For the tour, music director Paavo J‹rvi has assembled a repertoire of works by Kodšly, Nielsen, and T‹‹r, as well as Mahler's Symphony No. 5, Dvoršk's Symphony No. 7, and Sibelius's Symphony No. 5. H_lne Grimaud, the French pianist, will tour with the CSO and perform works including Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 and Schumann's Piano Concerto.

The orchestra's first stop is at Vienna's Konzerthaus, where the performance will include the Mahler symphony. Of performing the work in the city where the composer lived and worked, J‹rvi said, in a statement, "American orchestras especially go under the microcope by playing music that has its origins in Europe. In Vienna.... The critics will be listening very carefully: but I don't mind because I don't believe in hiding. We will put it all on the line."

The tour is not only about proving that the CSO can hold its own in Europe's music capitals, but also about selling Cincinnati as a commerce destination. The Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce is sending economic development experts to France along with representatives from Cincinnati's business community in order to court the French aerospace industry.

The CSO tour ends on November 10 in Barcelona.