Next Season at the World's Greatest Orchestra

[Ralph]

I renewed my subscription today.

From Playbillarts.com:

New York Philharmonic's 2007-08 Season Offers Beethoven/Berio, Neikrug and Tan Dun Premieres, and Three Weeks of Muti

By Matthew Westphal
February 20, 2007

A festival celebrating Tchaikovsky's symphonies and concertos, a series exploring connections between Beethoven and Berio, brand-new works by Tan Dun and Marc Neikrug, concert performances of Puccini's Tosca and Zemlinsky's Florentine Tragedy, tours of Europe and China, and legendary Broadway and cabaret star Barbara Cook celebrating her 80th birthday — these are among the highlights of the New York Philharmonic's 2007-08 season, announced by the orchestra last week.

The Philharmonic opens its season on September 18 with an all-Dvorák gala concert conducted by Music Director Lorin Maazel and featuring Yo-Yo Ma in the Cello Concerto. The performance will be telecast on PBS's Live From Lincoln Center — as will the orchestra's New Year's Eve concert featuring violinist Joshua Bell.

Maazel will also conduct The Tchaikovsky Experience, a six-concert festival between September 26 and October 16 offering all six of the composer's symphonies as well as the Piano Concerto No. 1 with soloist Simon Trpceski, the Violin Concerto with Janine Jansen in her Philharmonic debut, and cellist Johannes Moser in the Rococo Variations.

The affinities between the music of Beethoven and that of Berio will be explored in four programs spread over the orchestra's 2007-08 season. The first subscription program (September 19-21) will feature Maazel conducting Berio's four adaptations of Luigi Boccherini's Ritirata notturna di Madrid alongside Beethoven's Violin Concerto (with soloist Lisa Batiashvili). A program in January and February, also led by Maazel, offers Beethoven's Coriolan Overture alongside Berio's Sinfonia, a work commissioned and premiered by the New York Philharmonic in 1968. In March, Alan Gilbert will conduct Berio's Folksongs, with Audra McDonald as vocalist, together with Beethoven's Fourth Symphony. A program in late May will feature Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 (the "Emperor"), with soloist Emanuel Ax, and Rendering, Berio's realization of the sketches Schubert made for his never-completed 10th Symphony.

The Philharmonic will offer an entire day of concerts, lectures, discussions and other activities focusing on Berio — including performances of all of the composer's Sequenzas — on February 2 at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Rose Theater.

Two Philharmonic commissions receive their world premieres next season. On March 13 and 15, Alan Gilbert will conduct the first performances of Marc Neikrug's Quintessence: Symphony No. 2; April 9-12 will see the debut of a new piano concerto composed by Tan Dun for the Philharmonic and pianist Lang Lang. Both works will also be featured in the Philharmonic's Hear and Now series of discussion/concerts, as will Berio's Sinfonia.

Three guest conductors with whom the Philharmonic has a close relationship will spend multiple weeks with the orchestra next season. The renowned Riccardo Muti will lead three programs, two in January and one in March, including Brahms's Second Piano Concerto (with Leif Ove Andsnes), Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy, Schumann's Piano Concerto (with Radu Lupu), Bruckner's Sixth Symphony, Elgar's Violin Concerto (with Pinchas Zukerman), and Copland's Third Symphony. Alan Gilbert will conduct two programs in March: the Beethoven/Berio program featuring Audra McDonald in the Folksongs, and the premiere of Neikrug's Quintessence, along with Strauss's Ein Heldenleben. David Robertson takes the podium for two weeks in May, leading the Beethoven "Emperor"/Schubert-Berio Rendering concerts; a program offering Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony, Korngold's Violin Concerto (with Philharmonic concertmaster Glenn Dicterow), and Sibelius's First Symphony; and the orchestra's annual free Memorial Day performance at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

Three fast-rising young conductors make their Philharmonic debuts next season: Gustavo Dudamel (November 29-December 4), Philippe Jordan (December 6-8), and Andrey Boreyko (December 12-15). Among the returning guest conductors are Colin Davis, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Semyon Bychkov, Charles Dutoit, Nicholas McGegan, Ludovic Morlot, and Leonard Slatkin. Also scheduled, of course, is Xian Zhang, the first holder of the Philharmonic's Arturo Toscanini Associate Conductor Chair.

Other highlights of the Philharmonic's 2007-08 season include Music Director Emeritus Kurt Masur conducting Bach's St. Matthew Passion (March), mezzo-soprano Susan Graham singing Berlioz's La Mort de Cléopâtre (January), James Conlon leading a concert performance of Zemlinsky's opera A Florentine Tragedy (October), and Broadway and cabaret legend Barbara Cook in a performance to celebrate her 80th birthday (November 19).

