It isn’t often that the trombone gets the spotlight, but the world premiere of Christian Lindberg’s “Chick ‘a’ boom Checkout,” a special commission by the CSO for its longtime trombonist Charles Vernon, gives the instrument its due and then some by having Vernon move back and forth between alto, tenor and bass trombone during the piece, which the composer says is inspired by the poetry of Carl Sandburg and is a tribute to the city of Chicago. The composer and soloist will offer pre-concert talks one hour before each performance. Chicago organist David Schrader takes the spotlight in the Saint-Saens’ Third “Organ” Symphony, the rousing finale of which became extremely popular when it was freely used throughout the “Babe” movies to accompany the exploits of a talking pig, and Ravel’s colorful “La valse” rounds out the evening; Miguel Harth-Bedoya conducts. (Dennis Polkow)
Music 45: Who Keeps Chicago In Tune 2020 This year’s Music 45 arrives at an unprecedented moment. Our city’s musicians have responded to these crises with ingenuity, vigor and creative brio.
