Conductor

Yo-Yo Ma joins Rafael Payare and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra in a one-night-only evening featuring the Elgar Cello Concerto, one of the most widely-loved pieces of music written for the cello. Wagner’s Prelude to Act 3 of Die Meistersinger opens the concert, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, beloved for its melodies and drama, closes out the evening.

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An Evening with Yo-Yo Ma

San Diego Civic Theatre

Rafael Payare leads this brilliant Romantic-meets-Modern program that opens with Sofia Gubaidulina’s dynamic Fairytale Poem. Jean-Yves Thibaudet brings his dazzling style and theatricality to 20th-century composer Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto. The second half features Beethoven’s towering Symphony No. 3—an ode to heroism, revolution and freedom. The “Eroica” is considered by many to be the greatest of not just Beethoven’s symphonies, but the greatest symphony of all time.

Beethoven's Eroica

Joan and Irwin Jacobs Music Center

Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto is a beloved showcase for soloistic lyricism and virtuosity with violinist Daniel Lozakovich in his San Diego Symphony debut. Rafael Payare conducts this dramatic program that features the first act of Wagner’s Die Walküre, a collaborative presentation by the San Diego Opera and the San Diego Symphony in celebration of 20 years of partnership.

Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto and Wagner’s Die Walküre

The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park

Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto is a beloved showcase for soloistic lyricism and virtuosity, and will be the vehicle for Daniel Lozakovich in his San Diego Symphony debut. Rafael Payare leads soloist Daniel Lozakovich and the symphony in this dynamic program that opens with Brahms’ intense Tragic Overture and closes with the warmth and grandeur of his Symphony No. 2, the second in our cycle of Brahms’ symphonies.

Brahms and Mendelssohn

Beethoven introduced his captivating Piano Concerto No. 4 to public audiences in a legendary concert that also premiered his Fifth and Sixth Symphonies. Soloist Jeremy Denk, hailed by The New York Times as “a pianist you want to hear no matter what he performs” joins Music Director Rafael Payare and the Symphony for this brilliant program to close the season. The second half features Strauss’s evocative and sweeping Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life). A tone poem of epic proportions, Ein Heldenleben is one of the most inspiring pieces ever composed for orchestra and one of the most challenging, with substantial technical demands for every instrument.

Beethoven and Strauss

Jeremy Denk is one of America’s foremost pianists, proclaimed by The New York Times as “a pianist you want to hear no matter what he performs.” He joins music director Rafael Payare and the San Diego Symphony at The Rady Shell for closing night of our 2023-24 season, performing Beethoven's sublime Piano Concerto No. 4 in a concert that also features Stravinsky’s complete ballet score to The Firebird.

Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto and Stravinsky’s Firebird

The last classical concert of the 2024 Summer Season features Rafael Payare conducting the San Diego Symphony Orchestra in Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, with soloist Blake Pouliot. The iconic 1812 Overture closes the evening with The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park’s signature pyrotechnics.

Tchaikovsky Spectacular

Experience the grandeur of the “new” Jacobs Music Center as Music Director Rafael Payare and the Orchestra present Mahler’s towering Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection.” Distinguished soloists Angela Meade and Anna Larsson join the Symphony’s continued exploration of Mahler. The program opens with a San Diego Symphony commission from renowned American composer Carlos Simon.

Resurrections and Renewal: Mahler’s Symphony No. 2

Experience the profound emotional depth of Tchaikovsky's final symphony, the Pathétique, performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra under the electrifying baton of conductor Rafael Payare. This masterpiece, which Tchaikovsky himself said contained his whole soul, will be presented alongside Ravel's enchanting Suite No. 2 from Daphnis and Chloe and Kaija Saariaho's dramatic violin concerto, Graal théâtre, featuring the fabulously assured and poetic violinist Carolin Widmann. These performances promise an unforgettable journey through the passionate, the magical, and the legendary, inspired by the tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Join us at Verizon Hall, now rededicated as Marian Anderson Hall, for this monumental event on the following dates:
- Thursday, January 23, 2025, at 7:30 PM
- Saturday, January 25, 2025, at 8:00 PM
- Sunday, January 26, 2025, at 2:00 PM

This performance is part of the 2024-25 Subscription Package, offering magnificent programming and exclusive subscriber benefits. Don't miss this opportunity to witness a work that has inspired generations of composers and artists, marking a new age of the symphonic form.

For tickets and more information, visit EnsembleArtsPhilly.org or contact us at 215-893-1999. Experience the passion, the innovation, and the legacy of Tchaikovsky's Pathétique with The Philadelphia Orchestra.

Rafael Payare

Conductor

Events

May 7, 2024

An Evening with Yo-Yo Ma · San Diego Symphony

11 - 12 May, 2024

Beethoven's Eroica · San Diego Symphony

May 18, 2024

Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto and Wagner’s Die Walküre · San Diego Symphony

18 - 19 May, 2024

Brahms and Mendelssohn · San Diego Symphony

24 - 25 May, 2024

Beethoven and Strauss · San Diego Symphony

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