This series of educational videos features musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing and sharing personal insights about orchestral music excerpts that are regularly requested at auditions. The first releases consist of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 with Principal Trumpet Esteban Batallán, Zoltán Kodály’s Dances of Galánta with CSO Principal Clarinet Stephen Williamson, Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben with Concertmaster Robert Chen and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Principal Bass Alexander Hanna.
Produced by the CSO's Negaunee Music Institute
For CSO Principal Trumpet Esteban Batallán, the instrument is an extension of his voice, and that serves as the foundation of his music-making. When performing Mahler's iconic Symphony No. 5, Batallán emphasized, “Don't forget to sing. That's the most important thing — singing, phrasing. Everythi...
Zoltán Kodály’s Dances of Galánta is an interpretive and virtuosic giant in the orchestral clarinet repertoire. CSO Principal Clarinet Stephen Williamson demonstrates how crafting one’s own personal narrative can fuel expression. “It's important to have imagery in mind when you play a pi...
CSO Concertmaster Robert Chen performs and guides listeners through his interpretation of the famous violin solo from Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben. “It's very important to be prepared technically to play this piece, but I think the technical and the expression, they go hand in hand,” Chen sa...
