BSO — 2025/01/17-18

 This week we get two concerts, one on Friday and one on Saturday. The BSO is in the midst of a series in which they are performing all nine Beethoven symphonies in three weeks. Last Saturday it was the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. I neglected to post about that in advance, but the replay should be available on Monday evening, January 20. We can hear Nos. 4 and 5 on Friday evening. WCRB's blurb follows:

Friday, January 17th, 2025
8:00 PM

The Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons continue their journey through all nine Beethoven Symphonies in a special Friday night broadcast of a program that includes the lyric and joyful Symphony No. 4 and the iconic Symphony No. 5.

Andris Nelsons, conductor

ALL-BEETHOVEN program
Symphony No. 4
Symphony No. 5

Learn more about the cultural impact of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony from Matthew Guerrieri, author of The First Four Notes: Beethoven's Fifth and the Human Imagination, in a conversation with WCRB's Brian McCreath.

Learn more about the BSO's "Beethoven and Romanticism" festival.

See the BSO performance detail page for links to the program notes, etc.:

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Symphony Hall, Boston, MA 

Andris Nelsons, conductor

ALL-BEETHOVEN program
Symphony No.4
-Intermission-
Symphony No. 5

Beethoven composed his Fourth and Fifth symphonies almost concurrently, but they’re very different in their expressive impact. The Fourth is one of Beethoven’s warmest, most congenial works, sharing that mood with the Violin Concerto completed just after the symphony. The Fifth Symphony, by contrast, creates wonderful intensity through the famous four-note “fate” motif—perhaps the most famous musical fragment of all time—and resolves that tension in a triumphant finale.

 

At the regular time on Saturday, they'll play Nos. 6 and 7, as WCRB informs us:

Saturday, January 18th, 2025
8:00 PM

Andris Nelsons leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the third part of an epic survey of all nine of Beethoven’s symphonies, including the Symphony No. 6, the Pastoral Symphony, and the Symphony No. 7, a work infused with dynamic rhythmic energy.

Andris Nelsons, conductor

ALL-BEETHOVEN program
Symphony No. 6, Pastoral
Symphony No. 7

Learn more about the BSO's "Beethoven and Romanticism" festival.

Similarly, the performance detail page has a description and the usual links:

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Symphony Hall, Boston, MA 

Andris Nelsons, conductor

ALL-BEETHOVEN program
Symphony No. 6, Pastoral
-Intermission-
Symphony No. 7

Beethoven conceived his Pastoral Symphony, No. 6, as an illustration of a lovely day spent in the countryside, where we encounter babbling brooks, birds of various sorts, friendly country dwellers, and a brief, tumultuous storm. His Seventh Symphony has long been one of his most popular works—especially its solemn Allegretto, which had such an effect at its premiere that it was immediately encored.

So it should be a great couple of evenings.

BSO/Classical New England — 2024/12/28

 This evening we have a replay of a couple of debut performances: https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/the-boston-symphony-orchestra/2023-09-25/the-bso-debuts-of-ferrandez-and-hindoyan

Saturday, December 28, 2024
8:00pm

Venezuelan conductor Domingo Hindoyan makes his BSO debut leading the American premiere of the BSO co-commissioned Symphony No. 6 by Puerto Rican composer Roberto Sierra. Also making his BSO debut is Spanish cellist Pablo Ferrández in Edward Elgar’s regal and impassioned Cello Concerto, often interpreted as a profound reaction to the First World War. One of the repertoire’s greatest symphonies, Czech composer Antonín Dvořák’s darkly majestic Seventh, exudes his love for his native Bohemia as well as the influence of his mentor, Johannes Brahms.

Domingo Hindoyan, conductor
Pablo Ferrández, cello

Roberto SIERRA Symphony No. 6 (American premiere; BSO co-commission)
Edward ELGAR Cello Concerto
Antonín DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 7

The broadcast was originally broadcast on March 30, 2024, and is no longer available on demand.

Kendall Todd spoke with Domingo Hindoyan about his personal relationship with Roberto Sierra's music, what makes Dvořák's Seventh Symphony so special, and sharing a BSO debut with Pablo Ferrández. Follow along with the audio player above and the transcript below.

TRANSCRIPT:

Kendall Todd I'm Kendall Todd here at Symphony Hall with Domingo Hindoyan, who is here at Symphony Hall with the Boston Symphony for the first time.

