Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck on European tour in August and September 2024 (April 2024)
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and its Music Director Manfred Honeck will begin their European tour on August 22 with a concert at the Salzburg Festival as the only US American orchestra being presented this summer and continues on to Grafenegg, Merano, Hamburg (2x), Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Wiesbaden, and Vienna. Guest soloists on this tour are Yefim Bronfman, María Dueñas and Anne-Sophie Mutter. On its 15th European tour with Manfred Honeck, the orchestra will present works by Mahler, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky and John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine, which the PSO commissioned and premiered in 1986.
“I look for the depth of originality in a piece,” says Manfred Honeck, Music Director. “This tour has at its center Mahler’s First and Fifth symphonies, and I have looked back to the tradition from which they came to inform our interpretation and performance. I seek to combine the sharp and earnest energy of the Pittsburgh Symphony, one of the best in the world, with an original understanding of the music. The result is not a ‘return’ to some old ideal, but a new way forward — a fresh authenticity — which may even register as irreverent, but which is really truer to the music, and honors it. We are extremely fortunate to have as close and regular collaborators the great pianist Yefim Bronfman, the outstanding violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, and rising star violinist María Dueñas. Each is perfect on their instrument—musically wise and truly exciting. They understand deeply the music they are playing, and convey that understanding through the performance. I’m very pleased they’re joining us for this tour, and I look forward to European audiences hearing them together with the Pittsburgh Symphony. I think they may be surprised.”
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, located in the USA, is formerly known as the “Steel City”. It is a city in transition, with its vibrant culture centered around Andy Warhol Museum, Carnegie Museum of Art and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra has developed its “unique Pittsburgh sound” in the past by working with Otto Klemperer, Fritz Reiner, William Steinberg, André Previn, Lorin Maazel and Mariss Jansons, among others.
“I am hugely looking forward to the European tour with my favorite American orchestra: the PSO,” says Anne-Sophie Mutter. “Making music with Manfred Honeck is ever so special to me and I couldn’t be happier to have the glorious Mendelssohn concerto on tour with us. And a surprise encore…”
“The reputation of the orchestra in Europe is incredibly well-regarded, and the invitations to be a part of the world’s premiere venues and festivals is a testament to the caliber and quality of the Orchestra under Music Director Manfred Honeck’s leadership,” says President & CEO Melia Tourangeau. “We are honored to be the only American orchestra at the Salzburg Festival again this year, which is arguably one of the most prestigious festivals in the world. Additionally, being invited to Europe’s capital cities and showcasing the orchestra on the top stages like the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Cologne Philharmonie, and launching the fall season at the Vienna Konzerthaus is an honor and privilege. The reputation of the orchestra with these invitations is a reflection of the city that supports us, and we are proud to represent Pittsburgh on the international stage.”
Please be in touch if you are interested in speaking to Manfred Honeck about his artistic vision and goals for the orchestra also in his role as a longtime music director in the United States or with CEO Melia Tourangeau.
In the run-up of the tour, the PSO will release a new CD with Anton Bruckner’s 7th Symphony and Mason Bates’ Resurrexit on Reference Recordings on July 19 to mark the 200th anniversary of Anton Bruckner’s birth.
All dates of the tour
August 22, Salzburg, Großes Festspielhaus
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3
Mahler: Symphony No. 5
Yefim Bronfman, piano
August 25, Grafenegg, Wolkenturm
Adams: “Short Ride in a Fast Machine” Fanfare for orchestra
Bruch: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1
Stravinsky: Suite from the ballet “The Firebird” (1919 version)
Puccini: “Turandot Suite” (Arr. Manfred Honeck, Orch. Tomás Ille)
Maria Dueñas, violin
August 29, Meran, Kursaal
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3
Mahler: Symphony No. 1, “Titan”
Yefim Bronfman, piano
August 31, Dortmund, Konzerthaus
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
Mahler: Symphony No. 5
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin
September 1, Düsseldorf, Tonhalle
see program on August 31
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin
September 3, Hamburg, Elbphilharmonie
see program on August 31
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin
September 4, Hamburg, Elbphilharmonie
Adams: “Short Ride in a Fast Machine” Fanfare for orchestra
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3
Stravinsky: Suite from the ballet “The Firebird” (1919 version)
Puccini: “Turandot Suite” (Arr. Manfred Honeck, Orch. Tomás Ille)
Yefim Bronfman, piano
September 5, Cologne, Philharmonie
Adams: “Short Ride in a Fast Machine” Fanfare for orchestra
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
Mahler: Symphony No. 1, “Titan”
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin
September 6, Wiesbaden, Kurhaus
see program on September 5
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin
September 7, Vienna, Konzerthaus
see program on September 5
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin