BSO/Classical New England — 2024/11/02

 This evening there is no live BSO concert. The Boston Pops is giving a show for Dia de Muertos — lots of Latino music around All Souls Day. Rather than broadcast that, WCRB is giving us an encore broadcast, which they describe as follows:

Saturday, November 2, 2024
8:00pm

Encore broadcast of Saturday, March 2, 2024

Finnish conductor John Storgårds leads the first of two BSO programs in the Music of the Midnight Sun festival, an exploration of Nordic music and storytelling. Outi Tarkiainen’s Midnight Sun Variations transports you to her homeland of Finland. Evoking similarly vivid soundscapes, the BSO performs three tone poems by Jean Sibelius based on Finnish legends. And Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto makes his BSO debut in the orchestra’s first-ever performances of the great Danish composer Carl Nielsen’s Violin Concerto.

John Storgårds, conductor
Pekka Kuusisto, violin

Outi TARKIAINEN Midnight Sun Variations 
Carl NIELSEN Violin Concerto
Jean SIBELIUS The Oceanides and The Bard
SIBELIUS Tapiola

This concert is no longer available on demand.

To hear a preview of Nielsen's Violin Concerto with Pekka Kuusisto, use the player above and read the transcript below.

TRANSCRIPT

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath. I'm at Symphony Hall with Pekka Kuusisto, who is here with the Boston Symphony for the very first time. Pekka, thank you 

The orchestra's performance detail page is a bit more expressive, and it has the usual links to performer bios and program notes:

Outi TARKIAINEN Midnight Sun Variations 
NIELSEN Violin Concerto
Intermission
SIBELIUS The Oceanides and The Bard
SIBELIUS Tapiola

The music and culture of Finland permeate Symphony Hall in this concert. Finnish conductor John Storgårds leads the first program in our Music of the Midnight Sun series, an exploration of Nordic storytelling and music. Finnish composer Outi Tarkiainen’s nuanced and colorful Midnight Sun Variations transport you to her homeland. Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto debuts with the BSO as the orchestra performs the great Danish composer Carl Nielsen’s 1911 Violin Concerto for the first time. The program closes with three of Jean Sibelius’s tone poems based on Finnish legends, their moods ranging from sweeping power to contemplative mystery.

I wrote about in advance of the performance. At that time there were no reviews available, but afterwards a descrriptive and enthusiastic review appeared in the Intelligencer.

I don't remember how I felt about it all back then, but now, as then, I'm looking forward to hearing it.

BSO — 2024/10/26

 Last week I was a bit busy and didn't get around to making a regular post, but you can hear the concert on Monday evening at 8:00. It's worth hearing. Here's what's in store for this evening, as told to us by WCRB:

Saturday, October 26, 2024
8:00 PM

Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet brings dazzling elegance to Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2, and Antonio Pappano conducts two works that ask deep questions of humanity. Richard Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra, with its immediately recognizable opening “sunrise,” is a musical response to Friedrich Nietzsche’s metaphysical novel of the same name. Hannah Kendall uses unusual orchestral techniques and music boxes in her recent O flower of fire, inspired by the work of Guyanese-British poet Martin Carter.

Sir Antonio Pappano, conductor
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

Hannah KENDALL O flower of fire (American premiere)
Franz LISZT Piano Concerto No. 2
Richard STRAUSS Also sprach Zarathustra

Sir Antonio Pappano describes the unique qualities of Hannah Kendall's music, and previews the works by Liszt and Strauss on this program, in an interview you can hear using the player above, with the transcript below.

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT (lightly edited for clarity):

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Sir Antonio Pappano, back here with the Boston Symphony for a really amazing program

WCRB's description is lifted from the BSO performance detail page, where you can also find links to performer bios and program notes, which may be of some interest.

I can't find a review in the Globe but the Intelligencer has one that is generally favorable.

I was there on Friday afternoon and found the Kendall piece quite tolerable, alternating loud and soft passages. I could hear the harmonicas when I saw musicians playing them, and I think I even heard a music box in some very soft passages. But if I never hear it again after this evening and maybe in the rebroadcast on November 4, it will be no great loss. I wish the BSO gave us more of the old curtain raisers such as 19th Century overtures and fewer of these new pieces that they'll probably never want to play again.

