Ivˆ°n Fischer conducts The Cleveland Orchestra in program featuring Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 at Severance Hall on December 3, 4, and 5

Richard Goode is soloist in Beethoven’Äôs Piano Concerto No. 3

CLEVELAND, November 3, 2009 ’Äì Guest conductor Ivˆ°n Fischer will lead The Cleveland Orchestra in a program featuring Rachmaninoff’Äôs Symphony No. 2 at Severance Hall on Thursday, December 3; Friday, December 4; and Saturday, December 5, at 8:00 p.m. Richard Goode will be soloist in Beethoven’Äôs Piano Concerto No. 3.
The program begins with Carl Maria von Weber’Äôs Overture to Der Freischˆºtz, followed by Ludwig van Beethoven’Äôs Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Opus 37. After intermission, the program concludes with Sergei Rachmaninoff’Äôs Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Opus 27.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Hungarian conductor Ivˆ°n Fischer has been music director of the Budapest Festival Orchestra since he founded the ensemble in 1983. He also currently serves as principal conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C. and as principal artist of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (along with Vladimir Jurowski and Sir Simon Rattle). Mr. Fischer has led Mozart productions at the Vienna State Opera and has also conducted the major opera companies of Brussels, Budapest, Frankfurt, London, Paris, and Zurich. He appears regularly with the leading orchestras of Amsterdam, Berlin, Dresden, and Paris, among other cities, and also has a close relationship with the Munich Philharmonic, with whom he has been conducting a three-year Mahler project that began in December 2007. Mr. Fischer made his Cleveland Orchestra debut at the 1998 Blossom Festival and made his Severance Hall debut in October 1999. His most recent engagement with the Orchestra was in February 2007.
American pianist Richard Goode is acknowledged world-wide for his interpretations of Classical and Romantic repertoire, and for music-making of tremendous emotional power, depth, and expressiveness. His recording of the five Beethoven piano concertos with Ivˆ°n Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra, released on the Nonesuch label in May 2009, was nominated for a Gramophone Magazine ’ÄúConcerto of the Year’Äù award. During the 2007-08 season, Mr. Goode performed at and curated a multi-event residency at the South Bank Centre in London as artist-in-residence. He also was a Carnegie Hall Perspectives artist. This season, he collaborates with Jonathan Biss to perform piano duos by Beethoven, Debussy, Schubert, Schumann, and Stravinsky in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. Mr. Goode currently serves with Mitsuko Uchida as co-artistic director of the Marlboro Music School and Festival in Vermont. He made his Cleveland Orchestra debut in March 1992 and most recently performed with the Orchestra in March 2004.

TICKET PRICES (Add $5 for Saturday): Orchestra: $71, $47; Dress Circle: $93, $55; Balcony: $71, $55, $31.

FREE CONCERT PREVIEWS:

Concert Previews will be given prior to the December 3, 4, and 5 concerts, beginning at 7:00 p.m., in Reinberger Chamber Hall. Robert Cassidy, a member of the piano faculty at Cleveland State University, will give the Preview. 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.

CALENDAR LISTINGS:

Thursday, December 3, at 8:00 p.m.
Friday, December 4, at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 5, at 8:00 p.m.

Severance Hall

THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
IVˆÅN FISCHER, conductor
RICHARD GOODE, piano

WEBER Overture to Der Freischˆºtz
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3
RACHMANINOFF Symphony No. 2

Ticket Prices: $31-$98 ’Äì Call (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or order online at clevelandorchestra.com

Season Sponsor: UBS
Guest Artist Fund: The Hershey Foundation

Concert Preview, in Reinberger Chamber Hall beginning at 7:00 p.m.
Preview Speaker: Robert Cassidy, member of the piano faculty, Cleveland State University