Summer Season 2024 – Recommended Recordings

The Sun Valley Music Festival is grateful to Peter Henderson, Festival Principal Keyboard, for compiling the following listening list for the Summer Season’s repertoire. Peter says:

There are many wonderful recordings of most musical works the Sun Valley Music Festival performs during this Summer Season. For the list below, I’ve selected vibrant renditions of programmed repertoire to whet audience members’ musical appetites before they hear live performances at the Sun Valley Pavilion. For Mozart’s “Linz” Symphony and Beethoven’s “Triple” Concerto, I have provided both traditional (modern instruments) and HIP (historically informed performance / period instruments) alternatives. As of June 2024, all listed recordings are available via major streaming services (e.g., Spotify, Apple Music, and Qobuz).

Happy listening!

Opening Night with Meechot Marrero

Festival Chamber Orchestra
Monday, July 29, 2024, at 6:30 PM
Sun Valley Pavilion

Alasdair Neale, Conductor
Meechot Marrero, Soprano

  • John Stafford Smith (arr. Sergei Rachmaninoff for Solo Piano): The Star-Spangled Banner—Sergei Rachmaninoff, Piano (Decca)
  • Timothy Higgins: Sunburst – Commissioned by the Sun Valley Music Festival—World Premiere—No commercial recording available
  • Gioachino Rossini: “Una voce poco fa” from The Barber of Seville—Kathleen Battle, Soprano; Claudio Abbado, Conductor; Chamber Orchestra of Europe (Deutsche Grammophon)
  • Giacomo Puccini: “O mio babbino caro” from Gianni Schicchi—Victoria de los Ángeles, Soprano; Gabriele Santini, Conductor; Teatro dell’Opera di Roma (Orchestra of the Rome Opera House) (Warner Classics)
  • Giacomo Puccini: “Quando me’n vo” from La Bohème—Elizabeth Harwood, Soprano; Herbert von Karajan, Conductor; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Decca)
  • George Frideric Handel: “Piangerò, la sorte mia” from Act III, Scene 3 of Giulio Cesare—Magdalena Kožená, Soprano; Marc Minkowski, Conductor; Les Musiciens du Louvre (Archiv Produktion) 
  • Leonard Bernstein: “Glitter and Be Gay” from Candide—June Anderson, Soprano; Leonard Bernstein, Conductor; London Symphony Orchestra (Deutsche Grammophon)
  • Sergei Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Op. 25, “Classical Symphony”—Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Deutsche Grammophon)

Piazzolla’s Four Seasons and Mozart’s “Linz” Symphony

Festival Chamber Orchestra
Tuesday, July 30, 2024, at 6:30 PM
Sun Valley Pavilion

Alasdair Neale, Conductor
Juliana Athayde, Violin
Stephanie Childress, Conductor

  • Astor Piazzolla (arr. P. Desyatnikov): Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires)—Gidon Kremer, Violin; Kremerata Baltica (Nonesuch)
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 36 in C Major, K. 425, “Linz”—Traditional: Bruno Walter, Conductor; Columbia Symphony Orchestra (Sony) • HIP: Riccardo Minasi, Conductor; Ensemble Resonanz (Harmonia Mundi)

Meechot Marrero and Festival Musicians play Schubert

Chamber Concert
Thursday, August 1, 2024, at 6:30 PM
Sun Valley Pavilion

Meechot Marrero, Soprano
Susan Warner, Clarinet
Peter Henderson, Piano
Milana Elise Reiche, Violin
Chris Tantillo, Viola
Emileigh Vandiver, Cello
Stephen Tramontozzi, Bass

  • Franz Schubert: Der Hirt auf dem Felsen (The Shepherd on the Rock), D. 965—Benita Valente, Soprano; Harold Wright, Clarinet; Rudolf Serkin, Piano (Sony)
  • Franz Schubert: Quintet for Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, and Piano in A Major, D. 667, Op. 114, “Trout”—András Schiff, Piano; Members of the Hagen Quartet; Alois Posch, Bass (Decca)

Andy Akiho’s Cello Concerto

Festival Chamber Orchestra
Friday, August 2, 2024, at 6:30 PM
Sun Valley Pavilion

Alasdair Neale, Conductor
Jeffrey Zeigler, Cello

  • Andy Akiko: Nisei: Concerto for Cello and Chamber Orchestra—Co-Commissioned by the Sun Valley Music Festival—World Premiere—No commercial recording available
  • George Frideric Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks, HWV 351—Jordi Savall, Conductor; Le Concert des Nations (Alia Vox)

(Many of) Classical Music’s Greatest Hits

Festival Orchestra
Sunday, August 4, 2024, at 6:30 PM
Sun Valley Pavilion

Alasdair Neale, Conductor
Stephanie Childress, Conductor

  • John Williams: Olympic Fanfare and Theme—John Williams, Conductor; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Deutsche Grammophon)
  • Johann Strauss, Jr.: An der schönen blauen Donau (On the Beautiful Blue Danube), Op. 314—Willi Boskovsky, Conductor; Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Decca)
  • Richard Wagner (arr. W. Hutschenruyter): The Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walküre—George Szell, Conductor; Cleveland Orchestra (Sony)
  • Gioachino Rossini: Overture to Guillaume Tell (William Tell)—Sir Neville Marriner, Conductor; Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (Philips)
  • Maurice Ravel: Boléro—Pierre Boulez, Conductor; New York Philharmonic (Sony)

