SCP concerts start off the new year with a bang

The world’s most acclaimed classical-music artists provide star power on the Symphony Center Presents series of chamber music and piano recitals, from Emanuel Ax to Yuja Wang.

Igor Levit, Jan. 16: During the pandemic, German pianist Igor Levit became known for his live-streamed, at-home concerts. For his Chicago recital, he plays arrangements of Six Chorale Preludes by Brahms and the Prelude from Tristan and Isolde by Wagner, as well as Liszt’s Sonata in B Minor and a new work by American composer Fred Hersch.

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with Branford Marsalis, Jan. 22: Performing without a conductor, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra relies on collaborative leadership. With alto saxophonist Branford Marsalis as soloist, the group offers an eclectic program of French, Italian and Spanish selections:  Rossini’s Overture to The Barber of Seville, the Suite from Soleriana by Rodrigo, Turina’s La oración del torero and a jazz suite of themes from Bizet’s Carmen by Courtney Bryan. Acclaimed in both jazz and classical music, Marsalis is the soloist in Debussy’s Rhapsody and Ibert’s Concertino da camera. 

Jan Lisiecki, Jan. 30: Polish-Canadian virtuoso Jan Lisiecki, hailed by BBC Music magazine “as the most complete pianist of his age,” gives an all-Chopin recital of Etudes, Op. 10, and selected Nocturnes. 

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