BSO/Classical New England — 2025/12/20

 This week's encore broadcast is an interesting program: Haydn and Stravinsky. The conductor makes a case both for playing Haydn and for putting Stravinsky on the same program. I recommend reading the interview on WCRB's page: https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/the-boston-symphony-orchestra/2024-10-31/isabelle-faust-and-alan-gilbert-join-the-bso-for-haydn-and-stravinsky

Saturday, December 20, 2025
8:00 PM

In an encore broadcast, Isabelle Faust and Alan Gilbert return to Symphony Hall for Stravinsky’s bracing, wry Violin Concerto. Bracketing Stravinsky’s concerto are two Joseph Haydn works from early and late in his symphonic career.

Alan Gilbert, conductor
Isabelle Faust, violin

Joseph HAYDN Symphony No. 48, Marie Therese
Igor STRAVINSKY Violin Concerto
HAYDN Symphony No. 99

This concert was originally broadcast on February 22, 2025, and is no longer available on demand.

To hear a preview of the program with Alan Gilbert, use the player above, and read the transcript below.

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Alan Gilbert, back for a concert with the BSO that I think is just a really interesting program and one that doesn't sort of organically fall off a tree, I feel like.

Here's a similar description from the BSO's performance detail page: https://www.bso.org/events/alan-gilbert-conducts-haydn-stravinsky?performance=2025-02-22-20:00

Alan Gilbert, conductor Isabelle Faust, Violin 

Alan Gilbert, conductor
Isabelle Faust, violin

HAYDN Symphony No. 48, Maria Theresia
STRAVINSKY Violin Concerto
-Intermission-
HAYDN Symphony No. 99

Isabelle Faust and Alan Gilbert return for Stravinsky’s bracing, wry Violin Concerto, a work at the core of his sparkling and witty neoclassical period. Bracketing Stravinsky’s concerto are two Joseph Haydn works from early and late in his symphonic career, during which he largely created the foundations for the 18th-century Viennese Classical era.

If you go to the actual page, the arrows are links to performer bios. I don't know why they won't provide links to the program notes as well, but there you have it.

There is an enthusiastic review https://www.classical-scene.com/2025/02/21/done-to-perfection/ in the Intelligencer.

I think this concert is worth listening to.