The Liszt concerto was fun to listen to, and the Strauss was good as well. Of course, I think the philosophy of Nietzsche which inspired Strauss is balderdash, but the music doesn't depend on it and makes for interesting listening. Until I read thee program note I hadn't realized that the piece had sections corresponding to sections of the book. It may be a bit more interesting to try to follow that program. OTOH it may not be easy to hear the trnsitions from one section to another.

Anyway, this should be a pretty good evening.

BSO — 2024/10/12

 This week we get to hear a great concert. Here's the description from WCRB:

Saturday, October 12, 2024
8:00 PM

Assistant Conductor Samy Rachid makes his BSO subscription debut in a program featuring the glorious Symphony Hall organ: Olivier Latry, organist at Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral, performs Michael Gandolfi’s Ascending Light, a BSO-commissioned work composed as tribute to Armenian culture on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. Camille Saint-Saëns’s Third Symphony features the organ prominently in both its serene slow movement and in its majestic Finale. Hector Berlioz’s Waverley Overture evokes the romance and intrigue of Sir Walter Scott’s historical novels.

Samy Rachid, conductor
Olivier Latry, organ

BERLIOZ Waverley Overture
Michael GANDOLFI Ascending Light, for organ and orchestra
SAINT-SAËNS Symphony No. 3, Organ Symphony

In a conversation with WCRB's Brian McCreath, conductor Samy Rachid describes the foundational role the BSO played in his life as a musician, what led him to be a conductor, and how this concert was programmed. To listen, use the player above, and read the transcript below.

TRANSCRIPT:

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Samy Rachid, Assistant Conductor of the Boston Symphony. Samy, 

I haven't read the interview yet, but it should be interesting.

Now here's what the BSO says on their performance detail page:

Samy Rachid, conductor
Olivier Latry, organ

BERLIOZ Waverley Overture
Michael GANDOLFI Ascending Light, for organ and orchestra
-Intermission-
SAINT-SAËNS Symphony No. 3, Organ Symphony

BSO Assistant Conductor Samy Rachid makes his BSO subscription debut in a program featuring the glorious Symphony Hall organ. Olivier Latry, organist at Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral, premiered Michael Gandolfi’s Ascending Light here in 2015. The BSO-commissioned work was composed as tribute to Armenian culture on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. Camille Saint-Saëns’s Third Symphony features the organ prominently in its majestic finale. Hector Berlioz’s Waverley Overture evokes the romance and intrigue of Sir Walter Scott’s historical novels.

The Intelligencer has a rather noncommittal review, although the reviewer did like the conductor's take on the Saint-Saëns. The Globe review is somewhat more enthusiastic.Neither matches my delight in what I saw and heard on Friday afternoon. If you read the Intelligencer, check out the first comment from Mogulmeister. I like what he says.

I greatly enjoyed what I heard and saw, especailly before the intermission. The slender conductor, with a jacket that was closely fitted at the waist, conducted with highly energetic gestures and the music we heard corresponded to his conducting. Il was all rewarding to hear, and I recommend listening as closely as you can tp the "Waverly" Overture and "Light Ascending" Both unfold beautifully. The organ console was placed where I could have a clear view of the keyboards, which was interesting to watch. But again, you'll be able to tell when the organ is playing, especially during "Light Ascending."

So by all means, listen if you possible can, as closely as you can. The program notes on the BSO site can also be helpful for your understanding and enjoyment. I think you'll like this as much a Mogulmeister and I did.

BSO — 2024/09/28

 The Boston Symphony Orchestra begins its subscription series in Symphony Hall this week, and WCRB will broadcast the Saturday concerts as usual. Here's how they describe this week's offering:

Saturday, September 28, 2024
8:00 PM

The Boston Symphony Orchestra launches its 2024-25 season with an all-American program led by Music Director Andris Nelsons, including works by critically-acclaimed composer Sarah Kirkland Snider and inaugural BSO Composer Chair Carlos Simon. Also, BSO Principal Clarinet William R. Hudgins is the soloist in Aaron Copland’s delightful Clarinet Concerto, contrasted with Samuel Barber’s soulful Adagio for Strings.

Andris Nelsons, conductor
William R. Hudgins, clarinet

Sarah Kirkland SNIDER Forward into Light
Aaron COPLAND Clarinet Concerto
Samuel BARBER Adagio for Strings
Carlos SIMON Wake Up! Concerto for Orchestra

Meet BSO Composer Chair Carlos Simon in an interview with WCRB's Brian McCreath.

Hear a preview of Copland's Clarinet Concerto with William R. Hudgins using the player above, and read the transcript below.

