Richly Russian
Thursday 7:30 pm March 18, 2010
Saturday 8:00 pm March 20, 2010
Sunday 2:30 pm March 21, 2010

Celebrated Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero adds special excitement to this concert of great 20th century Russians. She performs the renowned 'Rach 2' -- Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, one of the most romantic and virtuosic  ever written -- and if we're lucky, will follow with encores showing her own special genius.  This  showpiece shares the program with Gliere's high-spirited Russian Sailor's Dance from the Red Poppy, and Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5.

Cellos & Tchaikovsky
Thursday 7:30 pm May 13, 2010
Saturday 8:00 pm May 15, 2010
Sunday 2:30 pm May 16, 2010

Hungarian Maestro Vajda returns to our podium, paired with one of the world’s master cellists. Hoffman will perform two works: the poignant Kol Nidrei, based on the prayer that heralds Yom Kippur, and Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations, the piece with which Hoffman became the only American to win the Rostropovich International Competition in Paris. In Mendelssohn’s overture we hear the shimmer and shift of the ocean, home of the mermaid; and the concert concludes with a radiant work by Tchaikovsky, full of melody and dance.

Mozart & Mahler
Saturday 8:00 pm June 5, 2010
Sunday 2:30 pm June 6, 2010

Known for sweeping works of beauty and complexity, Mahler is widely regarded as the greatest late-Romantic composer. In our first Mahler performance, Symphony Silicon Valley presents the concise and lyrical Fourth Symphony, a work full of warmth and tenderness, capped with a ravishing soprano solo.  With it, the orchestra and chorale perform Mozart's Solemn Vespers, a surprisingly joyous piece containing another supremely lovely soprano aria.

Ravel & Brahms
Saturday 8:00 pm October 10, 2009
Sunday 2:30 pm October 11, 2009

Last year the Symphony's gala concert for San Jose State University's 150th anniversary paired Maestro Cleve with Ravel specialist Gwendolyn Mok, in Ravel's magical piano concerto. Their performance received thunderous applause, and now our subscribers can share in the treat.  Ravel's charming fairy tale suite sets the concert's mood, and Brahm's lushly romantic symphony will close. Cleve's mastery of Brahms is legendary; this is a season opener not to be missed. 

Copland & Beethoven
Thursday 7:30 pm October 22, 2009
Saturday 8:00 pm October 24, 2009
Sunday 2:30 pm October 25, 2009

When Argentine pianist Ingrid Fliter, winner of the prestigious Gilmore Award, performs, critics rhapsodize over 'the kind of keyboard mastery of which legends are made.' We are delighted to bring you this eminent artist. Our concert opens with two engaging works of Americana: Aaron Copland's folk-flavored Billy the Kid Suite, and his buoyant settings of 19th century songs -- theater songs, children's games, a lullaby, a riotous campaign song and more.

The Four Seasons
Saturday 8:00 pm December 5, 2009
Sunday 2:30 pm December 6, 2009

We have chosen the Italians to help us celebrate the holidays, in a mix of the baroque and the romantic.  Maestro Prutsman, pianist and long-time artistic partner of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, brings his love of chamber music to this intimate evening, featuring two of our principal players. We will hear Vivaldi’s masterwork, The Four Seasons; a concerto by his contemporary Albinoni, beloved for its beguiling slow movement; and Respighi’s triptych, inspired by three paintings of the Renaissance artist Botticelli: Spring, The Birth of Venus, and The Adoration of the Magi.

Scheherazade - Tales from the East
Saturday 8:00 pm January 9, 2010
Sunday 2:30 pm January 10, 2010

Paul Polivnick adds his deft touch to our third world premiere in three years: Gordon Lee’s reflections on his youth in Beijing, featuring three instruments that present the sounds and flavor of this ancient culture. Concertmaster Mayforth takes the lead in Rimsky-Korsakov’s richly colored work, based on The Arabian Nights and filled with exotic melody and vivid storytelling.  The concert begins with dramatic snare drum rolls announcing Rossini’s irresistible overture.