“Classical music and particularly the annual residencies of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra remain integral elements at” the Ravinia festival, writes John von Rhein in Wednesday’s (3/15) Chicago Tribune. “That much is again true of the 2017 Ravinia schedule of more than 140 events, announced in full Wednesday…. The orchestra’s central presence at the festival will be guaranteed through 2026, when the CSO will mark the 90th anniversary of its affiliation with Ravinia. Ticket sales for classical events at Ravinia in 2016 showed an uptick over the previous season, according to President and CEO Welz Kauffman.… This summer, Ravinia will honor … composer John Adams, who turned 70 last month…. Adams’ orchestral masterpiece ‘Harmonielehre’ [will] be conducted by Kent Nagano in his Ravinia debut with the CSO.… Conductors already announced as appearing with the CSO this summer include former Ravinia music directors James Levine and Christoph Eschenbach, Susanna Malkki, Andrey Boreyko, Pinchas Zukerman, Edward Gardner, and Dima Slobodeniouk. Not previously announced are the National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, led by music director Gustavo Dudamel, in his Ravinia debut; Switzerland’s Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, under its American music director, James Gaffigan; the Cleveland-based baroque orchestra Apollo’s Fire, under Jeannette Sorrell; and the chamber ensemble The Knights, with mezzo-soprano soloist Susan Graham.”
Posted March 16, 2017