TRANSCRIPT (lightly edited for clarity):

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Bill Hudgins, Principal Clarinetist of the Boston Symphony.

There was an opening night gala on September 19, but this week the regular season begins. Let's see what the orchestra's performance detail page says.

Andris Nelsons, conductor 
William R. Hudgins, clarinet 

Sarah Kirkland SNIDER Forward into Light 
COPLAND Clarinet Concerto 
BARBER Adagio for Strings 
Carlos SIMON Wake Up: A Concerto for Orchestra 

Music Director Andris Nelsons leads this all-American program including works by inaugural BSO Composer Chair Carlos Simon and recent music by Sarah Kirkland Snider, both of which explore social justice via a musical lens. Two mid-20th-century classics are also featured: BSO Principal Clarinet William R. Hudgins is soloist in Aaron Copland’s delightfully energetic Clarinet Concerto, contrasting with Samuel Barber’s soulful, evergreen Adagio for Strings.

The usual program notes describing the pieces to be performed are linked, as are the performer bios.

The reviews are in. The Intelligencer is blandly approving. The Globe thinks the Copland needed more rehearsal, but is otherwise favorable.

Other than the "Adagio for Strings," this is unfamiliar to me. although I heard the Snider piece when it was performed last spring. This concert hardly qualifies as "must listen," but it could be interesting.

BSO/Classical New England — 2024/09/21

 This evening we get the last of the encore broadcasts before live BSO concerts resum at Symphony Hall.

WCRB informs us:

Saturday, September 21, 2024
8:00pm

In an encore broadcast, Hilary Hahn returns to Symphony Hall and the Boston Symphony as the soloist in the Violin Concerto by Johannes Brahms. The program, led by Andris Nelsons, also includes Mozart’s charming, lesser-known Symphony No. 33 and Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s orchestrally imaginative Archora, inspired by the primordial energy of her Icelandic homeland.

Andris Nelsons, conductor
Hilary Hahn, violin

Anna THORVALDSDOTTIR Archora 
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART Symphony No. 33
Johannes BRAHMS Violin Concerto

This concert was originally broadcast on April 20, 2024, and is no longer available on demand.

To hear a preview of Brahms's Violin Concerto with Hilary Hahn, as well as her reflections of her #100daysofpractice Instagram series, use the player above and read the transcript below.

Hear more from Hilary Hahn, with Jeremy Siegel, on GBH's Morning Edition.

TRANSCRIPT:

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Hilary Hahn

And here is the synopsis from the BSO's performance detail page:

Andris Nelsons, conductor 
Hilary Hahn, violin

Anna THORVALDSDOTTIR Archora
MOZART Symphony No. 33
Intermission
BRAHMS Violin Concerto

Thursday evening's performance by Hilary Hahn is supported by the Roberta M. Strang Memorial Fund.
Thursday evening’s concert is in memory of Eric N. Birch, supported by Sandra O. Moose.
Friday afternoon's concert is supported by the Plimpton Shattuck Fund.
Saturday evening’s performance by Hilary Hahn is supported by Jerry Nelson
Support for this program has been provided, in part, by the E. Nakamichi Foundation

Opening the program is Wolfgang Mozart’s charming Symphony No. 33, followed by Anna Thorvaldsdottir's monumental work Archora, a recording of which was named among the best of 2023 by the Boston Globe, New York Times, and NPR. Closing the program, international star Hilary Hahn is soloist in one of the greatest works in the repertoire: Brahms’s Violin Concerto. Brahms composed this rich, lyrical work in 1878 for, and with the advice of, his friend Joseph Joachim, a towering virtuoso of the age.

I posted about it at the time and concluded "The program wasn't part of my subscription, so I can't give you any personal impressions. The review in the Globe was favorable and gives an encouraging overview of the Thorvaldsdottir piece. The Intelligencer is also favorable, with a more detailed description of the Thorvaldsdottir.

"All in all, this semms like a concert worth hearing."

BSO/Classical New England — 2024/09/07

This week's encore broadcast is one I didn't post about because I was still getting home from my Rhine Cruise #MyVikingCruise. I'll try to find the BSO performance detail page and reviews for you. Here's what WCRB says: 

Saturday, September 7, 2024
8:00pm

In an encore broadcast, BSO Assistant Conductor Earl Lee leads Henri Tomasi’s sultry, atmospheric Saxophone Concerto with soloist Steven Banks in his BSO debut. The piece is bookended by César Franck’s Le Chasseur maudit, or "The Accursed Huntsman," and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, both exploring the power of fate.

