CSO Goes 'Beyond the Score' of Mahler 4

By Alexander Hough in Arts & Entertainment on Dec 1, 2009 9:20PM

Markus Stenz will lead the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in four performances of Gustav Mahler's Fourth Symphony this weekend. The piece stands out among Mahler's symphonies for (among other things) its relatively small size, both in the number of musicians required - the low brass section gets the night off - and it's relatively brief one hour length. The Fourth is one of Mahler's many pieces that includes text from the German folk poems "Des Knaben Wunderhorn;" soprano Nicole Cabell will sing Mahler's fourth movement setting of “Der Himmel hangt voll Geigen” ("Heaven Is Hung with Violins"). The concerts Thursday and Saturday will also include Viviane Hagner playing Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, the last work the composer wrote for orchestra.

The concerts on Friday and Sunday also mark the first Beyond the Score program of the season. Beyond the Score looks at one piece of music - in this case, Mahler's Fourth - and gives background and analysis of the work through dramatic narration, slides on a giant on-stage projection screen, and excerpts performed live. It all goes, yes, "beyond the score," but also beyond program notes, all while remaining surprisingly engaging. After intermission, the CSO will perform the full symphony. For more information, as well as video from past Beyond the Score performances, check out the program's website.

And speaking of the CSO's website, the orchestra is meeting technology head-on. Although we'd like to see a more active Twitter account, they have a YouTube page, as well as a handful of perks on the page for each concert, including music samples, program notes (also available as an audio file), and video of the soloists. The page for this series of concerts links to fun, two-decade-old footage of a babyfaced Hagner whipping through Camille Saint-Saens's showpiece "Introduction and Rondo Capricioso."

Orchestra Hall, 220 S. Michigan, Mendelssohn and Mahler at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 3, and Saturday, December 5, Beyond the Score programs at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, December 4, and 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 6, $22-$199, $10 students