Classical Goings-on up the Road
The recently classical-again WETA radio broadcast this morning is all abuzz about the Baltimore Symphony's 2007-08 season announcement from last night, as I guess they should be. Marin Alsop will start her tenure as music director with several concerts featuring works by living composers, alongside a season-long cycle of the complete Beethoven symphonies.
Here's a PDF version of the press release for your perusal. Highlights that jump out at me include John Adams' "My Father Knew Charles Ives" and "The Wound-Dresser" on the same program (matched with the inevitable Beethoven's 7th); the U.S. premiere of a marimba concerto by Steven Mackey; and concertos for piano, violin, and flute by John Corigliano, Thomas Adès, and Christopher Rouse respectively. Stuff by Tan Dun and Joan Tower, various others.
Anyway, good stuff. You get some weird pairings (Adams' "Fearful Symmetries" with Mahler 5?) but overall it's much, much more ambitious than the Baltimore Symphony usually comes up with.
Also, since it's the 25th anniversary of the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, PNC apparently gave them a bunch of money to sell all their subscription seats at $25 a pop -- That's mostly a benefit to people re-upping on past subscriptions but I may have to spring for that given the number of shows that are worth hearing, since that's a pretty economical rate even for the nosebleed seats.
Here's a PDF version of the press release for your perusal. Highlights that jump out at me include John Adams' "My Father Knew Charles Ives" and "The Wound-Dresser" on the same program (matched with the inevitable Beethoven's 7th); the U.S. premiere of a marimba concerto by Steven Mackey; and concertos for piano, violin, and flute by John Corigliano, Thomas Adès, and Christopher Rouse respectively. Stuff by Tan Dun and Joan Tower, various others.
Anyway, good stuff. You get some weird pairings (Adams' "Fearful Symmetries" with Mahler 5?) but overall it's much, much more ambitious than the Baltimore Symphony usually comes up with.
Also, since it's the 25th anniversary of the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, PNC apparently gave them a bunch of money to sell all their subscription seats at $25 a pop -- That's mostly a benefit to people re-upping on past subscriptions but I may have to spring for that given the number of shows that are worth hearing, since that's a pretty economical rate even for the nosebleed seats.
2 Comments:
Exciting -- good to see Baltimore back in the game. Back in the early '90s, I think it was, they had David Zinman running with some American music (Michael Torke notable among others); but it's been a while now.
The musicians there made an unusual outcry when Alsop was named director, unhappy with the lack of say they were given in the decision. It'll be interesting to see not only how well they play under Alsop but how the relationship goes. Christoph Eschenbach is departing Philly after not such a long stay, having not gotten along so well with the musicians there. I thought the orchestra sounded great under him every time I heard them, though reviews tended to be a bit mixed. The two variables can be pretty independent.
I'm curious about how this subscription subsidy came to be. My knee-jerk reaction is that it sounds like good PR for the sponsor but a sloppy application of a bunch of money, unless they find a way to build on this past the year it's in effect.
Steve Mackey's percussion concerto sounded great on a bootleg concert recording I used to have access to. But really, really make sure you get to that James MacMillan piano concerto -- I heard this at the NY City Ballet (it was commissioned for a Christopher Wheeldon choreography) and it's a great piece. MacMillan goes all Schnittke on this Scottish reel in the final movement: fantastic. It's actually on CD already.
The New York Philharmonic, meanwhile, is flexing its creative muscles early next season with something they're calling The Tchaikovsky Experience, which appears to be The Tchaikovsky Experience in the same respect that buying a six-pack of Dannon is The Yogurt Experience.
Lorin Maazel blows. Big time.
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