Go to the BSO performance detail page for links to the program notes. Here's their synopsis:

Domingo Hindoyan, conductor
Pablo Ferrández, cello

Roberto SIERRA Sinfonía No. 6 (American premiere; co-commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons, Music Director, as part of the Koussevitzky150 initiative, with generous support from the New Works Fund established by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, and Catherine and Paul Buttenwieser.) 
ELGAR Cello Concerto
Intermission
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 7

Thursday evening’s concert is supported by Nancy and Richard Lubin.
Thursday evening's performance by Pablo Ferrández is supported by Mary Cornille, in loving memory of Jack Cogan.
Saturday evening’s concert is in memory of Stephen R. Weber, supported by Dr. Dorothy A. Weber.
Saturday evening's performance by Pablo Ferrández is supported by Jim Aisner, in memory of his wife, Virginia Simpson Aisner.

Venezuelan conductor Domingo Hindoyan makes his BSO debut leading the American premiere of Roberto Sierra’s Symphony No. 6, a BSO co-commission. Also making his BSO debut is Spanish cellist Pablo Ferrández in Edward Elgar’s regal and impassioned Cello Concerto, often interpreted as a profound reaction to the First World War. One of the repertoire’s greatest symphonies, Czech composer Antonín Dvořák’s darkly majestic Symphony No. 7 exudes his love for his native Bohemia as well as the influence of his mentor, Johannes Brahms.

When I wrote about it back at the time it was originally broadcast, I noted a favorable review in the Intelligencer and an encouraging program note about the Sierra piece. So it's worth listening to IMO.

BSO/Classical New England — 2024/12/21

 Tonight's BSO concert on WCRB:

Saturday, December 21, 2024
8:00pm

Seiji Ozawa leads the BSO in a magical ballet score for the season that expresses the innocence of childhood and the drama of transformation, sprinkled with musical delights and passion.

J.S. BACH / Igor STRAVINSKY Chorale Variations of Vom Himmel hoch
Pyotr TCHAIKOVSKY The Nutcracker
Hector BERLIOZ Overture and "Shepherd's Farewell" from L'enfance du Christ

This concert was originally broadcast on December 23, 2023.

Clearly, this was not a live concert last year, but something WCRB put together for the occasion a while back, which means that there is no BSO performance detail page or reviews. But it is all seasonal music and worth hearing, so I recommend giving a listen.

BSO/Classical New England — 2024/12/14

 This week's encore broadcast is from last March. Here's WCRB's description:

Saturday, December 14, 2024
8:00pm

Eminent English conductor Sir Mark Elder returns to Symphony Hall for the first time since 2011 to lead a program exploring whimsy, fantasy, and folklore. He leads the American premiere of Elena Langer’s The Dong with  the Luminous Nose, a setting of Edward Lear’s delightful “nonsense poem,” written for the BSO and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The performance features BSO Principal Cellist Blaise Déjardin as soloist along with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Maurice Ravel’s Mother Goose began as a suite of children’s piano pieces, each illustrating an iconic fairytale, while Antonín Dvořák’s The Noonday Witch is based on a much darker Czech folktale. Czech composer Leoš Janáček’s energetically masterful Sinfonietta closes the program.

Sir Mark Elder, conductor 
Blaise Déjardin, cello 
Tanglewood Festival Chorus

Maurice RAVEL Mother Goose 
Elena LANGER The Dong with a Luminous Nose, for cello, chorus, and orchestra (American premiere; BSO co-commission)
Antonín DVOŘÁK The Noonday Witch
Leoš JANÁČEK Sinfonietta

This broadcast was originally broadcast on March 16, 2024, and is no longer available on demand.

Read Edward Lear's "The Dong with a Luminous Nose" at Poetry Foundation.

For a preview of the program with Sir Mark Elder, use the player above, and read the transcript below:

TRANSCRIPT:

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Sir Mark Elder, and you are back with the Boston Symphony for the first time in quite a while. But it's really wonderful to have you here

The BSO's own performance detail page gives the same overall description, but also has links to the program notes, which could prove useful:

Sir Mark Elder, conductor 
Blaise Déjardin, cello 
Tanglewood Festival Chorus 
 James Burton, conductor 

RAVEL Mother Goose (complete) 
Elena LANGER The Dong with a Luminous Nose, for cello, chorus, and orchestra (American premiere; BSO co-commission) Commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons, Music Director, through the generous support of the Arthur P. Contas Commissioning Fund.
Intermission
DVOŘÁK The Noonday Witch
JANÁČEK Sinfonietta

This week's performances by the Tanglewood Festival Chorus are supported by the Alan J. and Suzanne W. Dworsky Fund for Voice and Chorus.

Thursday evening's concert is supported by Patricia Romeo-Gilbert, in memory of Paul B. Gilbert.

