November 26, 2019).

Mezzo-soprano Susan Graham makes a long-awaited return with her go-to recital partner, pianist Malcolm Martineau (February 4, 2020); and, baritone Matthias Goerne and pianist Jan Lisiecki present a collection of Beethoven’s songs, including his first, “Adelaide,” as well as the cycle An die ferne Geliebte (April 28, 2020).

Virtuoso Recitals and Chamber Music

For 2019/20, in Alice Tully Hall, the incomparable Emerson String Quartet will perform three separate programs pairing Bartók with late Beethoven (March 31, April 21, and May 5, 2020). Isabelle Faust performs Beethoven’s first three violin sonatas with pianist Alexander Melnikov(November 20, 2019); the sensational Daniil Trifonov, presented in association with the New York Philharmonic, performs an all-Bach program culminating in The Art of Fugue (March 3, 2020).Steven Osborne performs Beethoven’s three final piano sonatas (April 7, 2020), and, the ever-imaginative Jeremy Denk delves into the The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I (May 14, 2020).

Sunday Morning Coffee Concerts

Sunday Morning Coffee Concerts are intimate one-hour concerts at the Walter Reade Theater followed by coffee, refreshments, and conversation with the artists. This season’s lineup features an array of accomplished soloists and ensembles, including: pianists Kit Armstrong (November 10, 2019); violinists Rachel Barton Pine (December 8, 2019) and Tessa Lark (May 17, 2020); cellist István Várdai (February 2, 2020); the traditional Russian folk-instrument ensemble Russian Renaissance (February 23, 2020); and the Grammy-nominated Aizuri Quartet (April 26, 2020).

Refreshments are provided by Zabar’s and Zabars.com

Music on Film

Every season, Great Performers presents rare film footage providing a glimpse of master artists and musicians at work. This year’s series focuses on Gustav Mahler, revealing the man behind the music, witnessing a special performance by Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic, and discovering five separate approaches to Mahler and his music by leading conductors.

Presented in association with the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Christian Labrande

Complimentary Classical

The 2019/20 Great Performers season will be the seventh for Lincoln Center’s Thursday evening series of free string quartet recitals in the David Rubenstein Atrium. Concerts last one hour, and admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. The Attacca Quartet presents an all-Caroline Shaw program with the composer herself joining in as vocalist and violist (November 14, 2019). Next comes the Telegraph Quartet (February 6, 2020) performing works of Haydn and Britten. The Argus Quartet performs Beethoven, Katherine Balch, and Janácek (March 5, 2020), and the Heath Quartet makes a return appearance to wind up the series with Beethoven’s Quartet in B-flat major and his Grosse Fuge in B-flat major (April 30, 2020).

Lincoln Center’s Great Performers 2019/20

Chronological Season Listing

Christian Gerhaher, baritone

Gerold Huber, piano

Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at 7:30 pm

Alice Tully Hall

All-Mahler program

Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen

Lieder aus Des Knaben Wunderhorn

Kindertotenlieder

Baritone Christian Gerhaher and pianist Gerold Huber have a 30-year partnership that began in their schooldays. Since then, the pair have devoted themselves to lied interpretation through performances, recordings and by teaching. They are a regular presence on all the major international recital stages, including the concert halls of New York, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Cologne and Berlin Philharmonies and the Cité de la musique in Paris. They are frequent guests in the Vienna Konzerthaus and the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid as well as in London’s Wigmore Hall, where, in addition to a similar post at Vienna’s Musikverein, Gerhaher has been artist-in-residence. Together, they have recorded the Schubert, Schumann, and Mahler cycles for Sony Music, as well as a new recording of Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin that was released in autumn 2017; and the duo’s third Schumann CD, also including the Kerner Songs, was released in autumn 2018.

