Kent Nagano makes Detroit debut conducting DSO in Bruckner's third symphony, May 24 and 25

- Beatrice Rana will be featured soloist in Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3

- May 25 concert will be webcast for free at dso.org/live 

Detroit, (May 1, 2019) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) welcomes conductor Kent Nagano and pianist Beatrice Rana for a pair of concerts featuring music by Prokofiev and Bruckner.

Nagano, music director of Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, will lead Rana and the DSO in Prokofiev’s thrilling Piano Concerto No. 3. On the second half Nagano and the DSO offer a rare performance of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 3, the composer’s grand, breakthrough work that synthesizes his style.

The concerts take place Friday, May 24 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, May 25 at 8 p.m. at Orchestra Hall, within Midtown Detroit’s Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center. 

One hour prior to each performance, guests are invited to enjoy an informative onstage Concert Talk about the program. These lectures and discussions will be made available for later viewing on the DSO’s YouTube channel.

Watch Live around the world: the Saturday evening concert will be webcast for free atdso.org/live and via Facebook Live, as part of the DSO’s groundbreaking Live from Orchestra Hall series. The series is presented by Ford Motor Company Fund and made possible by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

The DSO Classical Series is generously sponsored by PVS Chemicals, Inc.

About Kent Nagano

Kent Nagano is a renowned conductor who currently serves as music director of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM), general music director of the Staatsoper Hamburg, chief conductor, of the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg, and principal guest conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.

Nagano has conducted most of the world’s finest orchestras, including the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and many others. A milestone of his work with OSM is the inauguration of the orchestra’s new concert hall, La Maison Symphonique, in September 2011. Other highlights with the orchestra include the complete cycles of Beethoven and Mahler symphonies, Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder, concert versions of several Wagner operas, and concert series featuring the works of Dutilleux and Boulez. Nagano has led OSM on tours of Canada, Japan, South Korea, Europe, and the United States, most recently in spring 2016.

Nagano became the first music director of Los Angeles Opera in 2003. His work in other opera houses has included Shostakovich’s The Nose (Staatsoper Berlin), Rimsky Korsakov’s The Golden Cockerel (Châtelet, Paris), Hindemith’s Cardillac (Opéra national de Paris), and other highlights; he has proudly conducted the world premieres of Saariaho’s L’amour de loin, Bernstein’s A White House Cantata, Peter Eötvös’s Three Sisters, and John Adams’s The Death of Klinghoffer and El Niño.

Born in California, Nagano maintains close connections with his home state and was music director of the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra from 1978-2008. His early professional years were spent in Boston, working in the opera house and as assistant conductor to Seiji Ozawa at the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He played a key role in the world premiere of Messiaen’s opera Saint François d’Assise at the request of the composer, who became a mentor and bequeathed his piano to Nagano. In May 2018, Nagano was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from San Francisco State University.

About Beatrice Rana

At only 26 years old, Italian pianist Beatrice Rana is making waves on the international classical music scene. She performs regularly at the world’s most esteemed concert halls and festivals, including Vienna’s Konzerthaus and Musikverein, Zurich’s Tonhalle, London’s Wigmore Hall and Royal Festival Hall, Paris’ Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Milan’s Società dei Concerti, Ferrara Musica, Verbier Festival, Atlanta’s Spivey Hall, New York’s Lincoln Center, and Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center.

Rana came to public attention in 2011 after winning First Prize and all special jury prizes at the Montreal International Competition. In 2013 she won the Silver Medal and Audience Award at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, in 2015 she was named a BBC New Generation Artist, and in 2016 she was awarded a fellowship from the Borletti-Buitoni Trust. She has collaborated with many eminent conductors and symphony orchestras, including Riccardo Chailly, Antonio Pappano, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Fabio Luisi, Jun Märkl, Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, NHK Symphony, Orchestre National de France, Tonkünstler Orchester, and others.

Rana has been an exclusive Warner Classics recording artist since 2016. Her most recent recording features Bach’s Goldberg Variations, released in 2017 on Warner Classics. Her discography also includes music by Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Schumann, Ravel, Bartók, Chopin, and Scriabin.

Rana began her piano studies at age four and made her orchestral debut at age nine. She studied at the Nino Rota Conservatory with Benedetto Lupo and Marco della Sciucca and at the Hochschule fur Musik with Are Vardi.

Ticket Information

Tickets for Nagano Conducts Bruckner begin at $15 and can be purchased at dso.org, by calling (313) 576-5111, or in-person at the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center Box Office (3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit).

Groups of 10 or more can save up to 30% on the price of a single ticket for most DSO concerts. For more information, contact Group Sales Manager Jim Sabatella at (313) 576-5130 or jsabatella@dso.org.

Performance Details

Friday, May 24, 2019 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 25, 2019 at 8 p.m.

Orchestra Hall at the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center

Kent Nagano, conductor

Beatrice Rana, piano

PROKOFIEV
  Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26
  Beatrice Rana, piano

BRUCKNER
  Symphony No. 3 in D minor

About the DSO

The most accessible orchestra on the planet, the acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra is known for trailblazing performances, collaborations with the world’s foremost musical artists, and a deep connection to its city. As a community-supported orchestra, generous giving by individuals and institutions at all levels drives the continued success and growth of the institution. Conductor Leonard Slatkin, who recently concluded an acclaimed decade-long tenure at the helm, now serves as the DSO’s Music Director Laureate, endowed by the Kresge Foundation. Celebrated conductor, arranger, and trumpeter Jeff Tyzik is the orchestra’s Principal Pops Conductor, while the outstanding trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard holds the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair. Making its home at historic Orchestra Hall within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, the DSO offers a performance schedule that features Classical, PNC Pops, Paradise Jazz, and Young People’s Family Concert series. One of America’s most acoustically perfect concert halls, Orchestra Hall will celebrate its centennial in 2019-2020. In addition, the DSO presents the William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series in seven metro area venues, as well as a robust schedule of eclectic multi-genre performances in its mid-size venue The Cube, constructed and curated with support from Peter D. & Julie F. Cummings. A dedication to broadcast innovation began in 1922, when the DSO became the first orchestra in the world to present a radio broadcast and continues today with the free Live from Orchestra Hall webcast series, which also reaches tens of thousands of children with the Classroom Edition expansion. With growing attendance and unwavering philanthropic support from the people of Detroit, the DSO actively pursues a mission to embrace and inspire individuals, families, and communities through unsurpassed musical experiences.