David Robertson conducts The Cleveland Orchestra in program featuring Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 2 with Yefim Bronfman as soloist at Severance Hall o

Program for Thursday and Saturday includes Cleveland Orchestra premiere of John Adams’Äôs
Doctor Atomic Symphony

CLEVELAND, October 23, 2009 ’Äì David Robertson, music director of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, returns to Severance Hall to conduct The Cleveland Orchestra in a program featuring Brahms’Äôs Piano Concerto No. 2 with Yefim Bronfman as soloist at Severance Hall on Thursday, November 12, at 8:00 p.m.; Friday, November 13, at 11:00 a.m.; and Saturday, November 14, at 8:00 p.m. When Mr. Bronfman performed the concerto in October with London’Äôs Philharmonia Orchestra under the direction of Christoph von Dohnˆ°nyi, the Guardian noted that ’ÄúBronfman not only had the force to vie with the orchestra at full tilt, but also a crystalline delicacy and grace.’Äù

The program for Thursday and Saturday evenings begins with Johannes Brahms’Äôs Tragic Overture, followed by the first Cleveland Orchestra performances of John Adams’Äôs Doctor Atomic Symphony. After intermission, the program concludes with Brahms’Äôs Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Opus 83. The Friday morning concert, performed without intermission, consists of the two works by Brahms.

About John Adams’Äôs Doctor Atomic Symphony:

The Doctor Atomic Symphony is a purely instrumental work drawn from John Adams’Äôs 2005 opera, Doctor Atomic. The action of the opera takes place in June and July 1945, as the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb comes to fruition in the New Mexico desert near Los Alamos. The second act leads up to the first successful firing of the bomb at the ’ÄúTrinity’Äù test site. Peter Sellars created the libretto from original sources, including diaries and writings of the scientists as well as some poetry that was meaningful to J. Robert Oppenheimer, scientific director of the Manhattan Project.

The Doctor Atomic Symphony consists of three movements, titled ’ÄúThe Laboratory,’Äù ’ÄúPanic,’Äù and ’ÄúTrinity.’Äù The symphony includes music from the opera’Äôs overture, its Act II ’Äúpanic’Äù music, and the ’Äúmilitary matters’Äù sections from Act I. It culminates with an orchestral setting of Oppenheimer’Äôs signature ’ÄúBatter My Heart’Äù aria, which in the opera used text from poet John Donne’Äôs Holy Sonnet XIV.

The BBC Symphony Orchestra gave the first performance of the Doctor Atomic Symphony on August 21, 2007, under the direction of John Adams. The score is dedicated to David Robertson, who conducted the North American premiere in Saint Louis on February 7, 2008, with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. Their recording of Doctor Atomic Symphony is available on the Nonesuch label.

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These concerts are sponsored by The Lubrizol Foundation.
Yefim Bronfman’Äôs appearance with The Cleveland Orchestra is made possible by a gift to the Orchestra’Äôs Guest Artist Fund from Mr. and Mrs. Michael Sherwin.
The Cleveland Orchestra’Äôs Friday Morning Concert Series is endowed by the Mary E. and F. Joseph Callahan Foundation. Pre-concert lectures for the Friday Morning Concert Series are funded by a generous endowment gift from Dorothy Humel Hovorka.
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The Cleveland Orchestra’Äôs 2009-10 season at Severance Hall is sponsored by UBS. Headquartered in Zurich and Basel, Switzerland, UBS is a global firm providing services to private, corporate and institutional clients. Its strategy is to focus on international wealth management and the Swiss banking business alongside its global expertise in investment banking and asset management. In Switzerland, UBS is the market leader in retail and commercial banking.

UBS is a significant supporter of orchestral music globally. In addition to its season sponsorship of The Cleveland Orchestra, the firm currently sponsors several other outstanding symphony orchestras, such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra and The Philadelphia Orchestra. These partnerships reflect UBS’Äôs dedication to supporting the communities where it operates, as well as a philosophy of working collaboratively with its clients to deliver the customized solutions that help them pursue their goals.

’ÄúUBS is proud of our ongoing relationship as Season Sponsor of The Cleveland Orchestra,’Äù said Marten Hoekstra, CEO, UBS Wealth Management Americas. ’ÄúSupporting the arts is ingrained in our corporate culture and we view our partnership with this internationally renowned orchestra as a reflection of our ongoing commitment to communities where we live and work.’Äù

EVENING TICKET PRICES (Add $5 for Saturday): Orchestra: $66, $44; Dress Circle: $87, $51; Balcony: $66, $51, $31.
FRIDAY MORNING TICKET PRICES: Orchestra: $45, $35; Dress Circle: $55, $35; Balcony: $45, $35, $25.