Britten Sinfonia; The Sixteen

Harry Christophers, conductor

Thursday, November 7, 2019 at 7:30 pm

Alice Tully Hall

All-James MacMillan Program

Miserere (U.S. premiere)

Stabat Mater (U.S. premiere)

Pre-concert discussion with Andrew Shenton at 6:15 pm

Opera Learning Center (Rose Building, 6^th Floor)

Sir James MacMillan, the preeminent Scottish composer of our time, draws upon his Celtic heritage and Catholic faith to compose modern-day sacred works that transcend the concert hall. Harry Christophers leads the Britten Sinfonia and U.K.-based chorus The Sixteen in the North American premieres of MacMillan’s Stabat Mater and his Miserere, described as an achingly beautiful cry for mercy. Both works had their world premieres with Chirstophers and The Sixteen; they, along with the Britten Sinfonia, reassembled in 2018 to perform the Stabat Mater at the Vatican, where it was the first-ever work to be live-streamed from the Sistine Chapel.

National Symphony Orchestra

Gianandrea Noseda, conductor

Christine Goerke, soprano (Isolde); Ekaterina Gubanova, mezzo-soprano (Brangäne)

Stephen Gould, tenor (Tristan); Günther Broissböck, bass (King Marke)

Neal Cooper, tenor (Melot); Hunter Enoch, baritone (Kurwenal)

Sunday, November 17, 2019 at 3:00 pm

David Geffen Hall

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde, Act II

Pre-concert lecture by Cori Ellison at 1:45 pm

Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse

In his inaugural Lincoln Center performance as the National Symphony Orchestra’s music director, Lincoln Center audience favorite Gianandrea Noseda welcomes a host of today’s leading operatic stars for an opera in concert.  Act II of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde changed the course of opera when it was written, and Wagner himself had planned to present it in a stand-alone concert. The dramatic betrayal of King Marke sets the scene for the passionate longing between Tristan and Isolde in what is the longest and possibly most intense love duet in the repertoire. Stephen Gould, the "go-to” Tristan of our time, is paired with Christine Goerke, known for her exquisite interpretations of Wagner heroines, as Isolde.

Isabelle Faust, violin

Alexander Melnikov, piano

Wednesday, November 20, 2019 at 7:30 pm

Alice Tully Hall

All-Beethoven program

Violin Sonata No. 6 in A major, Op. 30, No. 1

Violin Sonata No. 7 in C minor, Op. 30, No. 2

Violin Sonata No. 8 in G major, Op. 30, No. 3

Joined by her frequent collaborator Alexander Melnikov at the piano, Isabelle Faust devotes an evening to the exploration of Beethoven’s Opus 30 sonatas for violin and piano. The cycle was composed in 1802, around the time Beethoven was penning his Second Symphony, and marks a transition from his early works to his second stage where he began experimenting with melody, harmony, and structure, thereby moving beyond the Classical traditions of his peers. It was also a time of great personal and political uncertainty and unrest, and Beethoven dedicated all three works to Tsar Alexander I of Russia

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Choir of the Age of Enlightenment

Jonathan Cohen, conductor and harpsichord

Katherine Watson, soprano

Rowan Pierce, soprano

Iestyn Davies, countertenor

Thursday, November 21, 2019 at 7:30 pm

Alice Tully Hall

Pergolesi: Stabat Mater

Vivaldi: Gloria in D major, RV 589

Pre-concert lecture by Benjamin D. Sosland at 6:15 pm

Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse

The period-instrument Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Choir bring sacred masterworks of Pergolesi and Vivaldi to the intimate setting of Alice Tully Hall. The young conductor Jonathan Cohen is fast making a name for himself for his sensitive interpretations of the Baroque and early classical repertoire, his dexterity in navigating among different genres and periods, and his collaborative spirit.

Los Angeles Philharmonic

Gustavo Dudamel, conductor

Sunday, November 24, 2019 at 3:00 pm

David Geffen Hall

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major (“Romantic”)

Monday, November 25, 2019 at 8:00 pm

David Geffen Hall

Yuja Wang, piano

Ginastera: Variaciones concertantes, Op. 23

John Adams: Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?

