Masterworks | Hartford Symphony Orchestra

Experience the tradition, the stories and the emotional power of classical music as it was meant to be heard. We invite you to join us for Masterworks. Nine concerts of breathtaking selections from the world’s most inspired composers. Performed with a passion that will stir your soul and bring joy to your heart.

Want to learn about the show you’re about to see? Join us for a 30-minute pre-concert talk, offered for all Masterworks performances.

2018-2019 subscriptions are on sale now.

Masterworks Series Subscription

	Pictures at an Exhibition - 75th Season Opener! Friday, October 5, 2018 - Sunday, October 7, 2018 Part of the 2018-2019 Masterworks Series. It’s a season of celebration! We kick off our 75th anniversary with Mussorgsky’s evocative showpiece Pictures at an Exhibition, inspired by his walk through an exhibit of watercolors and drawings by a close friend. Bartók’s virtuosic Concerto for Orchestra moves from darkness to light, in the work that established the composer as a master of his craft. Experience the virtuosity and power of HSO musicians at their finest! More Information ?
	Brass & Brahms Friday, November 2, 2018 - Sunday, November 4, 2018 Part of the 2018-2019 Masterworks Series. Our fabulous horn section takes the spotlight with Schumann’s lively and compelling Concertstück for Four Horns. Written in 1849, it is an exceptional masterpiece for the instrument. Of Brahms’ Symphony No. 3, written when he was a carefree 50-year-old bachelor, the music critic Eduard Hanslick said, “… the Third strikes me as being artistically the most nearly perfect.” More Information ?
	Tchaikovsky's Firsts Friday, November 30, 2018 - Sunday, December 2, 2018 Part of the 2018-2019 Masterworks Series. We celebrate the great Tchaikovsky with two of his firsts! His triumphant Piano Concerto No. 1 was an immediate success upon its premiere in Boston in 1875, and was the first piece of classical music to sell a million records, with a performance by Van Cliburn in 1958. His melancholic and seductive Symphony No. 1, “Winter Dreams,” marked the first of its kind: the Russian symphony. More Information ?
	Bach & Beyond Friday, January 18, 2019 - Sunday, January 20, 2019 Part of the 2018-2019 Masterworks Series. “Air on the G String,” the second movement in Bach’s Suite No. 3 in D Major, is unquestionably one of the most famous melodies in the Baroque era. Lully was the master of the lyric tragedy, and his Phaeton is a warning against excessive pride. This intricate tale, nicknamed “the people’s opera” in 1683, focuses on Phaeton, the son of Apollo, who drives his chariot too close to the sun. Plus, Baroque dancers take the stage for Geminiani’s La Follia. The second half of this performance presents Baroque music interpreted through a modern lens; Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 9 was inspired by Bach’s compositional style, while Ibert’s Divertissement reimagines the Baroque ballet suite genre. More Information ?
	Latin Lovers Friday, February 15, 2019 - Sunday, February 17, 2019 Part of the 2018-2019 Masterworks Series. It’s a Latin-infused festival of love! Copland’s dazzling El Salón México captures the spirit of a dance hall he visited during his first trip to Mexico. Piazzolla revolutionized tango music, and his sizzling Libertango intertwines the style with elements of jazz and classical. His fiery Aconcagua will feature the acclaimed Julien Labro on bandoneón. Contemporary composer Gabriela Lena Frank’s vivid Three Latin American Dances bears a kinship to Bernstein, and Márquez’s spirited Danzón No. 2 is one of the of the most popular contemporary Mexican compositions today. More Information ?
	Mozart Meets Klezmer Friday, March 15, 2019 - Sunday, March 17, 2019 Part of the 2018-2019 Masterworks Series. Mozart’s opera Lucio Silla has it all – political ambition, rivalry, love – and its grand overture is a miniature three movement symphony. His Symphony No. 39 is one of his three final symphonies, written during a time of great struggle for the composer. Influenced by Haydn, No. 39 is warm, sonorous, and dazzling. The HSO welcomes back David Krakauer, widely considered one of the world’s greatest clarinetists, for Golijov’s The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind. More Information ?
	Vaughan Williams & Mendelssohn Friday, April 12, 2019 - Sunday, April 14, 2019 Part of the 2018-2019 Masterworks Series. Heavenly voices will fill Mortensen Hall in April! Vaughan Williams’ blissful Fantasia on “Greensleeves” was originally used in his opera, Sir John with Love, inspired by Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. His haunting Dona nobis pacem is a plea for peace in the years leading up to WWII. Mendelssohn’s elegant Symphony No. 2 echoes Beethoven’s Ninth, and is a celebration of the German Reformation. More Information ?
	Beethoven's 5th Friday, May 3, 2019 - Sunday, May 5, 2019 Part of the 2018-2019 Masterworks Series. Beginning with those unforgettable four notes, Beethoven’s blazing Symphony No. 5 “emanates directly and solely from the genius of Beethoven,” said Hector Berlioz. The HSO welcomes the groundbreaking, category-shattering trio Time for Three for Higdon’s Concerto 4-3, a work that blends bluegrass with traditional classical. And Britten’s haunting “Four Sea Interludes” from the opera Peter Grimes reflects the turmoil of both the opera’s characters and the sea off Britain’s Suffolk coast. More Information ?
	Mahler 5 Friday, May 31, 2019 - Sunday, June 2, 2019 Part of the 2018-2019 Masterworks Series. We conclude our 75th season with Mahler’s epic Symphony No. 5! This pivotal work moves from tragedy to celebration, and its fourth movement, a declaration of love for his wife Alma, is his most renowned composition. Beethoven’s rich “Triple Concerto” features a dynamic interplay between soloists and orchestra, and showcases three of the HSO’s gifted musicians. More Information ?