BSO — 2013/01/17-19

Saturday, January 19  This evening's live broadcast/stream is the Verdi "Requiem." If you can't get to it today, be sure to catch the rebroadcast/stream on January 27. Both are on Classical New England, as is tomorrow afternoon's rebroadcast of last week's concert. As usual CNE's page about its BSO broadcasts has broadcast schedules as well as a link to an interview with the conductor. For its part the BSO themselves have detail about the performance on their website (keep clicking for more detail), including links to audio previews and program notes. You can also get some info about the performers by moving the cursor to their pictures, and even more by clicking on the picture. Here's what the BSO says about the performance:

To mark the bicentennial of Verdi's birth in 1813, Italian conductor Daniele Gatti, music director of the Orchestre National de France, leads the BSO in three performances of the composer's Requiem with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and four vocal soloists all making their BSO debuts. One of the greatest of all works for orchestra, soloists, and chorus, Verdi's massive, theatrical Requiem was completed in 1874, dedicated to the memory of the great Italian poet and novelist Alessandro Manzoni-a personal hero of Verdi's-and premiered on the first anniversary of Manzoni's death.

and

Requiem is presented under the auspices of the President of the Italian Republic's "2013, Year of Italian Culture in the United States" www.ITALYinUS2013.org.

A year long journey that will promote Italy, engage and enthuse Americans, draw in the younger generations, enhance the close bonds between our two nations and create new and lasting partnerships.

 Tenor Fabio Sartori has withdrawn from the BSO's January 17, 18, and 19 performances of the Verdi Requiem because of illness. He will be replaced by American tenor Stuart Neill, who will be making his BSO subscription debut. The rest of the program remains unchanged. 

I was there on Thursday, and Maestro Gatti had all forces performing it in accordance with his vision of the piece, and I thought it was really good. The Boston Globe's reviewer also liked it, although he did not have the advantage of the inside info blogged in advance (four posts) and the self-review by "Just Another Bass." Anyway, I think it's well worth hearing.

Sunday, January 20 The 1:00 p.m. broadcast/stream repeats last week's Saturday concert. See my post of a week ago for info about it.