                                                Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (New York premiere)

Stravinsky: Le sacre du printemps (“The Rite of Spring”)

The Los Angeles Philharmonic and their music and artistic director Gustavo Dudamel present two concerts of vastly different tone and temperament. In the first, they tackle Bruckner’s monumental Symphony No. 4, and in the second a New York premiere by John Adams, Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?, written for the “preternaturally gifted” pianist Yuja Wang. Following this bewitching new concerto, the Orchestra is showcased in Stravinsky’s seminal The Rite of Spring.

Magdalena Kožená, mezzo-soprano; Simon Rattle, piano

Rahel Maria Rilling, violin; Amihai Grosz, viola

Dávid Adorján, cello; Kaspar Zehnder, flute

Andrew Marriner, clarinet

Tuesday, November 26, 2019 at 7:30 pm

Alice Tully Hall

Chausson: Chanson perpétuelle, Op. 37

Stravinsky: Three Songs from William Shakespeare

Ravel: Chansons madécasses

Strauss: Drei Lieder der Ophelia, Op. 67

Brahms: Ophelia-Lieder

Brahms: Zwei Gesänge, Op. 91

Janácek: Ríkadla (“Nursery Rhymes”)

Dvorák (arr. Duncan Ward): Selections from Gypsy Songs, Op. 55

The celebrated Czech mezzo-soprano and her husband, Sir Simon Rattle, in a rare appearance as a pianist, have assembled six outstanding instrumentalists from Berlin, London, and Bern to join them in for an eclectic program of chamber music with voice.  Two of the works are from Kožená,’s homeland: Janácek’s Rikadla, a cheerful cycle of nursery rhymes with instrumental accompaniment, and a selection of Dvorák’s playful Gypsy Songs arranged by Duncan Ward for Kožená, and Rattle.

Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano

Malcolm Martineau, piano

Tuesday, February 4, 2020 at 7:30 pm

Alice Tully Hall

Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden gesellen

Jake Heggie: Iconic Legacies: First Ladies at the Smithsonian

and other works

America’s reigning mezzo Susan Graham returns to the stage where she made her New York recital debut. Accompanied by her longtime collaborator, pianist Malcolm Martineau, Graham’s diverse program includes four songs written for her by Jake Heggie that are inspired by artifacts donated by U.S. First Ladies to the Smithsonian collection, among them Marian Anderson’s fur coat, donated by Eleanor Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln’s hat, from Mary Todd Lincoln.  

Budapest Festival Orchestra

Iván Fischer, conductor

Sunday, February 23, 2020 at 3:00 pm

David Geffen Hall

Renaud Capuçon, violin

All-Dvorák program

Legends, Op. 59, No. 10

Misto klekání (“Evening’s blessing”), from Four Choruses, Op. 29, No. 1

Slavonic Dance Op. 46, No. 7

Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53

Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88

Monday, February 24, 2020 at 8:00 pm

David Geffen Hall

Gerhild Romberger, contralto (New York debut)

All-Mahler program

Kindertotenlieder

Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor

Pre-concert lecture by Christopher H. Gibbs at 6:45 pm

Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse

Founder and director Iván Fischer and his Budapest Festival Orchestra are known for their definitive performances and for employing elements of surprise that bring fresh perspective to well-known works. In 2020, they will perform two single-composer programs of music written very near their homeland by Dvorák and Mahler, contemporaries who were very much influenced by their surroundings and by the folk traditions of their respective countries.

