For immediate release:
June 15, 2022
Contact: Julie Goetz, Director of Communications
(412) 905-9058 jgoetz@pittsburghsymphony.org
Contact - Europe:
Gabriele Schiller, PR2 classic
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PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND MUSIC DIRECTOR MANFRED HONECK RETURN TO INTERNATIONAL TOURING THIS SUMMER WITH THREE WEEKS IN EUROPE
ORCHESTRA CELEBRATES 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF INTERNATIONAL TOURS
Honeck and PSO to be joined by stellar soloists Gautier Capuçon, Hélène Grimaud and Anne-Sophie Mutter
Tour will traverse three countries across Europe for performances in Cologne, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Essen, Grafenegg, Hamburg, Ljubljana, Salzburg and Wiesbaden
PITTSBURGH—In August 2022, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra led by Music Director Manfred Honeck will resume international touring for the first time in three years, as the orchestra celebrates the 75th anniversary of its first international tour with three weeks of concerts in Europe. The diamond jubilee year tour will see the GRAMMY® Award-winning conductor and orchestra travel across Austria, Germany and Slovenia where they will present 11 concerts in nine cities, joined by three of the world’s most outstanding soloists: cellist Gautier Capuçon, pianist Hélène Grimaud and violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. This tour marks Manfred Honeck’s 14th tour with the Pittsburgh Symphony.
Over the course of the 2022 European tour, the Pittsburgh Symphony will visit Cologne, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Essen, Grafenegg, Hamburg, Ljubljana and Wiesbaden, and close the prestigious Salzburg Festival, the only American orchestra invited to perform at that festival. The concert programs will feature the music of Beethoven, Dvořák, Ligeti, Mahler, Ravel, Schumann, Schulhoff, Strauss and Tchaikovsky, including dramatic showpieces that brilliantly capture the connection between the orchestra and solo cello, piano and violin.
“We are thrilled to head to Europe together again, to be a part of the rich music scenes in so many cities that love great music and have appreciated this orchestra in our recordings and concerts for so many years. It is an honor and a privilege to continue this 75-year tradition and bring to other parts of the world the exceptional Pittsburgh sound, our unique interpretations and the partnerships with Gautier Capuçon, Hélène Grimaud, and Anne-Sophie Mutter,” said Manfred Honeck, Music Director, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
“The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is long regarded as our region’s most esteemed international cultural ambassador, with a storied touring history of 75 years. When we share the remarkable experience that is Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony, we feel incredible pride as we have the great fortune of representing our remarkable city, underscoring around the globe that Pittsburgh is synonymous with excellence,” said Melia Tourangeau, president and CEO, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. “It is an incredible undertaking for the musicians to perform away from their home hall for three weeks, yet they are not only up to the challenge, they excel and show why the Pittsburgh Symphony is exceptional.”
The 2022 summer festivals tour will begin on August 18 at Cankarjev Dom Hall for the 70th Ljubljana Festival (Slovenia), and conclude on September 4 at the Cologne Philharmonie in Cologne, Germany. After the concert in Llubljana, Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony will perform two concerts at Wolkenturm (Grafenegg, Austria), two concerts at the Elbphilharmonie (Hamburg, Germany), and concerts at Tonhalle (Düsseldorf, Germany), Philharmonie Essen (Essen, Germany), Grosses Festspielhaus (Salzburg, Austria), Kulturpalast (Dresden, Germany) and Das Kurhaus (Wiesbaden, Germany), before concluding the tour in Cologne.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra first travelled out of the country in 1947 with concerts in Mexico, under the baton of Fritz Reiner. It has since toured internationally in every decade except the 1950s, presenting concerts in major music halls in Africa (Canary Islands), Asia, Australia, Europe, Puerto Rico and South America. The list of renowned conductors who have toured with the orchestra are (in order, historically): Fritz Reiner, William Steinberg, Donald Johanos, André Previn, Eduardo Mata, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Herbert Blomstedt, Lorin Maazel, Michael Tilson Thomas, Mariss Jansons, Gilbert Levine, Leonard Slatkin, Hans Graf and Manfred Honeck. In 1964, the Pittsburgh Symphony, under the baton of William Steinberg, was chosen by the United States Department of State to represent the nation on an 80-day, 40-concert tour of 27 cities in 14 countries in Europe and the Middle East to engage artists in cultural diplomacy. In 2004, the Pittsburgh Symphony, under the baton of Gilbert Levine, was the first American orchestra to perform before Pope John Paull II at the Vatican. This is Manfred Honeck’s 11th international tour with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; his first was a tour of Asia in 2009. The Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck last toured in the fall of 2019, presenting 11 concerts in five countries across Europe.