Friday afternoon’s concert and soloist Blaise Déjardin are supported by the Elfers family.

Eminent English conductor Sir Mark Elder returns to Symphony Hall for the first time since 2011 to lead a program full of whimsy, fantasy, and folklore. Opening the program, Maurice Ravel’s Mother Goose ballet score began as a suite of children’s piano pieces, each movement illustrating an iconic tale. Next is the American premiere of Elena Langer’s The Dong with a Luminous Nose, a setting of Edward Lear’s delightful “nonsense poem” written for the BSO and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, which gave the first performance in March 2023 featuring BSO principal cello Blaise Déjardin as soloist with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Antonín Dvořák’s The Noonday Witch is based on a much darker Czech folktale. Czech composer Leoš Janáček’s energetic, masterful Sinfonietta closes the concert.

I wrote about it back then, a bit more favorably than I feel right not. I found the Ravel dull, although most peopple seem to enjoy it. The Langer piece was amusing at points and the music fits the text, but IMO it isn't music for the ages. The concert gets really good after intermission with an interesting piece by Dvořák and a good one by Janáček. In other words it could be interesting to hear.

BSO — 2024/11/30

.Saturday, November 30, 2024

8:00 PM

Andris Nelsons and the two 2024 Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellows share this concert of Norwegian and Finnish works, beginning with Jean Sibelius’s Finlandia. Then, Benjamin Grosvenor is the soloist in Edvard Grieg’s fiery Piano Concerto, followed by Grieg’s Baroque dance-inspired Holberg Suite. The program concludes with Sibelius’s single-movement Seventh Symphony, the ultimate expression of his personal musical language.

Andris Nelsons, conductor
Ross Jamie Collins, Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellow
Na’Zir McFadden, Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellow
Benjamin Grosvenor, piano

Jean SIBELIUS Finlandia
Edvard GRIEG Piano Concerto
GRIEG Holberg Suite
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 7

Hear a preview of the concert with conductors Na'Zir McFadden and Ross Jamie Collins using the player above, and read the transcript below.

Hear Benjamin Grosvenor's conversation with CRB's Cathy Fuller about his recent recording of works by Robert and Clara Schumann and Brahms.

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT (lightly edited for clarity):

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with two conductors from, well, last summer's Tanglewood Music Center, but also many other arenas in which they've conducted, now making their Boston Symphony debuts here at Symphony Hall. Na'Zir McFadden, it's good to see you today. Thank you for your time.

BSO/Classical New England — 2024/11/23

 I forgot to post last week  I had attended on Friday afternoon, and it was a good concert: a Mozart piano concerto and Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony, "Pathétique." Catch the replay on Monday evening if you can,

Today we're getting an "encore broadcast" of the concert from last April 6, which WCRB describes as follows:

Saturday, November 23, 2024
8:00pm

The first program in the BSO’s Music for the Senses festival centers on Alexander Scriabin’s Prometheus, Poem of Fire, in which the composer depicts the evolution of human consciousness. Also on the program are Anna Clyne’s Color Field, inspired in part by the vibrancy of the Mark Rothko 1961 painting Orange, Red, Yellow, Richard Wagner’s ecstatic Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde, and Franz Liszt’s Prometheus.

Andris Nelsons, conductor
Yefim Bronfman, piano
Tanglewood Festival Chorus

Anna CLYNE Color Field
Richard WAGNER Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde
Franz LISZT Prometheus
Alexander SCRIABIN Prometheus, Poem of Fire, for piano, color organ, chorus, and orchestra

This concert was originally broadcast on April 6, 2024, and is no longer available on demand.

To hear a preview of Scriabin's Prometheus, Poem of Fire with pianist Yefim Bronfman, use the player above, and read the transcript below.

TRANSCRIPT (lightly edited for clarity):

The program notes are linked at the BSO's own performance detail page:

Andris Nelsons, conductor 
Yefim Bronfman, piano 
Anna Gawboy, lighting research
Justin Townsend, lighting designer
Tanglewood Festival Chorus
 James Burton, conductor

Anna CLYNE Color Field 
WAGNER Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde
Intermission
LISZT Prometheus 
SCRIABIN Prometheus, Poem of Fire, for piano, color organ, chorus, and orchestra

This week's performances by the Tanglewood Festival Chorus are supported by the Alan J. and Suzanne W. Dworsky Fund for Voice and Chorus.