Concerto Köln

Mayumi Hirasaki, violin

Jésus Merino Ruiz, violin

Shunske Sato, violin

Evgeny Sviridov, violin

Thursday, February 27, 2020 at 7:30 pm

Alice Tully Hall

Handel: Concerto Grosso in F major, Op. 6, No. 2, HWV 320

Bach: Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV 1043

Vivaldi: Concerto for Strings in A major, RV 158

Locatelli: Concerto for Four Solo Violins and Strings in F major, Op. 4, No. 12

Handel: Concerto for Organ and Strings in F major, HWV 292

Geminiani: Concerto Grosso No. 12 in D minor (“La Follia”)

Vivaldi: Concerto for Four Violins and Orchestra in B minor, RV 580, Op. 3, No. 10

Concerto Köln perform the best of the Baroque on original period instruments, and for this all-concerto concert they shine a spotlight on four virtuoso violin soloists, all concertmasters of the orchestra.

Daniil Trifonov, piano

Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at 7:30 pm

Alice Tully Hall

Bach (arr. Brahms): Chaconne for the left hand, from Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor

Bach (arr. Rachmaninoff): Prelude, Gavotte, and Gigue, from Violin Partita No. 3 in E major

Bach (trans. Liszt): Fantasie and Fugue in G minor

Bach: The Art of Fugue

When pianist Daniil Trifonov burst onto the scene less than a decade ago, he had just won first prize in both the Rubinstein Competition in Israel and the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Since then, he has rocketed to the top, and is in great demand worldwide as a concerto soloist, recitalist, and chamber music partner. Critics and audiences alike have hailed him as a force of nature, citing his scintillating technique and his virtuosic flair. His all-Bach program begins with transcriptions and arrangements by illustrious composers who were also performers. It concludes with The Art of Fugue, one of Bach’s final works, an imaginative demonstration of the myriad possibilities of the fugue format.

Presented in association with the New York Philharmonic.

Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra

Lahav Shani, conductor (New York debut)

Emanuel Ax, piano

Sunday, March 15, 2020 at 3:00 pm

David Geffen Hall

All-Brahms program

Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15

Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98

At just 30 years of age, Lahav Shani’s star is rapidly ascending. Citing both Daniel Barenboim and Zubin Mehta as mentors, the Israeli-born conductor is the youngest Chief Conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic—and has been named to succeed Mehta as Music Director of the Israel Philharmonic when he steps down at the end of 2019 after 50 years on the podium. The young conductor, in his New York debut, invites the beloved Emanuel Ax as soloist for this all-Brahms program.

Emerson String Quartet

Tuesday, March 31, 2020 at 7:30 pm

Alice Tully Hall

Bartók: String Quartet No. 3, Sz.85

Beethoven: String Quartet in F major, Op. 59, No. 1 (“Razumovsky”)

Bartók: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 7, Sz.40

Pre-concert lecture by Scott Burnham at 6:15 pm

Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse

Praised by audiences and critics alike as one of the most polished, authoritative, and virtuosic chamber ensembles among us, the Emerson String Quartet has an extensive Lincoln Center history. Past performances have focused on revelatory “single-composer” explorations of Shostakovich, Brahms, and Mozart. This is the first in a series of three performances that juxtapose all six of Bartók’s string quartets with the three Beethoven “Razumovsky” quartets.

Steven Osborne, piano

Tuesday, April 7, 2020 at 7:30 pm

Alice Tully Hall

All-Beethoven program

Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109

Sonata No. 31 in A-flat major, Op. 110

Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111

Pre-concert conversation at 6:15 pm with Steven Osborne and Ara Guzelimian

Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse

Both profoundly poignant and deeply personal, Beethoven’s final three piano sonatas are considered among the most challenging in the repertoire. Steven Osborne brings his formidable technique and nuanced interpretation to these dramatic works. Written late in the composer’s life, they are simultaneously graceful, tempestuous and full of self-expression.

