BSO — 2018/11/10

The premieres just keep on coming. This week it's the American premiere of a work written to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Latvian independence (which, coincidentally is the 100th for Lithuania, Estonia, and Finland). At the orchestra's program detail page, you can follow the links to sonic and written background on that piece — including a note from the composer — and the rest of the program. There we also find this synopsis:

The BSO and Andris Nelsons give the American premiere of Latvian composer Andris Dzenītis's orchestral work Māra, a BSO co-commission with the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig. This is one of two works being performed by the BSO this season to mark the 100th anniversary of Latvian independence (declared November 18, 1918). Dzenītis calls his new work, which is dedicated to Andris Nelsons and takes its title from a goddess in Latvian mythology, "the musical encoding of my personal understanding of what it means to be Latvian." Opening the program is Shostakovich's Symphony No. 1, to be recorded live as part of Andris Nelsons and the BSO's multi-season exploration of the composer's symphonies. Shostakovich wrote this symphony while he was still a student, and it immediately established him as one of Russia's leading artistic figures. Completing the program is Act II of Tchaikovsky's vibrant, beloved ballet score The Nutcracker, which includes the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the famous series of exotic national dances well-known from the popular Nutcracker Suite.

(Some emphasis added.)
Although the detail page says the Shostakovich comes first, but both the program notes and the reviews make it clear that the Dzenītis opens the concert, followed by the Shostakovich.

I had a ticket as part of my subscription, but I forwent the opportunity to attend  because I was experiencing some soreness/tenderness in my lower abdomen, rising to the level of discomfort or pain when I'd get up from a chair. So I thought that all the moving about would be inadvisable. (The symptoms may be very gradually diminishing as the days drag on or fly by, as the case may be.)

The reviews are in and they tell me I wish I had felt up to going on Thursday, and that I want to hear it this evening.  As always, the Globe doesn't have much space, but finds no fault with anything. In the Intelligencer, the reviews of the Dzenītis and Shostakovich were extensive enough to double as program notes, and the reviewer found no fault. But after intermission, he was a bit less pleased with the "Nutcracker," to a considerable extent because he felt that as the BSO played it, it would be difficult to dance to. He grudgingly admitted that as just music it was good.

So here's another concert I can recommend listening to over the facilities of WCRB at 8:00 p.m., EST, this evening and/or the rebroadcast at 8:00 on Monday, November 19.