Is it possible that the thumping opening chords of Beethoven’s third symphony changed the history of music? Considered one of the greatest and most popular orchestral works ever written, Beethoven’s Eroica is a symphonic masterpiece and it’s steeped in myth. Did Beethoven really change its dedication? Did audiences really find its strange modulations and violent transitions unsettling? [...]
Heinz Moehn was a noted editor for the German publisher Barenreiter. He was best known for his editions of Mozart’s works including the great Requiem. And, while every major orchestra in the world has played his edition of the Requiem, none knew he was also a remarkable composer—until now. Here in Saskatoon, Heinz Moehn’s grandson unearthed his [...]
A concert that plans to jazz up your January: Milhaud’s jazz-infused take on the creation of the world is a perfect pairing for Ravel’s incredible piano concerto. Regina Symphony Orchestra’s Music Director Gordon Gerrard makes his SSO debut. Saskatoon’s own Godwin Friesen returns to the SSO as winner of the Shurniak Concerto Competition. His playing [...]
Chamber opera by Neil Wiesensel A co-production with Saskatoon Opera Known for his gentle satire on small town life, Stephen Leacock wrote the short story “Merry Christmas” as his own cry against the horrors of World War I and the inescapable robbing of innocence that war brings. Leacock is visited by two spirits over the [...]
To mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, the SSO is exploring the music of solider composers and two great works written in response to the war. Each movement of Ravel’s timless Le tombeau de Couperin is dedicated to a friend he lost in war, many of whom were friends and collaborators [...]
SSO opens its 2018/2019 season with two of the greatest pieces of music ever written! At the tender age of 19, Tony Yike Yang has already garnered himself an international reputation for being one of the next great piano virtuosos. A Laureate of the International Chopin Competition, Yang brings his technical prowess and innate sense [...]
Our Canada: Forecasting the Canadian Wind spans the nation and beyond in the creation and presentation of new works by five Canadian composers in collaboration with five Canadian wind quintets who are partnered with five international wind quintets, thereby initiating a worldwide network of wind chamber musicians to push the boundaries of the repertoire for this [...]