French pianist Cédric Tiberghien makes his Symphony Center Presents Piano series debut with a delightful, mostly Gallic program. “The highlight was brilliant pianist Cédric Tiberghien, who played with a rich, rounded tone and fleet, crisp articulation” (The New York Times).

Ravel Gaspard de la nuit
Debussy Selected Preludes and Etudes
Szymanowski Masks, Op. 34
Debussy Masques
Debussy D'un cahier d'esquisses
Debussy L'isle joyeuse

In this first program of the 2015 Reveries and Passions Festival, Esa-Pekka Salonen couples an early Debussy work with two Ravel pieces inspired by youth. The Mother Goose Suite, a radiant collection of musical tales from Tom Thumb to Beauty and the Beast, expresses considerable depth of feeling despite its deceptively simple exterior. A fantasy opera in one act about childhood, L'enfant et les sortilèges (The Child and Magic Spells) presents an enchanting and poignant story about a rude child who learns compassion.

With special appearance by French Visiting Artists : Chloé Briot (Soprano), Marianne Crebassa (Mezzo-Soprano), Elodie Méchain (Contralto) and Stephane Degout (Baritone)

Ravel Mother Goose [Ma Mère l'Oye] Suite
Debussy La damoiselle élue
Ravel L'enfant et les sortilèges

Magnetic French pianist Alexandre Tharaud makes his Symphony Center debut with a program pairing Baroque French works with pieces by Satie and Ravel. “Mr. Tharaud played with a subdued sensitivity and delicacy of touch that demanded close attention. He got it” (The New York Times).

Couperin Seven Pieces
Rameau Movements from Suite in A
Satie Avant-dernières Pensées
Satie Gnossiennes Nos. 1, 3, and 4
Ravel Miroirs

When Debussy attended the first performance of Maeterlinck’s play Pelléas et Mélisande in 1893, he was as intrigued by its elusive love story as he was spellbound by its profound humanity. He went on to compose an opera that captured and, ultimately, surpassed the play’s poetry by enriching all its magic, mystery and gossamer delicacy with his own diaphanous scoring.

With special appearance by French Visiting Artist: Stephane Degout (Baritone)

Debussy Pelléas et Mélisande

Ibrahim Maalouf is one of the most exciting trumpeters of his generation, redefining the boundaries of jazz and branching into pop, soul, hip-hop and French chansons while drawing innovatively on Arabic music. The trumpeter will lead a group of standout American players with special guest Jacky Terrasson, a brilliant pianist who drew attention to the French jazz scene in the mid-’90s when he won the Thelonious Monk Piano Competition.

With special appearance by French Visiting Artists: Jacky Terrasson (Pianist) and Jean-Michel Pilc (Pianist)

Beloved cellist and CSO Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant Yo-Yo Ma combines forces with musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in what is sure to be a warm-hearted and engaging afternoon of intimate music-making.

Ravel Chansons madécasses
Aucoin New Work for Cello and Bass Title TBD [World Premiere, SCP Commission]
Ravel Sonata for Violin and Cello
Messiaen Quatour pour la fin du temps

Join the Civic Orchestra and Cristian Macelaru for Debussy’s greatest orchestral masterpiece, La mer. In this vivid music, the French composer achieves one of the most perfect balances in all symphonic music to deepy immerse the listener in a world of dreams and the unconscious.

Ibert Bacchanale
Jalbert In Aeternam
Debussy La mer

Join the Art Institute of Chicago’s Gloria Groom and the CSO’s own Gerard McBurney for a special afternoon conversation about French Reveries and Passions exhibited in French classical music and art. Groom, the Art Institute’s David and Mary Winton Green Curator, oversees the museum’s renowned collection of 19th-century painting and sculpture, and is an expert in French Impressionist and post-Impressionist art. Beyond the Score series Creative Director Gerard McBurney is a also a composer, scholar, and serves as a creative consultant for the CSO.

This event is free with purchase of museum admission. No additional tickets are needed.

Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts two major 20th-century masterpieces for piano and orchestra. Prepare for dazzling fireworks from French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet in Ravel’s Concerto in G Major, a virtuosic work shot through with brilliance and clarity. Messiaen’s unparalleled Turangalîla-symphonie is a life-affirming, exuberant celebration of love and passion.

With a special appearance by Visiting French Artist: Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piantist)

Debussy Syrinx
Ravel Piano Concerto in G Major
Messiaen Turangalîla-symphonie for Piano, Ondes Martenot, and Orchestra

Wrapping up the festival, the string quartets of Debussy and Fauré at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra are paired with Impressionist masterpieces.