Maestro Maazel closes the season with three major works over three weeks in June: Mahler's Ninth Symphony, Puccini's Tosca (featuring soprano Hui He, tenor Walter Fraccaro and baritone George Gagnidze), and Bruckner's Symphony No. 8.

The orchestra undertakes two major international voyages next season, both under Maazel's baton — to China (February 9-26) and to several late-summer European festivals (August 28-September10, 2008). In addition, the Philharmonic will present its beloved series of Concerts in the Park in July, followed by its sixth annual two-week residency at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival in Colorado.

As with this season, four of the New York Philharmonic's 2007-08 concert programs will be made available for download on iTunes through DG concerts, and the DG label will release one CD recorded during Philharmonic concerts.

For more information on New York Philharmonic performances — this season as well as next — visit www.nyphil.org.

[Barry]

Yes, it's going to be a great season here in Philly .

I sent in my renewal as well, although I probably go to more concerts via the rush ticket program here than by purchasing advance tickets, and I always wind up trading some of the concerts from my series in for other ones with either repertoire or a conductor I prefer.

[jbuck919]

A festival celebrating Tchaikovsky's symphonies and concertos, a series exploring connections between Beethoven and Berio, brand-new works by Tan Dun and Marc Neikrug, concert performances of Puccini's Tosca and Zemlinsky's Florentine Tragedy, tours of Europe and China, and legendary Broadway and cabaret star Barbara Cook celebrating her 80th birthday — these are among the highlights of the New York Philharmonic's 2007-08 season, announced by the orchestra last week.

If these are the highlights then I shudder to think about the lowlights. Compared to this I would even welcome a Dittersdorf festival. (Say, BTW, why didn't yon weirdo who's running Mostly Mozart now think of that?)

[Ralph]

A festival celebrating Tchaikovsky's symphonies and concertos, a series exploring connections between Beethoven and Berio, brand-new works by Tan Dun and Marc Neikrug, concert performances of Puccini's Tosca and Zemlinsky's Florentine Tragedy, tours of Europe and China, and legendary Broadway and cabaret star Barbara Cook celebrating her 80th birthday — these are among the highlights of the New York Philharmonic's 2007-08 season, announced by the orchestra last week.

If these are the highlights then I shudder to think about the lowlights. Compared to this I would even welcome a Dittersdorf festival. (Say, BTW, why didn't yon weirdo who's running Mostly Mozart now think of that?)

*****

I submitted a proposal years ago to Lincoln Center for a "Definitely Dittersdorf" festival. They never even answered.

[Stonebraker]

Contrary to the title of this thread, the Fairfax Symphony has not released the details of the 2007-08 season.

In all seriousness, it's likely I will be attending SUNY-Stony brook next fall in the music program, and would love to make a trip into the city when I have some time (read: Money). How hard is it to get tickets? Hopefully I can get some sort of student discount, but is this the sort of thing where I should plan a month in advance or so to get some tickets? Or is it sold out until 2027? And how are the ticket prices? Any seating area that is great, or any seating area I sohuld definetly avoid? Any advice would be appreciated.

On a side note, I'm going to go see the National Symphony and Slatkin tomorrow for a matinee, Mendelsshonn's Violin concerto (which I had not heard until about 2 weeks ago ), and Tchaikovsky's 6th, as well as a world premiere.

[Ralph]

Contrary to the title of this thread, the Fairfax Symphony has not released the details of the 2007-08 season.

In all seriousness, it's likely I will be attending SUNY-Stony brook next fall in the music program, and would love to make a trip into the city when I have some time (read: Money). How hard is it to get tickets? Hopefully I can get some sort of student discount, but is this the sort of thing where I should plan a month in advance or so to get some tickets? Or is it sold out until 2027? And how are the ticket prices? Any seating area that is great, or any seating area I sohuld definetly avoid? Any advice would be appreciated.

On a side note, I'm going to go see the National Symphony and Slatkin tomorrow for a matinee, Mendelsshonn's Violin concerto (which I had not heard until about 2 weeks ago ), and Tchaikovsky's 6th, as well as a world premiere.

*****

Stony Brook is quite a distance from the city. Probably a close to two-hour train trip to get in.

Many concerts are sold-out. Some student tickets are put on sale on the day of certain concerts but I wouldn't traipse into Manhattan just hoping to get a ticket.

I'm sure your department at the university will have tickets available for many cultural events, including concerts.

Ticket prices are high for a student. Check out the Philharmonic's website, http://nyhilharmonic.org.

But there are man y concerts and recitals every night, especially on weekends, and some cost little.