Additional American works on the lineup include the NSO premieres of David Del Tredici's Final Alice and the Second Symphonies of John Corigliano and Christopher Rouse. There will also be performances of Irving Fine's Toccata Concertante and William Schuman's Prayer in Time of War.

Slatkin continues his Mahler cycle with the composer's Kindertotenlieder, with soloist Thomas Hampson, followed by the Symphony No. 6.

Another highlight of the season will be a concert performance of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. Tatiana will be sung by soprano Olga Guryakova, Lenski by tenor Daniil Shtoda, Olga by alto Ekaterina Semenchuk, Onegin by baritone Sergei Leiferkus, and Prince Gremin by bass Gustav Andreassen.

NSO principal guest conductor Ivšn Fischer will lead an all-Beethoven program, featuring violinist Nikolaj Znaider in the Violin Concerto. In another program, he will conduct excerpts from Smetana's Mš vlast and Dvoršk's Moravian Duets (in Fischer's own orchestrations). A third program under Fischer will feature Mahler's Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection"), with soprano Juliane Banse, mezzo Jennifer Larmore and the Master Chorale of Washington.

The lineup of visiting soloists includes Midori in Bartók's Violin Concerto No. 2, Emanuel Ax playing Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 2, Emmanuel Pahud in Mozart's Flute Concerto No. 1, Heinrich Schiff in Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1, Han-Na Chang in Elgar's Cello Concerto, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet in Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 2.

Guest conductors include Hans Graf, leading Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev; Mark Elder conducting pianist Louis Lortie in Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 1 and works by Poulenc, Shostakovich and Stravinsky; Hugh Wolff leading pianist Stephen Hough in Saint-Saëns's Piano Concerto No. 5 and works by Debussy and Dutilleux; and Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting Sibelius and Grieg's incidental music to Ibsen's Peer Gynt.