Chicago Symphony Orchestra 'Symphony Center Presents' 2013-2014 season preview: chamber, piano, visiting orchestras, special concerts -- My Sun-Times preview

My Chicago Sun-Times and suntimes.com preview story on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association's Symphony Center Presents 2013-2014 season.

Posted Wednesday February 6, 2013 at 4 p.m. CST.  Published Thursday February 7, 2013.

Leif Ove Andsnes plays Beethoven; Omara Portuondo sings of love

Symphony Center Presents series take a Latin and Russian accent

Chamber, piano, visiting orchestras, and special concerts announced

BY ANDREW PATNER 

Along with its full Chicago Symphony Orchestra offerings, the CSO Association announced its various Symphony Center Presents series and subscriptions Wednesday.  (The jazz series will be be announced at a later date.)

The CSOA is increasingly targeting ethnic communities. Both the CSO and SCP calendars include strong representation of Latin and Russian programs and performers. Visiting orchestras next season include the Mariinsky (Kirov) with its artistic chief Valery Gergiev in the three early Stravinsky ballets, The Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring on October 2.

The St. Petersburg Philharmonic follows with its principal conductor Yuri Temirkanov in an all-Russian program February 22 with young Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang. Zubin Mehta returns March 17 with his Israel Philharmonic in the Bruckner Eighth Symphony.

Special concerts include the Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club, with original members Omara Portuondo and Barbarito Torres, on September 29 and Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán on October 20. Flamenco singer Estrella Morente makes her SCP debut on March 4.

In addition to such regular SCP engagements as Hallowed Haunts, the Vienna Boys Choir, Chanticleer, and the Chieftans, the CSO Brass will return to the series December 19 after a one-year absence.

The Chamber Music Series goes from five to six dates. German violinist Christian Tetzlaff (who also appears in the Dvořák concerto with the CSO and Esa-Pekka Salonen in April) kicks off the series with his countryman Lars Vogt in a mixed program November 17. Anne Sofie von Otter and Emanuel Ax present a song program January 26.

Violinist Joshua Bell plays February 12, and Yo-Yo Ma and Ax perform Brahms together February 21. Richard Tognetti leads his vibrant Australian Chamber Orchestra with pianist Olli Mustonen on March 23 and pianist Yefim Bronfman and violist-violinist Pinchas Zukerman play Brahms and Schubert on April 2.

The 10-program Piano Series leads off with intrepid performer and writer Jeremy Denk in Bach’s Goldberg Variations on October 13, other highlights include András Schiff continuing his own heavy Bach explorations with the six Partitas on October 27, rising young Russian Daniil Trifonov in a demanding mixed program February 9, Evgeny Kissin in Schubert and Scriabin on March 2, Mitsuko Uchida in Beethoven’s great Diabelli Variations on March 9, Leif Ove Andsnes in an all-Beethoven program on March 16, and Ax in another of his Brahms plus contemporary combinations May 18.

Subscriptions are now on sale online, at cso.org; by phone, (312) 294-3000 and (800) 223-7114, by fax (312-294-3015; credit card payments only), by mail, or in person at the Orchestra Hall box office, 220 South Michigan Avenue, 60604.