U.S. Premieres by the CSO and Theodore Thomas

Throughout his career, Theodore Thomas, the Orchestra’s founder and first music director, introduced new music to audiences, and all of the works on this program were given their U.S. premieres by the ensemble under his baton. Music directors Frederick Stock, Fritz Reiner, Sir Georg Solti, and Daniel Barenboim lead works by Bruckner, Elgar, Glazunov, and Richard Strauss.

Glazunov Concert Waltz No. 2, Op. 51
Frederick Stock conductor
April 1941 (Columbia)

Elgar Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 (Enigma)
Sir Georg Solti conductor
May 1974 (London)

Bruckner Te Deum
Daniel Barenboim conductor
Jessye Norman soprano
Yvonne Minton mezzo-soprano
David Rendall tenor
Samuel Ramey bass
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis director
March 1981 (Deutsche Grammophon)

Strauss Don Quixote, Op. 35
Fritz Reiner conductor
Antonio Janigro cello
Milton Preves viola
John Weicher violin
April 1959 (RCA)

From the CSO’s Archives: The First 130 Years—featuring recordings from the CSO’s vast discography, including releases on CSO Resound—is a cultural and community partnership between the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association and WFMT, Chicago’s Classical Music Station.

FTA130-11