International touring is made possible, in part, by the Hillman Endowment for International Performances.
PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY 2022 EUROPEAN TOUR REPERTOIRE AND CALENDAR
Repertoire to include:
- Beethoven, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major, Op. 61
- Dvořák, Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B minor
- Ligeti, Lontano
- Mahler, Symphony No. 1 in D major
- Ravel, Concerto in G major for Piano & Orchestra
- Schumann, Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54
- Schulhoff, Five Pieces
- Strauss, Elektra Symphonic Rhapsody
- Tchaikovsky, Symphony No, 5 in E minor, Op. 64
Concert 1: 70th Ljubljana Festival - Cankarjev Dom Hall; Ljubljana, Slovenia
Thursday, August 18, 2022 at 8:05 PM
Manfred Honeck, conductor
Hélène Grimaud, piano
Program: Schulhoff, Ravel, Mahler
Concert 2: Wolkenturm; Grafenegg, Austria
Saturday, August 20, 2022 at 7:35 PM
Manfred Honeck, conductor
Hélène Grimaud, piano
Program: Schulhoff, Ravel, Strauss
Concert 3: Wolkenturm; Grafenegg, Austria
Saturday, August 21, 2022 at 7:35 PM
Manfred Honeck, conductor
Gautier Capuçon, cello
Program: Dvořák, Tchaikovsky
Concert 4: Elbphilharmonie; Hamburg, Germany
Wednesday, August 24, 2022 at 8:00 PM
Manfred Honeck, conductor
Hélène Grimaud, piano
Program: Ligeti, Ravel, Mahler
Concert 5: Elbphilharmonie; Hamburg, Germany
Thursday, August 25, 2022 at 8:05 PM
Manfred Honeck, conductor
Gautier Capuçon, cello
Program: Schulhoff, Dvořák, Strauss
Concert 6: Tonhalle; Düsseldorf, Germany
Saturday, August 27, 2022 at 8:05 PM
Manfred Honeck, conductor
Hélène Grimaud, piano
Program: Schumann, Mahler
Concert 7: Philharmonie Essen; Essen, Germany
Tuesday, August 30, 2022 at 8:05 PM
Manfred Honeck, conductor
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin
Program: Ligeti, Beethoven, Mahler
Concert 8: Salzburg Festival, Grosses Festspielhaus; Salzburg, Austria
Wednesday, August 31, 2022 at 7:35 PM
Manfred Honeck, conductor
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin
Program: Ligeti, Beethoven, Mahler
Concert 9: Kulturpalast, Dresden, Germany
Thursday, September 1, 2022 at 8:05 PM
Manfred Honeck, conductor
Hélène Grimaud, piano
Program: Schulhoff, Ravel, Tchaikovsky
Concert 10: Das Kurhaus, Wiesbaden, Germany
Friday, September 2, 2022 at 8:05 PM
Manfred Honeck, conductor
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin
Program: Beethoven, Tchaikovsky
Concert 11: Cologne Philharmonie; Cologne, Germany
Sunday, September 4, 2022 at 8:05 PM
Manfred Honeck, conductor
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin
Program: Beethoven, Tchaikovsky
About the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
About Gautier Capuçon
About Hélène Grimaud
About Anne-Sophie Mutter