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Concert Hall Tours: Backstage Tales and Treks
I joined walking tours of Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Met, Royal Albert Hall, and the Barbican Centre. Here’s what I found.
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Before Arena Rock, There was Lewisohn Stadium
Outdoor concerts are a perennial summer pastime for New York City residents, and perhaps none is more beloved than the New York Philharmonic’s traveling summer series to the parks throughout the boroughs. Before the series began in 1965 (and which for a time included visits to Long Island and elsewhere), the Philharmonic held a longstanding…
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New York Philharmonic Can’t Get Enough of Mahler
The New York Philharmonic is entering a bold new era for fans of Gustav Mahler and other late-Romantic symphonists, if the opening-night gala concert, led by Jaap van Zweden, was any indication. The Sept. 19 program featured Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, performed days after van Zweden led the same work at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, where…
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Orchestras Hire Youthful Conductors to Stay Relevant. Is that Enough?
What can symphony orchestras learn from “Mozart in the Jungle,” the Amazon series featuring a dashing young conductor from Mexico who replaces the aging music director of an orchestra, in a bid to invigorate the stodgy institution? In this Slate article from Feb. 4, 2016, I look at various factors that contribute to an orchestra’s…
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Alan Gilbert Previews U.N. Project in Lincoln Center Finale
As Alan Gilbert prepares to close out his eight-year tenure with the New York Philharmonic, he’s laying the groundwork for a new project to be launched in collaboration with the United Nations, called Musicians for Unity.
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Louis Andriessen: A Political Composer for the New York Philharmonic?
The New York Philharmonic this week announced that Dutch composer Louis Andriessen is the recipient of its Marie-Josée Kravis Prize, an award consisting of $200,000 and a commission from the orchestra. Something of a lifetime achievement award, the prize has previously gone to Frenchman Henri Dutilleux (2011) and Danish composer Per Nørgård (2014).
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Gershwin in Concert: When Orchestras Prefer Jazz Pianists
During the 1990s and early 2000s, several improvised, jazz-based versions of George Gershwin’s 1924 Rhapsody in Blue arrived in concert halls. Jazz pianists, including Marcus Roberts, Herbie Hancock and Michel Camilo, unveiled deconstructed, semi-improvisatory versions of the score. There were few protests from purists – the piece is a rhapsody, after all, and it can withstand or even be enhanced by…
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Pops Means Maximum Variety for Many Orchestras
LENOX, MA – Dispelling any notion that the living is easy for orchestra musicians in August, the Boston Symphony Orchestra on Sunday, Aug. 21, presented two-and-a-half-hour, Shakespeare-themed concert at Tanglewood featuring four works: Berlioz’s Overture to Béatrice et Bénédict, Saint-Saens’s Egyptian Concerto (with pianist Dejan Lazić), George Tsontakis’ Sonnets and Prokofiev’s Suite from Romeo and Juliet.
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Pops Concerts Change Their Tunes Amid Uncertainty
Received wisdom holds that pops concerts are a cash cow, supporting orchestras’ ability to present more serious fare, while reaching audiences who may watch PBS and even buy the occasional recording but aren’t going to turn out for Messiaen’s Turangalila Symphony. But according to a report by the Associated Press, the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, one of the signature pops…
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Philadelphia Orchestra, Mongolia and a Legacy of Far-Flung Symphonic Tours
The Philadelphia Orchestra said on Thursday that it will perform in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in June 2017, marking the latest effort by a Western orchestra to visit a far-flung destination in the name of cultural diplomacy.