Emerson String Quartet

Tuesday, April 21, 2020 at 7:30 pm

Alice Tully Hall

Bartók: String Quartet No. 2, Op. 17, Sz.67

Beethoven: String Quartet in E minor, Op. 59, No. 2 (“Razumovsky”)

Bartók: String Quartet No. 5, Sz.102

Pre-concert lecture by Scott Burnham at 6:15 pm

Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse

Praised by audiences and critics alike as one of the most polished, authoritative, and virtuosic chamber ensembles among us, the Emerson String Quartet has an extensive Lincoln Center history. Past performances have focused on revelatory “single-composer” explorations of Shostakovich, Brahms, and Mozart. This is the second in a series of three performances by the Emerson that juxtapose all six of Bartók’s string quartets with the three Beethoven “Razumovsky” quartets.

Matthias Goerne, baritone

Jan Lisiecki, piano

Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at 7:30 pm

Alice Tully Hall

All-Beethoven program

An die ferne Geliebte, Op. 98

Six Songs, Op. 48

Resignation, WoO 149

An die Hoffnung, Op. 32

Lied aus der Ferne, WoO 137

Maigesang, Op. 52, No. 4

Der Liebende, WoO 139

An die Hoffnung, Op. 94

Adelaide, Op.46

Wonne der Wehmut, Op. 83, No. 1

Das Liedchen von der Ruhe, Op. 52, No. 3

An die Geliebte, WoO 140

Baritone Matthias Goerne and pianist Jan Lisiecki present a collection of Beethoven’s songs, from his including his first, “Adelaide,” as well as the cycle An die ferne Geliebte, considered by many to be connected to the “Immortal Beloved” letters.

London Symphony Orchestra

Simon Rattle, conductor

Sunday, May 3, 2020 at 3:00 pm

David Geffen Hall

Rinat Shaham, mezzo-soprano (Judith)

Gábor Bretz, bass-baritone (Bluebeard)

All-Bartók program

Concerto for Orchestra

Bluebeard’s Castle

Pre-concert lecture by Klara Moricz at 1:45 pm

Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse

Monday, May 4, 2020 at 8:00 pm

David Geffen Hall

Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin

Camilla Tilling, soprano

Villa-Lobos: Bachianas brasileiras No. 5

Ligeti: Violin Concerto

Mahler: Symphony No. 4 in G major

The London Symphony Orchestra and their music director Simon Rattle present two consecutive concerts showcasing the virtuosity and dexterity of the orchestra. The first, an all-Bartók program, pairs the composer’s Concerto for Orchestra, which highlights each section of the orchestra, with the one-act opera-in-concert Bluebeard’s Castle. Hungarian bass-baritone Gábor Bretz and Israeli mezzo-soprano Rinat Shaham, frequent partners of Rattle’s for the opera, depict the legendary Bluebeard and his wife, Judith, in Bartók’s gripping and terrifying score. The second concert also shines a light on the orchestra’s musicians: Bachianas brasilieras features the ensemble’s cello section with soprano Camilla Tilling, who returns as the soloist for the Mahler symphony later in the program. In the middle, the daring Patricia Kopatchinskaja brings dramatic flair to Ligeti’s fiendishly challenging Violin Concerto.

Emerson String Quartet

Tuesday, May 5, 2020 at 7:30 pm

Alice Tully Hall

Bartók: String Quartet No. 4, Sz.91

Bartók: String Quartet No. 6, Sz.114

Beethoven: String Quartet in C major, Op. 59, No. 3 (“Razumovsky”)

Pre-concert lecture by Scott Burnham at 6:15 pm

Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse

Praised by audiences and critics alike as one of the most polished, authoritative, and virtuosic chamber ensembles among us, the Emerson String Quartet has an extensive Lincoln Center history. Past performances have focused on revelatory “single-composer” explorations of Shostakovich, Brahms, and Mozart. This is the final installment of their series of three performances juxtaposing all six of Bartók’s string quartets with the three Beethoven “Razumovsky” quartets.

