The Tucson Symphony Orchestra will close out its 2018-19 season with the return of Kansas City Symphony music director Michael Stern to lead the orchestra in Sibeliusβ Symphony No. 2 and a pair of choral works featuring the TSO Chorus.
The concertβs highlight should be the Sibelius, a work the Finnish composer wrote between 1900 and 1902, then later revised just in time for the debut of his Symphony No. 5 in 1915. Apparently still not satisfied, Sibelius, perhaps pessimistic over the events of World War I, took one more stab at Symphony No. 2 in 1919, when he reportedly made extensive revisions.
The TSO Chorus also could find itself in the spotlight this weekend when Stern, making his first Tucson appearance since his TSO debut in 2017, leads the orchestra in Stravinskyβs Symphony of Psalms and Brahmsβ βSchicksalsliedβ (Song of Destiny), two very diverse choral works.
Stravinsky said his Symphony of Psalms, composed in 1929 to mark the Boston Symphonyβs 50th anniversary, put the choir and orchestra on a level playing field as equal partners.
βIt is not a symphony in which I have included psalms to be sung,β he wrote in program notes. βIt is the singing of the psalms that I am symphonizing.β
The TSO will perform the concert twice β at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 5, and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 7 β at Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. Tickets are $30 to $86 at tucsonsymphony.org or by calling 882-8585.
