Stravinsky & Beethoven

The Oregon Symphony is bringing Stravinsky & Beethoven to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on Saturday, October 31, and Sunday, November 1. The program is billed as a celebration of the Pacific Northwest, and it earns that description by pairing two of classical music's most intrepid pioneers with three composers who have strong ties to the region.

On the newer side, Michael Gordon's Natural History (2016) takes its cue from Crater Lake National Park. It was commissioned by the Britt Music & Arts Festival to mark the National Park Service centennial, written after Gordon spent time with the Klamath Tribe's Steiger Butte Drum and Singers, and premiered outdoors at Watchman Overlook. For this performance, the Steiger Butte Drum and Singers and members of the Portland State University Chamber Choir join the symphony on stage. Beside it is Cascadence (2026) by Oregonian Grace Miedziak, written as part of her Rizzo-Cummings Emerging Composer Fellowship at the Oregon Symphony; she describes it as a celebration of the region's natural beauty and Portland's creative spirit.

Those two are paired with the older records: Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments (1920, revised 1947), an experimental piece for wind and brass, and Beethoven's vivacious Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21. Conductors Norman Huynh and Ethan Sperry lead the ensemble across the two dates.

The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, once a grand movie palace, is now Portland's most elegant stage, and it's hosted nearly a century of music, laughter, and inspiration. You can catch the program on Saturday, October 31, at 7:30 PM, or on Sunday, November 1, at 2:00 PM.