Jeremy Denk, piano

Thursday, May 14, 2020 at 7:30 pm

Alice Tully Hall

Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I

Bach penned on the title page of his Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I that the collection of preludes and fugues was intended “for the profit and use of musical youth desirous of learning, and especially for the pastime of those already skilled in this study.” The incomparable Jeremy Denk, known for his meticulous yet uninhibited interpretations, draws out the extraordinary color and personality of each individual piece, describing the anthology as “Bach wandering off the deep end.”

The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra

Pekka Kuusisto, violin and director

Saturday, May 16, 2020 at 7:30 pm

Alice Tully Hall

Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048

Anders Hillborg: Bach Materia (New York premiere)

Haydn: Symphony No. 99 in E-flat major

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25 (“Classical”)

The intrepid Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, “the leading ensemble of its kind in America” has built a reputation around originality in every aspect of their ensemble, and with extraordinary violinist Pekka Kuusisto, one of the orchestra’s five artistic partners, bring an ingenious program pairing classical works with contemporary innovation. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 was the inspiration for Swedish composer Anders Hillborg’s 2017 Bach Materia, a witty, spirited work that hinges on improvisation. Haydn’s Symphony No. 99, harmoniously adventurous for its time, is followed by Prokofiev’s quirky and agile First “Classical” Symphony, which references Haydn’s genius.

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Sunday Morning Coffee Concerts

Intimate one-hour concerts at the Walter Reade Theater are followed by coffee and conversation with the artists—a refreshing Sunday tradition.

Kit Armstrong, piano

Sunday, November 10, 2019 at 11:00 am

Walter Reade Theater

Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988

The phenomenally gifted Kit Armstrong takes a turn at the notoriously demanding Goldberg Variations. The once-obscure Bach composition that launched another genius, Glenn Gould, into the stratosphere, has now become a rite of passage for aspiring young pianists. Armstrong is no stranger to the work, having recorded it live at the Concertgebouw in 2016—when he was 24—in a thoughtful recital that included earlier keyboard works that place the Variations in deeper historical context.

Rachel Barton Pine, violin

Matthew Hagle, piano

Sunday, December 8, 2019 at 11:00 am

Walter Reade Theater

Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108

Beach: Romance, Op. 23

Sarasate: Carmen Fantasy

The Chicago-based violinist Rachel Barton Pine makes a rare New York appearance with a program highlighting her passionate playing, her technical prowess, and her innate ability to connect to audiences with a joyous approach to music-making. An advocate of women composers and performers, Pine has long had Amy Beach’s Romance on her playlist: in addition to recording it for Cedille records in 2006 on an album dedicated to the late 19^th-century violinist Maud Powell, she also performed it in 2005 at the annual spring recital presented by the justices of the Supreme Court.

István Várdai, solo cello

Sunday, February 2, 2020 at 11:00 am

Walter Reade Theater

Bach: Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009

Kodály: Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8

The young Hungarian cellist István Várdai, who made his American recital debut in 2014 performing Bach’s Cello Suites Nos. 1, 5, and 6, returns to New York for more unaccompanied fare: this time, Bach’s Suite No. 3, paired with the solo cello sonata of one of his countrymen.

Russian Renaissance

Sunday, February 23, 2020 at 11:00 am

Walter Reade Theater

The Russian folk quartet Russian Renaissance uses traditional instruments of their homeland--balalaika, domra/domra alto, button accordion, and balalaika contrabasso—to perform repertoire ranging from tango and folk to classical and jazz.

Aizuri Quartet

Sunday, April 26, 2020 at 11:00 am

Walter Reade Theater

Dvorák: Selections from Cypresses

Gabriella Smith: Carrot Revolution

Sibelius: Voces intimae

Formed in 2012 and combining four distinctive musical personalities into a unique collective, the Aizuri Quartet draws its name from “aizuri-e,” a style of predominantly blue Japanese woodblock printing that is noted for its vibrancy and incredible detail. In this varied program, the Quartet performs Gabriella Smith’s Carrot Revolution, a work they premiered while in residence at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, and recorded on their Grammy-nominated 2018 debut album, Blueprinting. Smith drew inspiration from the museum’s eclectic collection and its unconventional display, and describes the work as “a patchwork of my wildly contrasting influences and full of strange and unexpected juxtapositions and intersecting planes of sound, inspired by the way Barnes’ ensembles show old works in new contexts and draw connections between things we don’t think of as being related.”

