BSO — 2023/04/15

 This week we're back to live music from Symphony Hall. WCRB, which will be broadcasting the concert, gives us the essentials:

Saturday, April 15, 2023
8:00 PM

Encore broadcast on Monday, April 24

French cellist Gautier Capuçon takes center stage with the Boston Symphony for the American premiere of Thierry Escaich’s new work for cello and orchestra, and Andris Nelsons conducts Ravel’s Alborada del gracioso and Rachmaninoff’s romantic Symphony No. 2.

Andris Nelsons, conductor
Gautier Capuçon, cello

RAVEL Alborada del gracioso
Thierry ESCAICH Les Chants de l’Aube, for cello and orchestra
RACHMANINOFF Symphony No. 2

To hear a preview of Thierry Escaich's Les Chants de l’Aube with cellist Gautier Capuçon, use the player above, and read the transcript below.

TRANSCRIPT:

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall

You can listen to the interview via a link on their page or read the transcript there, if you wish.

And here's the BSO's own performance detail page, with iits customary links to program notes etc.:

Music Director Andris Nelsons leads the American premiere of a new work for cello and orchestra by French organist-composer Thierry Escaich, written for soloist Gautier Capuçon. Maurice Ravel’s exuberantly orchestrated Alborada del gracioso is tinged with Flamenco rhythms and Spanish flavors. Sergei Rachmaninoff’s by turns lush and exuberant Symphony No. 2 closes the program.

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Andris Nelsons, conductor
Gautier Capuçon, cello

RAVEL Alborada del gracioso
Thierry ESCAICH Les Chants de l'aube, for cello and orchestra (American premiere; co-commissioned by the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons, Music Director, through the generous support of Catherine and Paul Buttenwieser.)
Intermission
RACHMANINOFF Symphony No. 2

The Boston Musical Intelligencer gives a highly favorable review of the concert. The Boston Globe's review concentrates on the cello concerto, and +is similaryly favorable.

I was there for the Thursday evening performance, and thought it was all very okay. The Ravel was snappy. The Escaich was pleasant enough. I noticed that at many points the flute was echoing the cello, and szo was the clarinet. I didn't really catch the elements which the composer and program annotator referred to as represented in the music (dtained glass, dance, etc.) but it wasn't hard to listen to. And the Rachmaninoff symphony, for all its length, didn't seem over-long. In other words, this wasn't a piece where I found myslef thinking, "Enough, already!" Still, none of it struck me as "must listen" music. I will try to catch the cello conceerto again during the rebroadcast (my brother's phone call will be when it's being played this evening) and I'll have the radio on this evening.

So you might as well tune in, if you're free.

P.S. I was busy last Saturday and never posted about the concert that evening. I'll see if I can pull something together before the rebroadcast onApril 17.