LATROBE, PA – The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, under the direction of Maestro Manfred Honeck, will perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 on Sunday, May 1, at the Saint Vincent Basilica.

The concert celebrates the February 2021 release of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh’s recording of the Ninth as well as adds an exclamation point to the Orchestra’s recently-announced Beethoven in Your Neighborhood: Bank of America Symphony Week, which takes place the week of the concert at the Basilica.

Originally commissioned by the Philharmonic Society of London in 1817, Symphony No. 9 is widely regarded as Beethoven’s greatest work and continues to be one of the most frequently performed symphonies in the world. The Symphony consists of four movements, the final and famously recognizable of which demonstrating Beethoven’s choice, which was unorthodox at the time, to include vocals. The lyrics sung during the movement come from Friedrich Schiller’s “Ode to Joy” poem and are performed by four soloists and a chorus.

Beethoven, who was completely deaf by the time the Symphony premiered in Vienna in 1824, wrote the piece over the course of two years, from 1822-1824.

Now in its 126th season, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is credited with a rich history of engaging the world’s finest conductors and musicians and demonstrates a genuine commitment to the Pittsburgh region and its citizens. Known for its artistic excellence for more than a century, the Pittsburgh Symphony has been led by its worldwide acclaimed Music Director Manfred Honeck since 2008. Past music directors have included Fritz Reiner (1938-1948), William Steinberg (1952-1976), André Previn (1976-1984), Lorin Maazel (1984-1996) and Mariss Jansons (1997-2004).

The Pittsburgh Symphony is continually at the forefront of championing new American works. The Orchestra premiered Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1 “Jeremiah” in 1944, John Adams’ “Short Ride in a Fast Machine” in 1986, and Mason Bates’ “Resurrexit” in 2018 to celebrate Manfred Honeck’s 60th birthday.

The two-time 2018 GRAMMY® Award-winning orchestra has a long and illustrious history in the areas of recordings and live radio broadcasts. Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra have received multiple GRAMMY® nominations for Best Orchestral Performance, taking home the award in 2018 for their recording of Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5; Barber: Adagio. As early as 1936, the Pittsburgh Symphony has been broadcast on the radio. The orchestra has received increased attention since 1982 through national network radio broadcasts on Public Radio International, produced by Classical WQED-FM 89.3, made possible by the musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Lauded as the Pittsburgh region’s international cultural ambassador, the orchestra began regular touring in 1896 and has embarked on scores of domestic and international tours. In 2019, Music Director Manfred Honeck led the orchestra on an extensive tour of Europe, the 25th in orchestra history. In the 2021-2022 season, the Pittsburgh Symphony celebrates the 50th anniversary of Heinz Hall as the home of the orchestra.

General admission tickets to the performance are $25. Silver Patron tickets are $50, and Gold Patron tickets are $75. To purchase tickets, visit https://www.eventsquid.com/register/15880. For questions, call 724-805-2177.

We ask that all patrons review the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Safely Together health and safety policy prior to the performance by visiting https://pittsburghsymphony.org/pso_home/web/visit-landing/safely-together. Patrons should continue to check the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s page to stay abreast of any updates that may be made to the policy prior to the scheduled performance on May 1, 2022.

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