Six world-class artists will perform in concerts featuring ‘the Raven,’ RVS’ newly acquired 9-foot Hamburg Steinway
By Jim Flint for Ashland.news
The Rogue Valley Symphony recently revealed the lineup for its 2025-26 season and it starts out with a bang — a weeklong festival of three concerts in late August at Medford’s Craterian Theater, featuring the debut of the symphony’s newly acquired 9-foot Hamburg Steinway grand piano, the Raven.
Billed as “Pianopalooza,” the concerts will be held at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 19 and 22 and at 3 p.m. Aug. 24, with performances by six world-class artists.
The Raven was purchased from a New York architect with funds from a large bequest from the estate of a Grants Pass patron. The donor prefers to remain anonymous.
Each of the three concerts will feature a solo piano piece along with two pieces performed with the orchestra — a classical double concerto for violin and piano, and a piano concerto.
On Aug. 19, violinist Yevgeny Kurik and Ashland pianist Alexander Tutunov will perform Hummel’s Concerto for Violin and Piano, following by Tutunov performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2.
On Aug. 22, violinist Will Hagen and pianist Joyce Yang will perform Haydn’s Concerto for Violin and Piano, followed by Yang performing Grieg’s Piano Concerto.
On Aug. 24, violinist Geneva Lewis and pianist Maxim Lando will perform Mozart’s Concerto for Violin and Piano, followed by Lando performing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2.
“It’s an ambitious festival,” said Music Director Martin Majkut, “unlike anything we’ve done before. It’s an opportunity to experience the Raven in the hands of multiple virtuosos and immerse yourself in a truly spectacular symphonic journey. All the composers were star pianists themselves.”
The season lineup
The symphony’s Masterworks concert series, beginning in September, will be performed at three venues: the SOU Music Recital Hall in Ashland, the Craterian in Medford and the Performing Arts Center in Grants Pass.
Following is the Masterworks lineup:
Sept. 19-21: “Triple Passion.” Esmail’s “Avartan,” Dvorak’s Symphonic Variation, and Beethoven’s Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano, featuring the Sitkovetsky Trio, an ensemble formed when they were students at the Yehudi Menuhin School in 2007 that has emerged as one of the most in-demand trios of today.
Nov. 1-2: “Vienna Woods.” Wagner’s “Overture to the Flying Dutchman,” Adam Schoenberg’s “Losing Earth” with percussionist Terry Longshore, and Brahms’ Symphony No. 2. This concert will not be performed in Grants Pass.
Jan. 9-11: “Petals of Beauty.” Liszt’s “Les Preludes,” MacDowell’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with pianist Michael Stephen Brown, and “Selections from the Ballet Sleeping Beauty” by Tchaikovsky.
Feb. 6-8: “Waltzes of Love.” A program of American love songs, duets, and love dances paired with music by Strauss Jr., Heuberger and Lehar.
April 26-28: “Gleaming Glow.” Ravel’s “Mother Goose Suite,” Wiancko’s Violin Concerto with violinist Livia Sohn, and Sibelius’s Symphony No. 5.
May 22-24: “Shining Star.” Dohnanyi’s “Symphonic Minutes,” Bacewicz’s Concerto for String Orchestra, and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with pianist George Harliono.
Special holiday pops concert
Dec. 19-21: “A Judy Garland Christmas.” The exclusive engagement at OSF’s Bowmer Theatre will feature the highly acclaimed vocalist, Joan Ellison. In 2016, she embarked on a mission to restore Judy Garland’s original orchestrations. At Michael Feinstein’s invitation, she serves as editor of the Judy Garland Carnegie Hall Concert Restoration Project for the Judy Garland Heirs Trust.
The project brings Garland’s symphonic arrangements back to life in a nostalgic trip from Technicolor Hollywood to the modern-day concert hall.
“The Judy Garland show for the holidays will be exquisite,” Majkut said. “This continues our tradition of offering something truly surprising for our OSF Bowmer Theatre appearances.”
Wait, there’s more
RVS plans two additional add-on events:
A solo piano recital at 7 p.m. Sept. 9 will celebrate acquisition of the Raven further, at a venue yet to be determined. “Piano World Revolutionary” will showcase the young Russian virtuoso Alexander Malofeev. The now 23-year-old won the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians when he was 13.
At 7 p.m. Oct. 17, RVS will launch its “Murder Mystery Tour” at the SOU Music Recital Hall. A mixed ensemble from the orchestra will perform classical and popular tunes in a mash-up format of “Name That Tune” and NPR’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.” Concertgoers can win prizes in what RVS bills as a “fun-filled joy ride.” Tickets for this event are $25 each.
For more information about programming, visit rvsymphony.org. Currently, the RVS is accepting subscription orders from 2024-25 season ticket holders. Tickets will go on sale to the general public later this spring.
Meanwhile, RVS is preparing for its final concert of the 2024-25 season April 25-27, “Visit the Grand Canyon,” featuring Tommy Mesa on cello. The program includes Tower’s “Made in America,” Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B Minor and Grofe’s “Grand Canyon Suite,” featuring Westwater Arts Media photography.
Freelance writer Jim Flint is a retired newspaper publisher and editor. Email him at jimflint.ashland@yahoo.com.