Earl Lee, conductor
Steven Banks, saxophone

César FRANCK Le Chasseur maudit
Henri TOMASI Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4

This concert was originally broadcast on November 25, 2023, and is no longer available on demand.

In a conversation with WCRB's Brian McCreath, Steven Banks describes the qualities that make Tomasi's Saxophone Concerto unique among concertos for the instrument, as well as what it takes to cover the full range of saxophone repertoire, and Earl Lee talks about his experiences conducting Franck's Le Chasseur maudit and Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony. To listen, use the player above, and read the transcript below.

TRANSCRIPT (lightly edited for clarity):

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath from WCRB, at Symphony Hall with BSO Assistant Conductor Earl Lee and saxophonist Steven Banks. It's so good

The interview is worth reading or listening to.

The BSO performance detail page, in addition to the links to performer bios and program notes on each piece, gives us the following synopsis:

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Symphony Hall, Boston, MA 

Earl Lee, conductor 
Steven Banks, saxophone

FRANCK Le Chasseur maudit 
TOMASI Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra
Intermission
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4

French composer César Franck’s Le Chasseur maudit — “The Cursed Hunter” — is based on a ballad about a man commits the grave sin of hunting on the Sabbath and is doomed to be eternally chased by demons. BSO Assistant Conductor Earl Lee leads the sultry, atmospheric 1949 Saxophone Concerto by French composer Henri Tomasi; making his BSO debut, American Steven Banks is one of today’s leading classical saxophone performers. The program closes with the emotional turmoil of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, which opens with the famous “fate” motif, and sweetened by the composer’s great gift for beautiful melody.

Neither the Globe nor the Musical Intelligencer carried a review, so all I can say is it should be worth listening to. The Franck piece gets played occasionally on the radio, and it's not bad. Of course the Tchaikovsky is a staple of the repertoire, and from the interview, it seems the Tomasi should be interesting. So enjoy.

BSO/Classical New England — 202

 With the Tanglewood season over and the first Saturday evening concert of the Symphony Hall season scheduled for September 28, WCRB has four evenings to fill. Tonight andthe following two weeks they'll give us "encore broadcasts from last season at Symphony Hall, all with artists making their debuts with the orchestra. I don't know what they're planning for September 21.

Here's what they're telling us about this evening's show:

Saturday, August 31, 2024

8:00pm

In an encore broadcast, Joana Mallwitz conducts Kodály’s "Dances of  Galánta" and Schubert's Symphony No. 9. Anna Vinnitskaya, also in her BSO debut, is the soloist in Tchaikovsky’s beloved Piano Concerto No. 1.

Joana Mallwitz, conductor
Anna Vinnitskaya, piano

Zoltán KODÁLY Dances of Galánta 
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1
Franz SCHUBERT Symphony No. 9 in C, "Great"

This concert was originally broadcast on November 4, 2023, and is no longer available on demand.

In an interview with CRB's Brian McCreath, conductor Joana Mallwitz previews the program, reveals which piece of music sparked her desire to be a conductor, and talks about her new position as Chief Conductor of the Konzerthaus Orchestra of Berlin. To listen, use the player above and follow along with the transcript below.

TRANSCRIPT:

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath from WCRB at Symphony Hall with Joana Mallwitz here in Boston for the Boston Symphony for the very first time.

As you see, there is an interview with the conductor, which you can access if you go to the WCRB page. I found it interesting.

The BSO's performance detail page for the concert is still available from last November with all the usual links, which can be useful. There we read:

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Symphony Hall, Boston, MA 

Joana Mallwitz, conductor
Anna Vinnitskaya, piano

KODÁLY Dances of Galánta 
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1
Intermission 
SCHUBERT Symphony in C, The Great

German conductor Joana Mallwitz and Russian pianist Anna Vinnitskaya, both in their BSO debuts, perform Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s beloved and epic Piano Concerto No. 1, which originally premiered in Boston. The orchestra opens with the lively Dances of Galánta (1933) by Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály, which combines traditional folk melodies from the composer’s home region with a symphonic context. In closing, Schubert’s towering Symphony in C, The Great, written near the end of his life and premiered a decade after his death by none other than Felix Mendelssohn.

I neglected to write asbout the original performance, but the reviews are also available. The Globe reviewer liked everything. The Musical Intelligencer gives us a review of the Saturday performance as well as the usual one of the preceding Thursday's performance.

