Welcome to this digital edition of Phillip Huscher's Program Notes for upcoming concerts by the CSO Jun 14-16. When Riccardo Muti and Yo-Yo Ma join forces, it is "music-making at the highest level" (Chicago Tribune). The incomparable cellist, renowned for his "technical command, purity of tone and generosity of spirit" (Chicago Sun-Times), collaborates with Muti and the CSO in Shostakovich's introspective and dark-hued Second Cello Concerto. This program of works by 20th-century Russian masters also features Shostakovich's buoyant Festive Overture and Prokofiev's thrilling Third Symphony, a work of dramatic climaxes, rich melodies and vivid orchestral color.