2024 40th Anniversary Gala: An Evening with Yo-Yo Ma

Festival Orchestra
Monday, August 5, 2024, at 6:30 PM
Sun Valley Pavilion

Alasdair Neale, Conductor
Yo-Yo Ma, Cello

  • Antonín Dvořák: Carnival Overture, Op. 92—George Szell, Conductor; Cleveland Orchestra (Sony)
  • Antonín Dvořák: Concerto for Cello in B Minor, Op. 104—Yo-Yo Ma, Cello; Lorin Maazel, Conductor; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Sony)

Sir Stephen Hough with Festival Musicians

Chamber Concert
Wednesday, August 7, 2024, at 6:30 PM
Sun Valley Pavilion

Sir Stephen Hough, Piano
Jeremy Constant, Violin
Polina Sedukh, Violin
Adam Smyla, Viola
Amos Yang, Cello

  • Cécile Chaminade: Étude de concert, Op.35, No. 2, “Automne”—Sir Stephen Hough, Piano (Hyperion)
  • Sir Stephen Hough: Sonatina Nostalgica—No commercial recording available
  • Antonín Dvořák: Quintet No. 2 in A Major for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, Op. 81—Arthur Rubinstein, Piano; Guarneri Quartet (Sony)

Sir Stephen Hough plays Grieg

Festival Orchestra
Thursday, August 8, 2024, at 6:30 PM
Sun Valley Pavilion

Alasdair Neale, Conductor
Alex Orfaly, Timpani
Sir Stephen Hough, Piano

  • Gabriela Ortiz: Antrópolis—No commercial recording available
  • Edvard Grieg: Concerto in A Minor for Piano, Op. 16—Leif Ove Andsnes, Piano; Mariss Jansons, Conductor; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Warner Classics)

Mahler’s Symphony No. 6

Festival Orchestra
Sunday, August 11, 2024, at 6:30 PM
Sun Valley Pavilion

Alasdair Neale, Conductor

  • Gustav Mahler: Symphony No.6 in A Minor, “Tragic”—Leonard Bernstein, conductor; Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Deutsche Grammophon)

Beethoven’s Triple Concerto

Festival Orchestra
Tuesday, August 13, 2024, at 6:30 PM
Sun Valley Pavilion

Alasdair Neale, Conductor
Stephanie Childress, Conductor
Jeremy Constant, Violin
Amos Yang, Cello
Peter Henderson, Piano

  • Jessie Montgomery: Strum—Catalyst String Quartet (Azica Records)
  • Ludwig van Beethoven: Concerto for Piano, Violin, Cello, and Orchestra in C major, Op. 56 “Triple Concerto”—Traditional: Nicola Benedetti, violin; Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello; Benjamin Grosvenor, piano; Santtu-Matias Rouvali, conductor; Philharmonia Orchestra (Decca) • HIP: Isabelle Faust, violin; Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello; Alexander Melnikov, fortepiano; Pablo Heras-Casado, conductor; Freiburg Baroque Orchestra (Harmonia Mundi)

Leonidas Kavakos plays Brahms

Festival Orchestra
Wednesday, August 14, 2024, at 6:30 PM
Sun Valley Pavilion

Alasdair Neale, Conductor
Leonidas Kavakos, Violin

  • Quinn Mason: A Joyous Trilogy—No commercial recording available
  • Johannes Brahms: Concerto in D Major for Violin, Op. 77—Isaac Stern, Violin; Eugene Ormandy, Conductor; Philadelphia Orchestra (Sony)

Pops Night – INDIANA JONES AND THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK™ LIVE IN CONCERT

Festival Orchestra – Pops Night
Saturday, August 17, 2024, at 6:30 PM
Sun Valley Pavilion

Vinay Parameswaran, Conductor

  • John Williams: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark ™ Live in Concert—Original Soundtrack Recording—John Williams, Conductor; London Symphony Orchestra (Walt Disney Records)

Four Sea Interludes and the Organ Symphony

Festival Orchestra
Monday, August 19, 2024, at 6:30 PM
Sun Valley Pavilion

Alasdair Neale, Conductor
Stephanie Childress, Conductor
Jonathan Dimmock, Organ

  • Benjamin Britten: Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Op. 33a—André Previn, Conductor; London Symphony Orchestra (Warner Classics)
  • Camille Saint-Saëns: Symphony No.3 in C minor, op.78, “Organ Symphony”—Charles Munch, Conductor; Berj Zamkochian, Organ; Boston Symphony Orchestra (Sony)

Garrick Ohlsson in Recital: Music of Frédéric Chopin

Chamber Concert
Tuesday, August 20, 2024, at 6:30 PM
Sun Valley Pavilion

Garrick Ohlsson, Piano

  • Nocturne No. 4 in F Major, Op. 15, No. 1—Claudio Arrau, Piano (Philips)
  • Nocturne No. 3 in B Major, Op. 9, No. 3—Arthur Rubinstein, Piano (Sony)
  • Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, Op. 60—Garrick Ohlsson, Piano (Warner Classics)
  • Fantaisie in F Minor, Op. 49—Krystian Zimerman, Piano (Deutsche Grammophon)
  • Impromptu No. 1 in A-flat Major, Op. 29—Murray Perahia, Piano (Sony)
  • Mazurka No. 32 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 50 No. 3—Samson François, Piano (Erato)
  • Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 31—Martha Argerich, Piano (Deutsche Grammophon)

Season Finale: Rachmaninoff and The Pines of Rome

Festival Orchestra
Thursday, August 22, 2024, at 6:30 PM
Sun Valley Pavilion

Alasdair Neale, Conductor
Garrick Ohlsson, Piano

  • Sergei Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43—Yuja Wang, Piano; Claudio Abbado, Conductor; Mahler Chamber Orchestra (Deutsche Grammophon)
  • Ottorino Respighi: I pini di Roma (The Pines of Rome)—Fritz Reiner, Conductor; Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Sony)