This is all pretty standard and popular music, but the reviews indicate that the playing and conducting were special. It should be enjoyable to hear.

Tanglewood — 2024/08/24-25

 Regrettably, I failed to alert you to the Friday evening Tanglewood concert. It began with the Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1, and concluded with Elgar's Enigma Variations. To my taste it may have been the best concert of the weekend. My Dad bought a record of the Chopin (Eduard Kilenyi as soloist), and I always liked it, especially the third movement; and the Enigma is enjoyable. I hope you found it on your own. If not it should become available "on demand" fairly soon.

This the the final week of BSO at Tanglewood. Here's what's still to come.

 I don't fiind anything on WCRB's website about this evening's concert. here's what the BSO says on their performance detail page:

Boston Symphony Orchestra 
Karina Canellakis, conductor 
James Ehnes, violin
Tanglewood Festival Chorus 
 James Burton, conductor

BEETHOVEN The Creatures of Prometheus Overture 
BRAHMS Schicksalslied
-Intermission-
CHAUSSON Poème, for violin and orchestra 
RAVEL Tzigane, for violin and orchestra
RAVEL Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2

Tonight’s concert is generously supported by Rabbi Daniel Freelander and Rabbi Elyse Frishman, in memory of their daughter Devra Freelander.

This evening's performance by the Tanglewood Festival Chorus is supported by the Alan J. and Suzanne W. Dworsky Fund for Voice and Chorus.

Unfortunately, Leonidas Kavakos has had to withdraw from this performance due to a shoulder injury sustained earlier this month, from which a full and complete recovery is anticipated. We are very fortunate that James Ehnes is able to step in on short notice. The program remains unchanged. 

Sat, Aug 24, 2024, 8:00pm EDT

Correction: With another approach, I was able to find the following from WCRB:

Saturday, August 24 , 2024
8:00 PM

Conductor Karina Canellakis returns to Tanglewood to lead the BSO and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus in rhapsodic music by Brahms and Ravel, and violinist James Ehnes is the soloist in Chausson’s “Poème” and Ravel’s “Tzigane.”

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Karina Canellakis, conductor
James Ehnes, violin
Tanglewood Festival Chorus,
James Burton, conductor

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus
Johannes BRAHMS Schiksalslied
Ernest CHAUSSON Poème
Maurice RAVEL Tzigane
RAVEL Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2

If you want to know more about any of those pieces, check out the program notes at the BSO site. IMO none of this is exactly must listen music, but nothing unpleasant either.

The season finale has included the Beethoven 9th for a number of years. This year we get apiece by Bruckner to open the concert. WCRB specifies:

Sunday, August 25, 2024
7:00 PM

In a time-honored Tanglewood tradition, soloists Ambur Braid, Jess Dandy, Elgan Llŷr Thomas, and Davóne Tines join the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and its “Ode to Joy,” conducted by Ludovic Morlot. The concert opens with a sacred motet by Bruckner, titled “Behold a great priest.”

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Ludovic Morlot, conductor
Ambur Braid, soprano
Jess Dandy, contralto
Elgan Llŷr Thomas, tenor
Davóne Tines, bass
Tanglewood Festival Chorus
James Burton, conductor

Anton BRUCKNER Ecce sacerdos magnus
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9

Again, the BSO performance detail page offers more information, including links to program notes:

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Ludovic Morlot, conductor (Beethoven)
James Burton, conductor (Bruckner)
Ambur Braid, soprano 
Jess Dandy, contralto 
Elgan Llŷr Thomas, tenor
Davone Tines, bass-baritone
Tanglewood Festival Chorus

BRUCKNER Ecce sacerdos magnus
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9

This evening's performance by the Tanglewood Festival Chorus is supported by the Alan J. and Suzanne W. Dworsky Fund for Voice and Chorus.

Regrettably, Hannu Lintu has canceled his Tanglewood appearances, after recently sustaining a leg injury. We are grateful that Ludovic Morlot is available at short notice to conduct the BSO’s performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

Sun, Aug 25, 2024

When I was a boy, "Ecce sacerdos magnus (Behold a high priest" was used to accompany the entrance of a bishop into a church and as the opening chant of a Mass honoring a saint who was a bishop. It's unfortunate that the program note doesn't give the text, but this article gives it. Here's a wki article about the piece. It should be interesting. I presume all are at least generally aware of the Beethoven.

As the Tanglewood season ends, there's still good listening this weekend.