Tessa Lark, violin

Andrew Armstrong, piano

Sunday, May 10, 2020 at 11:00 am

Walter Reade Theater

Bartók (arr. Székely): Romanian Folk Dances

Ysaÿe: Sonata for solo violin in G major, Op. 27, No. 5

Grieg: Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45

Ravel: Tzigane

Tessa Lark, recipient of a 2016 Avery Fisher Career Grant and a 2018 Borletti-Buitoni Trust fellowship and winner of the 2012 Naumburg International Violin Competition, has been performing as a soloist with professional orchestras since she was 16. In addition to her refined classical artistry, Lark is an accomplished fiddler in the Appalachian and bluegrass traditions of her native Kentucky, and she brings this experience to a program of folk-inflected works by Bartók, Ravel, and others.

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Music on Film

Every season, Great Performers presents rare film footage providing a glimpse of master artists and musicians at work. This season brings three films with composer Gustav Mahler at the core. The first is a documentary focusing on the man behind the music; the second is a fascinating study of wildly different approaches to Mahler by five leading conductors. The final film is a rare opportunity to witness through performance the special relationships Leonard Bernstein had with both Mahler and the Vienna Philharmonic orchestras.

Presented in association with the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Christian Labrande

Film Program 1: Gustav Mahler: Anatomy of a Genius

Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 1:00 pm

Walter Reade Theater

Mahler’s portrait comes to life in this documentary through places and objects: his conductor’s podium, the summer home where he composed, his glasses, baton, musical score, and manuscripts. The film attempts to recreate the soul of a man, rather than of an idol. Featuring commentary by biographer Henry-Louis de la Grange, baritone Thomas Hampson, and conductors Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, and Daniel Harding. Directed by Andy Sommer (2011). 88 minutes

Film Program 2: Conducting Mahler

Tuesday, February 25, 2020 at 6:30 pm

Walter Reade Theater

This beautifully shot documentary highlights Mahler interpretations by conductors Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly, Riccardo Muti, Claudio Abbado, and Simon Rattle, as revealed through interviews, rehearsals, and performances. Featured are three orchestras that Mahler himself once conducted: the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, and Vienna Philharmonic. Directed by Frank Scheffer (1996). 72 minutes

Film Program 3: Symphony of a Thousand

Tuesday, February 25, 2020 at 8:45 pm

Walter Reade Theater

In this concert film of Mahler’s magnificent Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major (“Symphony of a Thousand”), Leonard Bernstein gathers the massed forces of the Vienna Philharmonic, three choirs, and eight starry vocal soloists for a musical experience of overwhelming grandeur, depicting redemption through the power of love. Featuring the Vienna Philharmonic; conductor Leonard Bernstein; Vienna State Opera Chorus; Vienna Singverein Choir; Vienna Boys’ Choir; sopranos Edda Moser, Judith Blegen, Gerti Zeumer; contraltos Ingrid Mayr, Agnes Baltsa; tenor Kenneth Riegel; baritone Hermann Prey; bass José van Dam. Directed by Humphrey Burton (1975). 80 minutes

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Complimentary Classical

The 2019/20 Great Performers season marks the sixth year for Lincoln Center’s series of free recitals in the David Rubenstein Atrium. Concerts last one hour, and admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Attacca Quartet with Caroline Shaw

