Next Season from WPAS

Anne-Sophie Mutter, violinist

Washington Performing Arts Society has released its schedule for the next season, and the choices may be somewhat predictable but with most of those reliable choices, how could one mind? Anne-Sophie Mutter will be back, for the Season Opening Celebration (October 11) with the Camerata Salzburg. Other violinists returning next season are Vadim Repin with Nikolai Lugansky (November 15), Midori (November 2), Joshua Bell (February 4, 2009) with Jeremy Denk, and

As for visiting orchestras in the ongoing dance of conductor hiring, we will have the New York Philharmonic (October 4), but with Lorin Maazel instead of incoming music director Alan Gilbert. Gustavo Dudamel, who has everyone and his brother in rapturous delight, will conduct twice, with the Israel Philharmonic (November 18) and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra (April 6, 2009). Far more interesting on the young conductor front from my point of view will be the appearance of Vladimir Jurowski with the London Philharmonic (February 26, 2009). Valery Gergiev will conduct Prokofiev with the London Symphony Orchestra (March 28, 2009). Manfred Honeck will make a visit with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (May 4, 2009), and Charles Dutoit with the Philadelphia Orchestra (June 3, 2009).

Krystian Zimerman, pianist

Piano recitals will include Louis Lortie playing the complete Chopin etudes (May 2, 2009), Evgeny Kissin (March 1, 2009), András Schiff playing Beethoven (October 10), and the divine Maurizio Pollini (October 29), Richard Goode (March 29, 2009), and Olga Kern (March 22, 2009). Krystian Zimerman has sworn not to play in the U.S. "until the Iraq situation is sorted" -- his recital (April 8, 2009) will fall after a new president begins his or her term.

Exciting new names on the roster include pianists Anna Vinnitskaya (September 27), Yevgeny Sudbin (January 24, 2009), and Simone Dinnerstein (February 7, 2009), the Capuçon brothers with Nicholas Angelich (November 21), and violinist Nicola Benedetti (February 3, 2009). Cellist Daniel Müller-Schott will collaborate with pianist Angela Hewitt in a fascinating Bach and Beethoven program (December 15). There are also some older, recognizable, and -- frankly -- less exciting names: Frederica von Stade and Samuel Ramey (March 25, 2009), Yo-Yo Ma with the Silk Road Project (March 11, 2009), and the Tokyo String Quartet (April 17, 2009).