The CSO and Chorus uphold a crowning tradition in Handel’s ‘Zadok the Priest’
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, led by guest conductor Nicholas Kraemer, perform the finale of Handel’s Zadok the Priest, Coronation…
Tilson Thomas and the CSO romp in Prokofiev’s ‘Dance of the Knights’
In this short video, guest conductor Michael Tilson Thomas leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in “The Dance of the Knights”…
The CSO’s Cynthia Yeh explains why Symphony Center is for lovers
Cynthia Yeh, principal percussion of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, explains why attending a concert at Symphony Center “makes for a…
Beyond the Score: Edward Elgar’s ‘Enigma’ Variations
One evening, the great English composer Edward Elgar sat down at his piano to improvise. “That’s a good tune,” said…
Esa-Pekka Salonen’s artistic motto: ‘Avoid discomfort at all costs’
When composing, Esa-Pekka Salonen confesses in this video interview that he tries “to avoid the moment when I’m back in…
125 years of CSO premieres — reprised in less than two minutes
Since its founding 125 years ago, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra has given more than 650 U.S. and world premieres. Many…
Terri Hemmert makes a Fauré offer that you can’t refuse
WXRT-FM personality Terri Hemmert knows her music — rock as well as classical — and she calls Faure’s Requiem “one…
Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5, ‘a hymn to a free and happy man’
Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5, perhaps the best known and most regularly performed of all the composer’s works, glorifies the human…
Branford Marsalis in ‘Escapades’ from ‘Catch Me If You Can’
This week, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra welcomes Branford Marsalis, equally at home in the worlds of jazz and classical, in…
The CSO sparks brass fireworks in ‘The Planets’
This year marks the centennial of Holst’s The Planets, a seven-movement orchestral suite, which the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performs May 26-31 under guest…
Muti and the CSO ‘renew an appreciation of Brahms’ musical genius’
Though the symphonies of Brahms have been a touchstone for Riccardo Muti over his career, he has previously led the…