BSO — 2013/09/26-10/01

This week's concert has but a single work: Mahler's Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection." For a brief description, with links to program notes, audio material, and performer info, go to the BSO's performance detail page, where we read:

In the second of his five BSO programs this season, Christoph von Dohnányi leads Gustav Mahler's inspirational Symphony No. 2, Resurrection, with Swedish soprano Camilla Tilling, British mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly, and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Mahler composed this five-movement work over several years, making a number of major changes along the way. The third movement is a setting of "Urlicht," a poem from the volumeDes Knaben Wunderhorn, which was a significant source of texts for Mahler's songs. The finale's second half is a setting for chorus and soprano of Klopstock's poem Resurrection, which Mahler had heard sung at the funeral of his colleague Hans von Bülow.

The pre-concert material on Classical New England begins at 7:00, with the concert itself at 8:00. See also their BSO page for their own links and info.

There was also a rave review of the Thursday performance in the Boston Musical Intelligencer. The reviewer also noted that the concert actually began at 8:09, and that there was a five minute pause between the first and second movements (which, it turns out, Mahler called for in the score).

BSO — 2013/09/21-24

This is the opening concert of the Boston Symphony's 2013-2014 season. It's an all-Brahms program, which will probably appeal to many listeners. Here's what the performance detail page tells us:

To open the Boston Symphony Orchestra's 2013-14 subscription season, revered German-born conductor Christoph von Dohnányi is joined by violinist Augustin Hadelich in his BSO subscription series debut and cellist Alban Gerhardt for Johannes Brahms's Double Concerto for violin, cello, and orchestra, the composer's final orchestra work. Brahms's Symphony No. 2 dates from the previous decade. Composed relatively quickly after the composer's long-awaited First, the lilting No. 2 is generally regarded as the most genial and relaxed of Brahms's four works in the genre. Opening Night includes a pre-concert reception at 7PM.

The page, linked above, provides further links to audio previews and to the program notes from the program booklet. In addition, there are brief bios of the musicians which you can see by brining your cursor over their pictures, and complete official bios by clicking on said pix.

As usual, it will be broadcast and streamed virtually live by Classical New England. The official starting time is 8:00 p.m., Eastern Time. Beginning at 7:00 they have pre-concert features, consisting mostly of music composed by the evening's composer or performed by the evening's performers. They also have a page of their own devoted to the BSO broadcasts with the season schedule and links to their own related material.

Last year they rebroadcast/streamed the concerts at 1:00 p.m. on the Sunday 8 days later. I don't notice anything about it right now, but I wouldn't be surprised if they do so again. I'd be disappointed if they don't, but so far it isn't included in the regular weekly schedule page.

Classical New England — 2013/09/14

This evening's placeholder in the regular BSO slot on Classical New England http://www.wgbh.org/995/ is this summer's August 6 "Tanglewood on Parade" concert. There's some information at the CNE home page. Also, see their BSO page — http://www.wgbh.org/995/bso.cfm — for a bit more about is, as well as a brief preview of the upcoming season of the BSO and other links. There is more about this concert in my post for the weekend of the concert. The program this evening begins at 8:00 p.m., Boston time.

As noted on CNE's BSO page, the regular BSO season begins on Sept. 21. I presume* that they'll have their pre-concert show at 7:00, with the concert scheduled for 8:00. (It never actually starts before 8:05 — a courtesy to patrons who hit a slight delay getting there, I suppose.)

* When I presume, I make a pres. of u and me.

Classical New England — 2013/09/07

Sorry I'm a bit late with this. I had Race Committee duty today.

We're back to the 8:00 p.m. start time for the concert programming at Classical New England. This week, instead of rerunning a Boston Symphony Concert, they're giving us the BBC Symphony Orchestra's Last Night of the Proms (I always thought it was Last Night at the Proms — live and learn). Here's the description,

99.5 WCRB brings you one of the world's great music traditions on Saturday at 8pm, as conductor Marin Alsop leads the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus at the Last Night of the Proms, from Royal Albert Hall in London.

The Music Director of both the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, steps up to the podium for a tradition-soaked celebration of music from the heart of Great Britain.

Special guests include American mezzo-sopranoJoyce DiDonato and British violinist Nigel Kennedy.

London-born composer Anna Clyne, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's composer in residence, has written a new work that will open the program, and the concert also pays tribute to the anniversaries of the births of Richard Wagner, Giuseppe Verdi, and Benjamin Britten.

Of course, no Last Night of the Proms would be complete without Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 ("Land of Hope and Glory"), Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry's "Jerusalem," and "God Save the Queen," performed this year in the arrangement by Benjamin Britten.

Join us at 8pm, Saturday, Sept. 7, on 99.5 WCRB in Boston and New Hampshire, and on 88.7 WJMF in Providence.

and here's a link to that page at CNE, which also gives the full program.