TICKET SERVICES:
The Severance Hall Ticket Office is located in the Smith Lobby. The entrance and 15-minute Ticket Service parking are along East Boulevard. Single tickets for all concerts in the 2009-10 season are now on sale.
Severance Hall Ticket Office Hours:
M-F 9-6
Sat. 10-6
Closed Sundays and major holidays, except for those days with performances, when the Ticket Office opens three hours prior to the performance start time.
To charge tickets by telephone on American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard, and Visa, call Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Services at (216) 231-1111 (Cleveland) or 800-686-1141 during the regular ticket office hours listed above. Subscriptions and single tickets are also available through The Cleveland Orchestra’Äôs website at clevelandorchestra.com. The website offers secure ticket transactions with any major credit card and provides complete concert listings.

FREE CONCERT PREVIEWS:
Concert Previews will be given prior to the November 12, 13, and 14 concerts, beginning one hour before concert time. On Thursday and Saturday evenings, James Feddeck, Cleveland Orchestra assistant conductor and Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra music director, will give the Preview, titled ’ÄúAtomic Adams, Bravura Brahms,’Äù in Reinberger Chamber Hall. On Friday morning, Rose Breckenridge, Cleveland Orchestra Music Study Groups administrator and lecturer, will give the Preview, titled ’ÄúBrahms the Symphonist.’Äù in the Concert Hall. Concert Previews are designed to enrich the concert-going experience by providing historical background and critical insight into the music performed at each concert. This series is funded by a generous endowment gift from Dorothy Humel Hovorka.

PARKING:
For evening subscription concerts at Severance Hall, parking can be purchased for $10 per vehicle, when space permits, in the Campus Center Garage (the underground garage located directly behind Severance Hall). Pre-paid parking for the Campus Center Garage can be purchased in advance through the Ticket Office at the cost of $14 per concert (this includes City of Cleveland parking tax and handling fee). The pre-paid parking ensures patrons a parking space, but availability of these pre-paid parking passes is limited.
For further information, or to order pre-paid parking, patrons should call the Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Office during regular office hours at (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141. Pre-paid parking passes are also available through The Cleveland Orchestra’Äôs website at clevelandorchestra.com.
For Friday morning matinee performances, due to limited parking availability in the Campus Center Garage (the underground garage located directly behind Severance Hall) and in the University Circle area in general, patrons are encouraged to take advantage of off-site parking and round-trip shuttle service available at the Cleveland Play House (8500 Euclid Avenue) and the Cedar Hill Baptist Church (12601 Cedar Road). The fee is $10 per car.


CALENDAR LISTINGS:

Thursday, November 12, at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 14, at 8:00 p.m.

Severance Hall

THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
DAVID ROBERTSON, conductor
YEFIM BRONFMAN, piano

BRAHMS Tragic Overture
ADAMS Doctor Atomic Symphony
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 2

Ticket Prices: $31-$87 (Add $5 for Saturday) ’Äì Call (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or order online at clevelandorchestra.com

Season Sponsor: UBS
Concert Sponsor: The Lubrizol Foundation
Guest Artist Fund: Mr. and Mrs. Michael Sherwin

Concert Preview: ’ÄúAtomic Adams, Bravura Brahms,’Äù in Reinberger Chamber Hall at 7:00 p.m., given by James Feddeck, Cleveland Orchestra assistant conductor.

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Friday, November 13, at 11:00 a.m.

Severance Hall

THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
DAVID ROBERTSON, conductor
YEFIM BRONFMAN, piano

BRAHMS Tragic Overture
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 2

Ticket Prices: $25-$55 ’Äì Call (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or order online at clevelandorchestra.com

Season Sponsor: UBS
The Cleveland Orchestra’Äôs Friday Morning Concert Series is endowed by the
Mary E. and F. Joseph Callahan Foundation. Pre-concert lectures for the
Friday Morning Concert Series are funded by a generous endowment gift from
Dorothy Humel Hovorka.
Concert Sponsor: The Lubrizol Foundation
Guest Artist Fund: Mr. and Mrs. Michael Sherwin

Concert Preview: ’ÄúBrahms the Symphonist,’Äù in the Concert Hall at 10 a.m., given by Rose Breckenridge, Cleveland Orchestra Music Study Groups administrator and lecturer