Caroline Shaw, voice and viola

Thursday, November 14, 2019 at 7:30 pm

David Rubenstein Atrium

All-Caroline Shaw program

Punctum

Five Songs for String Quartet and Voice

Entr’acte

Telegraph Quartet

Thursday, February 6, 2020 at 7:30 pm

David Rubenstein Atrium

Haydn: String Quartet in F major, Op. 77, No. 2 (“Lobkowitz”)

Britten: String Quartet No. 2 in C major, Op. 36

Argus Quartet

Thursday, March 5, 2020 at 7:30 pm

David Rubenstein Atrium

Beethoven: String Quartet in F major, Op. 18, No. 1

Katherine Balch: With Each Breathing

Janácek: String Quartet No. 1 (“Kreutzer Sonata”)

Heath Quartet

Thursday, April 30, 2020 at 7:30 pm

David Rubenstein Atrium

All-Beethoven program

String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 130

Grosse Fuge in B-flat major, Op. 133

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Ticket Information

Subscription Tickets for Great Performers 2019/29 are on sale beginning January 28, 2019 online at LCGreatPerformers.org/Subscribe, by phone via CenterCharge, 212.721.6500, by mail: Great Performers, Alice Tully Hall Box Office, 1941 Broadway, New York, NY 10023-6588, or in person at the Alice Tully Hall or David Geffen Hall Box Office, 65th Street and Broadway. Renewing subscribers should call CenterCharge or send in their renewal form. Single tickets will be on sale starting June 10, 2019. For more information, call 212.721.6500.

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Great Performers is a presentation of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA), which serves three primary roles: presenter of artistic programming, national leader in arts and education and community engagement, and manager of the Lincoln Center campus. A presenter of more than 3,000 free and ticketed events, performances, tours, and educational activities annually, LCPA offers a variety of festivals and programs, including American Songbook, Avery Fisher Career Grants and Artist program, David Rubenstein Atrium programming, Great Performers, Lincoln Center Awards for Emerging Artists, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Lincoln Center Vera List Art Project, LC Kids, Midsummer Night Swing, Mostly Mozart Festival, White Light Festival, the Emmy Award–winning Live From Lincoln Center, which airs nationally on PBS, and Lincoln Center Education, which is celebrating more than four decades enriching the lives of students, educators, and lifelong learners. As manager of the Lincoln Center campus, LCPA provides support and services for the Lincoln Center complex and the 11 resident organizations: The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Juilliard School, Lincoln Center Theater, The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, New York Philharmonic, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, School of American Ballet, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Lincoln Center has become a leading force in using new media and technology to reach and inspire a wider and global audience. Reaching audiences where they are—physically and digitally—has become a cornerstone of making the performing arts more accessible to New Yorkers and beyond. For more information, visit LincolnCenter.org.

Lincoln Center is committed to providing and improving accessibility for people with disabilities. For information, contact Accessibility at Lincoln Center by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 212.875.5375.

Lincoln Center has become a leading force in using new media and technology to reach and inspire a wider and global audience. Reaching audiences where they are—physically and digitally—has become a cornerstone of making the performing arts more accessible to New Yorkers and beyond. For more information, visit LincolnCenter.org.

Lincoln Center is committed to providing and improving accessibility for people with disabilities. For information, contact Accessibility at Lincoln Center by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 212.875.5375.

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Lead Support provided by PGIM, the global investment management business of Prudential Financial

Additional support is provided by Rita E. and Gustave M. Hauser, The Shubert Foundation,

The Katzenberger Foundation, Inc., Audrey Love Charitable Foundation, Great Performers

Circle, Chairman’s Council, and Friends of Lincoln Center.

Public support is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Endowment support for Symphonic Masters is provided by the Leon Levy Fund.

Endowment support is also provided by UBS.

Nespresso is the Official Coffee of Lincoln Center

NewYork-Presbyterian is the Official Hospital of Lincoln Center

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*Additional photos for certain artists are available upon request*

Documents

• Lincoln Center Announces 2019/20 Great Performers Season [PDF]

High Resolution Images