The pianos are taking over.
The instrument will take center stage when the Chicago Sinfonietta presents “Unhinged,” which highlights the versatility of the piano. The concert is the first of the Sinfonietta’s 29th season. Performances are at 8 p.m. at Saturday at Wentz Concert Hall in Naperville and at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Symphony Center in Chicago.
“The goal is to showcase piano in such a variety of roles that I think people might find it interesting,” Maestro Mei-Ann Chen said. “People know piano as a standalone instrument.”
The first half of the concert, Chen said, is focused on orchestra music and the role piano plays in it. It opens with “Russlan and Ludmila” by Mikhail Glinka.
“It’s a fun opener just showcasing the orchestra and serves as the curtain-riser,” she said. “This overture really builds a connection to Stravinsky.”
Following the work by Glinka is a “very interesting, challenging piece for the orchestra,” she said. The Sinfonietta will perform the dramatic score of Igor Stravinsky’s “Petrushka,” a ballet about a love triangle between three puppets.
“We’re doing the re-orchestration from 1947, even though the piece premiered in 1911,” said Chen, who is conducting the concert.
It was selected because the piano plays such a prominent role in being with the orchestra, she said, which is very unusual. In many of the performances she has seen, the pianist is recognized almost as a soloist.
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“We’re taking a different spin on it,” Chen said.
The Emmy Award-nominated piano duo Anderson & Roe will take the piano part alongside the concerto to showcase the featured instrument.
Chen said she is excited to have Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Roe perform with the Sinfonietta, as the pianists are known for their “out-of-this-world energy.”
“Just really engaging audiences in ways that you don’t expect from classical pianists,” Chen said.
The second half of the concert is where things are “going to get a little bit normal, but not really,” Chen said. Among the featured pieces is “Concerto for Two Pianos in D Minor” by Francis Poulenc.
“This piece by Poulenc is one of my favorite piano concertos of all time, because it’s so fun. It really has the jazzy effect,” Chen said.
The piece has classical elements, but also draws upon musical sounds from around the world.
Another piece with jazz elements is “I Got Rhythm (Variations)” by George and Ira Gershwin. The song, originally written for the 1930 musical “Girl Crazy,” is a fun showpiece for orchestra and piano, Chen said.
Featured on the piece is 17-year-old piano virtuoso Clayton Stephenson, who is making his Chicago and Naperville debut with the Sinfonietta. Chen met him, along with Anderson & Roe, at the inaugural Cliburn International Junior Competition and Festival Piano last summer. She said she could see the potential in the young, talented musician.
Given the Sinfonietta’s history of founder Maestro Paul Freeman helping to discover and launch the careers of young musicians, she invited Stephenson to perform.
Having guest artists such as Anderson & Roe and Stephenson is a way to engage the Sinfonietta’s “very young and hip audience,” she said. Bucking the trend, the Chicago Sinfonietta is one of the few orchestras in the country that has increased the number of younger audience members, as well as those attending a classical concert for the first time, Chen said.
“If you are new to symphonic concerts, we’re definitely an ideal sort of break-in for those who are afraid to come to symphonic concerts,” she said. “They’ll be surprised to find pieces we do that are of a variety — making sure everybody gets the diehard classical selections, but also really fun and unusual selections.”
During the “Unhinged” concert, those include Anderson & Roe’s piano-centric take on Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” The duo, along with the Sinfonietta’s string section, will conclude the concert with Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida.”
“This is a piece our Project Inclusion Ensemble has already been playing in the repertoire they perform around the city,” Chen said. “So we thought what a coincidence that Anderson & Roe wants to do this with us.”
“I never imagined strings being used in this context, but I have to say it’s powerful, and beautiful,” she said.
The piece will be the Sinfonietta’s take on the song, with the piano leading the number.
Kathy Cichon is a freelance writer.
“Unhinged” — Chicago Sinfonietta
When: Sept. 17
Where: Wentz Concert Hall at North Central College, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville
Tickets: $48-$60; $10 for students
Information: chicagosinfonietta.org