The Recreation orchestra is staying true to its name in its 25th season, once again offering in 13 season projects what it stands for: RECREATION – relaxation and rejuvenation for the ears, mind, and soul.
In the Big Cycle at Stefaniensaal (Mondays at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.), the audience will encounter, on the one hand, a series of monumental works from the orchestral repertoire: Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto, Mozart’s two great final piano concertos, Ravel’s Bolero, Haydn’s Drumroll Symphony, Beethoven’s Eroica, and Schubert’s Tragic Symphony.
On the other hand, they will also experience a delicate string of rarities - particularly by female composers - whose discovery and dissemination are especially close to the heart of chief conductor Mei-Ann Chen. This season, she has selected the string work Strum by the American Grammy winner Jessie Montgomery, the “Andean music” of the Latin America–focused composer Gabriela Lena Frank, as well as an overture by the German Romantic composer Emilie Mayer, whose importance is increasingly being recognized.
Gender parity is also maintained: three women conductors - Mei-Ann Chen (who leads three programs as chief conductor), Claire Huangci, and Andrea Götsch - alternate with three male conductors, Fuad Ibrahimov, Michael Hofstetter, and Paul Goodwin. In one program, concertmaster Wolfgang Redik once again leads the orchestra from the podium.
A stroll through Vivaldi’s Quattro Stagioni will shape the Baroque season in the Minoritensaal. Each of the four productions is named after one of the concerti - Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter - and paired with additional Baroque works that match the character of each season.
In response to the steadily growing number of subscribers to the Baroque cycle, the usual double concerts on Mondays (6 pm and 8 pm) will be supplemented by an additional performance slot on Tuesdays at 8 pm. Owing to high demand, this extra slot was already added spontaneously for three concerts in the current season.
