Orchestra & Chamber Music
Vienna Philharmonic, Dover Quartet, Owls, Takács Quartet and more!
Wed–Thu, Mar 5–6, 7:30pmFri, Mar 7, 7pm, Zellerbach Hall
A standout season highlight! “Devoted to tending the fire of tradition” (The New York Times), the magnificent Vienna Philharmonic returns to Berkeley with three electrifying programs of symphonic masterworks with maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin at the podium. With his signature energy and dramatic flair, Nézet-Séguin leads the Philharmonic through repertoire at the very core of the ensemble’s more than 180-year history.
One of the most in-demand conductors in the world, Nézet-Séguin seems to be everywhere at once—the Grammy winner also leads the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and was musical advisor for the Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro, for which he also recorded the soundtrack.
The March 5 concert matches Mozart’s brilliant Jupiter Symphony with Mahler’s dramatic and ambitious Symphony No. 1, and the March 6 performance pairs the sweet lyricism of Schubert’s Symphony No. 4 with Dvořák’s well-loved New World Symphony, the orchestra’s honeyed brass section featured in the work’s haunting slow movement.
Major Support: Jerome and Thao Dodson (3/5), Beth DeAtley (3/6)
“Nézet-Séguin didn’t merely keep time or hold the Philharmonic together; he led them with passion and decisive interpretation ….The finale’s final bars were so rousing, the audience began to cheer before Nézet-Séguinhad even lowered his baton.”
Fri, Mar 7, 7pm, Zellerbach Hall
The final concert in the series welcomes esteemed pianist Yefim Bronfman for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3, an intensely dramatic work that grabs on and doesn’t let go. Bronfman has said of this concerto, “You listen to it, [and] time stops…there’s only you and this music.”
Major Support: Diana Cohen and Bill Falik (3/7), Anonymous (3/7)
see full Vienna PHilharmonic program
Listen to a clip of Mozart's Symphony No. 41 performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
SAVE THE DATE: FRI, MAR 7, 20255:30pm Cocktails and Light Bites7pm Performance9pm Reception and Dinner
Cal Performances invites you to join us on Friday, March 7, 2025, for an unforgettable evening with the Vienna Philharmonic. All proceeds from this event will support Cal Performances’ artistic initiatives and education programs.
The best seats for the performance will be reserved for gala guests. Seating will be limited, so we encourage you to save the date and plan to join us for this high-profile event. More information will be available soon. In the meantime, contact Cal Performances’ Development Office at 510.642.8653 or donate@calperformances.org with any questions.
Sun, Oct 20, 3pm, Hertz Hall
An exciting new collaboration brings together three singular figures in American concert music—virtuoso instrumentalists with fierce classical chops, deep connections to roots and fiddle music, and wide-open artistic sensibilities. Perhaps today’s best-known bass virtuoso, recent Grammy winner Edgar Meyer has built an extraordinary career as a soloist with leading orchestras; a musical sparring partner with the likes of Yo-Yo Ma, Zakir Hussain, Joshua Bell, Chris Thile, and Béla Fleck; and an in-demand composer and recording artist. Featuring genre-crossing Kentucky-born violinist Tessa Lark and eclectic cellist Joshua Roman, the trio takes an exhilarating romp through selections by Bach, trio music by Meyer, and a brand-new work co-commissioned by Cal Performances, composed especially for these players.
Lead Sponsor: Nadine TangPatron Sponsors: Dr. Rupali Das-Melnyk and Dr. Ostap Melnyk
J.S. BACH
Sonata for Viola da Gamba in G Major, BWV 1027
EDGAR MEYER
Trio 1986Trio 1988New Work (Bay Area Premiere, Cal Performances Co-commission)
see full program
Sun, Nov 3, 3pm, Hertz Hall
Named one of the greatest string quartets of the past 100 years by BBC Music Magazine, the two-time Grammy-nominated Dover Quartet returns with an exciting program that connects new work by Emmy-winning American Indian composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate with Dvořák’s beloved American Quartet. Tate, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma, composes music that has been described as
“rich, provocative and moving” by the New York Times and “lusty and vivid” by San Francisco Classical Voice. His co-commissioned work is paired with his arrangement of Pura Fé’s layered and rhythmic work Rattle Songs.
Patron Sponsors: Joe W. Laymon, Kiese Laymon, Jeanne Laymon, Thomas Laymon, Eve Dunbar, and Cade Catherine Dunbar-Laymon
JESSIE MONTGOMERY
Strum
JEROD IMPICHCHAACHAAHA’ TATE
New Work (West Coast Premiere, Cal Performances Co-commission)
PURA FÉ arr. TATE
Rattle Songs
DVOŘÁK
Quartet in F major, Op. 96, American
An Illuminations “Fractured History” event.
Sun, Jan 26, 3pm, Hertz Hall
Sun, Feb 16, 3pm, Hertz Hall
"One of the greatest chamber string ensembles we have on the world stage" (Scherzo Magazine), the Takács Quartet visits with two riveting programs this season. For the first, the group is joined by pianist Jeremy Denk for Brahms’ Piano Quintet in F minor—among the towering creations in the composer’s catalog in its skilled mingling of moods, from majesty, serenity, and joy to tension, foreboding, and despair. Denk, a MacArthur "Genius" award winner and well-regarded author, is already beloved by Berkeley audiences for his intelligence, humor, and interpretive insight, making this an exhilarating artistic matchup!
