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The Utah Symphony is set to mesmerize audiences with a series of captivating premiere performances that underscore the state's deep appreciation for the arts while also highlighting the orchestra's international reputation.
By co-commissioning and performing groundbreaking new works by present-day living composers, the symphony enriches the local cultural scene and demonstrates its commitment to fostering artistic innovation.
Beginning the new year with new music, the Utah Symphony has the honor of performing the world premiere of the first Piano Concerto by British piano legend Sir Stephen Hough on Jan. 12-13.
Hough is known first and foremost as a piano virtuoso, and the debut of his first concerto is highly anticipated among the classical music community, with some piano enthusiasts planning to travel cross-country to experience the performance! Salt Lake City was chosen for the premiere due, in part, to Hough's longtime collaboration with the Utah Symphony, dating back 20 years.
This will mark his seventh performance with the orchestra.
It is rare to have the opportunity to witness a classical musician perform a work they composed themselves. But as Hough is seated in front of the piano as the featured soloist and as his fingers dance along the keys, the music he performs will be music dreamed up in his own imagination.
While musicians are often left to interpret what a composer may have intended, Hough will know exactly what feelings to express and images to evoke as he plays the notes that he wrote.
He said his aim in composing this work for solo piano and orchestra was to transport audiences to pre-war Vienna in this work for solo piano and orchestra.
"I liked the instant suggestion of nostalgia with its evocation of a musical past of intense romance," Hough explained in describing the concerto, which he aptly gave the subtitle "The World of Yesterday." (The concert itself is cheekily named "Stephen Hough Performs Stephen Hough.")
The second world premiere of 2024—on a Feb. 16-17 program also featuring Strauss' Don Juan—will present the Utah Symphony's own principal trombone Mark Davidson as soloist in the first-ever performance of "Quinn Mason's Trombone Concerto," which was written specifically for Davidson.
"Quinn Mason is such a prominent composer," Davidson said. "[This composition] has such a sonar, singing quality to it and Quinn is making that a priority to bring that out in the instrument."
For those who more commonly equate the trombone with marching bands or jazz music, it will be eye-opening (and ear-opening!) to discover the lyrical qualities the instrument is able to produce.
A concert on Feb. 23-24 featuring "Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 2" also includes the final premiere of the Utah Symphony's 2023-24 season. Swiss composer Michael Jarrell's "Émergences-Résurgences"—which was inspired by Impressionist art—will receive its U.S. premiere with Tabea Zimmermann, who is often considered to be the world's top violist.
"Engaging with contemporary music also influences interpretations of the classical repertoire," Zimmermann said. "It makes one interpret these pieces much more consciously."
The Utah Symphony echoes Zimmermann's philosophy that the pairing of new music together with time-honored classics creates rich, varied concert programs that deepen the audience's understanding of and engagement with symphonic music.
And by bringing groundbreaking works like Sir Stephen Hough's The World of Yesterday, Quinn Mason's Trombone Concerto, and Michael Jarrell's Émergences-Résurgences to its audiences, the Utah Symphony continues to lead out in the world of classical music.
All three works receiving their world or U.S. premieres over these next few months are Utah Symphony co-commissions—meaning that the symphony provided the necessary funding, in conjunction with other co-commissioning ensembles, to support the composer in creating their work. In this way, the symphony is directly contributing toward the continuation of the classical music art form in our modern world, adding new art to the repertoire.
The collaborative efforts involved in co-commissioning premieres demonstrate the Utah Symphony's ability to forge meaningful partnerships within the internationally artistic realm, solidifying the state of Utah as a destination for artistic expression and creativity.
Continuing a longtime commitment to contemporary classical music, the Utah Symphony's three premieres during January and February offer Utah audiences the unique opportunity to be among the first to experience cutting-edge compositions and to celebrate the creation of new art.
Tickets to hear new music in the new year are available now, starting at just $21.