The Takács’ second concert features an epic work from Beethoven’s "heroic" middle period; Haydn’s effervescent, well-loved string quartet Op. 54, No. 2; and Britten’s rarely performed second quartet. In composing the work, Britten sought to embody the same qualities he revered in Purcell’s music: "clarity, brilliance, tenderness, and strangeness."
Patron Sponsors: Jeffrey MacKie-Mason and Janet Netz (1/26), Françoise Stone (2/16)Major Support: Taube Philanthropies (2/16)
see Jan 26 program
see Feb 16 program
Sun, Feb 2, 3pm, Hertz Hall
The marvelous Danish String Quartet returns after the conclusion of its multiseason Doppelgänger project with an artfully curated program. It seems there is nothing these players can’t do—complex contemporary works, ethereal soundscapes, sparkling Baroque arrangements, even earthy folk song. Caroline Shaw’s Entr’acte is paired with a selection from the Haydn quartet that inspired it, and Stravinsky’s folk-infused miniatures converse with songs by 19th-century Irish harpist Turlough O’Carolan. Shostakovich’s intense, brooding final quartet provides emotional counterballast in a kaleidoscopic musical journey.
Major Support: The Bernard Osher Foundation
The Danish play as if they have abandoned their individual personalities entirely to serve the collective—as if they were joined on a single instrument, armed with four bows."
Sun, Feb 9, 3pm Hertz Hall
Perennial favorites David Finckel and Wu Han expand their acclaimed duo for this special recital of piano trio masterworks by Haydn, Shostakovich, and Mendelssohn. French-born violinist Arnaud Sussmann is a frequent collaborator with the bicoastal musical power couple, which has no shortage of virtuosic potential ensemble partners, thanks to Han and Finckel’s posts as co-directors of both Music@Menlo and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Sussmann is an ideal co-conspirator in this repertoire, praised for an “old-school sound…[with a] rare combination of sweet and smooth that can hypnotize a listener” (Pioneer Press, MN).
Patron Sponsors: Daniel Johnson and Herman Winkel
Sun, Feb 23, 3pm, Hertz Hall
Among Europe’s most enduring and admired ensembles, the Hagen Quartet makes its much-anticipated Berkeley debut with a formidable program of works by Haydn and Robert Schumann. In its 40-year history, the Hagen has earned a reputation for performances of exceptional refinement and ensemble cohesion. “It is hard to know what to admire most in the quartet’s playing…. The focus and unanimity are astounding. The music seems to have an inner life. You get the impression that every note, every gesture has been carefully considered” (The New York Times).
HAYDN
String Quartet in G major, Op. 54, No. 1String Quartet in E major, Op. 54, No. 3
R. SCHUMANN
String Quartet in A major, Op. 41, No. 3
Sun, Mar 2, 3pm, Hertz Hall
Returning to Berkeley after a long absence, the distinguished Brentano String Quartet has been at the vanguard of American chamber music for more than 30 years, known for stunning rapport and a rich, full ensemble sound. The program includes Beethoven’s early Quartet in B-flat major, with its unforgettable fourth movement (La Malinconia), and Brahms’ lighthearted third quartet. The centerpiece is a new work by esteemed Chinese-born American composer (and UC San Diego professor) Lei Liang, whose music has been described as “hauntingly beautiful and sonically colorful” by the New York Times, and “brilliantly original and inarguably gorgeous” by the Washington Post.
BEETHOVEN
String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 18, No. 6
LEI LIANG
New Work (Bay Area Premiere)
BRAHMS
String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 67
José Maria Blumenschein, concertmaster and leaderSun, Mar 23, 3pm, Zellerbach Hall
The superlative Mahler Chamber Orchestra returns with magisterial pianist Mitsuko Uchida, continuing a multiyear collaboration to bring Mozart’s exquisite piano concertos to Berkeley audiences. These utterly original compositions are a boundless playground where Mozart explored new ideas of musical drama, form, and ensemble interplay. A revered Mozartean, Uchida has lived with these works for decades, performing and recording them to great acclaim, and she has spoken about the merits and pleasures of returning to familiar repertoire throughout her illustrious career. The composer’s music, she has said, “is about conversation and happiness and joy and sorrow and life. Mozart wrote so many wonderful pieces, but for me his concerti are infinitely deeper and varied, and each is an instrumental opera.”
Lead Sponsor: Nadine Tang
Alexi Kenney, violinAyane Kozasa, violaGabriel Cabezas, celloPaul Wiancko, celloSun, Apr 13, 3pm, Hertz Hall
Owls is a fresh and original new string quartet collective featuring some of chamber music’s most creative voices. All of the ensemble’s repertoire is arranged specially for the group’s unusual forces of two cellists instead of two violinists, “a process that may account for Owls’ evident deep investment in each work they play” (The New York Times). The program features two pieces by cellist Paul Wiancko (also of Kronos Quartet), alongside works by Azerbaijani composer Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, minimalism pioneer Terry Riley, jazz legend Chick Corea, indie rock duo Trollstilt, and French Baroque composer François Couperin.
COREA
Children’s Song No. 12
PAUL WIANCKO
Vox PetraWhen the Night
FRANGHIZ ALI-ZADEH
Rəqs
COUPERIN
Les Barricades Mystérieuses
TROLLSTILT
Ricercar
TERRY RILEY
“Good Medicine” from Salome Dances for Peace
Philadelphia Orchestra
Metropolitan Opera
Orchestre Métropolitain (Montréal)
All of the above
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