A program of color: It opens with Anna Clyne’s Color Field, inspired in part by the vibrancy of a Mark Rothko painting. Followed by Richard Wagner’s ecstatic Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde, and Franz Liszt’s Prometheus. The program closes with Alexander Scriabin’s Prometheus, Poem of Fire. When Alexander Scriabin wrote Prometheus, Poem of Fire, he conceived of a “light organ” that would project colors corresponding to his music. Prometheus premiered in 1911 with future BSO Music Director Serge Koussevitzky, whose 150th birthday year we celebrate in 2024.

I wrote about it at the time (with several typos). Presumably the links to the reviews still work. As you can see, the reviews were hardly raves, but apart from the Wagner (which is a staple on WCRB's regular programming) this is not frequently performed music, so it may be worth listening just to experience something unfamiliar.

I'm guessing that the reason WCRB isn't giving us the live concert is that one of the pieces is accompanied by "lush projections of based on images from [Georgia] O' Keeffe's lifes and work." If I'.m right it's ironic that they decided to replace it with another concert which includes background color changes.

BSO — 2024/11/09

 Now for something (not completely) different, The BSO is giving us a Duke Ellington Anniversary Celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of the composer's  death. WCRB gives us the particulars, along with an interview that explains it all:

Saturday, November 9, 2024
8:00 PM

The BSO and Thomas Wilkins mark the 50th anniversary of Duke Ellington’s death with four of this American musical genius’s symphonically ambitious works, beginning with the orchestral Three Black Kings and Night Creature. Then, pianist Gerald Clayton is the soloist in the optimistic New World A-Coming. And Renese King leads a cast of incredible vocalists in selections from Ellington’s Sacred Concerts, conceived as a parallel to traditional European church music, featuring styles at the core of jazz, including gospel, the blues, and spirituals in a multi-dimensional, oratorio-like presentation.

Thomas Wilkins, conductor
Gerald Clayton, piano
Renese King, vocalist
The Duke Ellington Tribute Singers: Christina DeVaughn, Amy Onyonyi, Carolyn Saxon, Renese King, Karen Tobin-Guild, Laura Vecchione, Michael Bradley, Daon Drisdom, Philip Lima, Davron Monroe, Samuel Moscoso, Donnell Patterson

Duke Ellington Anniversary Celebration

ALL-ELLINGTON PROGRAM

Three Black Kings
Night Creature
New World A-Coming, for piano and orchestra
Selections from the Sacred Concerts

In a preview of this program, conductor Thomas Wilkins describes the way each piece reflects particular aspects of Duke Ellington's musical expression and perspectives on life, spirituality, and art. To listen, use the player above, and read the transcript below.

TRANSCRIPT (lightly edited for clarity):

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Thomas Wilkins, who's back here with the Boston Symphony for a really, really special concert. Thom, thanks so much for your time today. And thanks for talking about Duke Ellington, a fantastic program this week.

Thomas Wilkins Duke Ellington is a great guy to have to talk about, I got to tell you.

Brian McCreath Absolutely. So, let's talk about Duke Ellington in the context of these pieces that you have programmed for this, a kind of specific look at Duke Ellington as the concert composer. You know, we think of Cotton Club and "Mood Indigo," these fantastic parts of the Duke Ellington story. But this is a little different: major pieces that were conceived of as concert pieces, and even with full orchestra in a couple of cases and arranged for full orchestra in every case for the concert.

Until I read the transcript of Brian McCreaths interview with Thomas Wilkins, I thought that Duke Ellington's music was more appropriate for a Boston Pops concert. Clearly, when it comes to this program I was wrong.

In the BSO's performance detail page we find useful links to the program notes for each piece as well as the following brief overall description:

Thomas Wilkins, conductor
Gerald Clayton, piano
Renese King, vocalist
The Duke Ellington Tribute Singers
Christina DeVaughn, Amy Onyonyi, Carolyn Saxon, Renese King, Karen Tobin-Guild, Laura Vecchione, Michael Bradley, Daon Drisdom, Philip Lima, Davron Monroe, Samuel Moscoso, Donnell Patterson

ALL-ELLINGTON PROGRAM
Three Black Kings
Night Creature
New World A-Coming, for piano and orchestra
-Intermission-
Selection from the Sacred Concerts

The BSO and Thomas Wilkins mark the 50th anniversary of Duke Ellington’s death with three of this American musical genius’ symphonically ambitious “Tone Parallels” — his personal take on the tone poem; Gerald Clayton is soloist in the optimistic New World A-Coming. Ellington’s three Sacred Concerts of 1965, 1968, and 1973, conceived as a parallel to traditional European church music, feature styles at the core of jazz, including gospel, the blues, and spirituals in a multidimensional, oratorio-like presentation.

The Globe reviewer had no complaints, and the Intelligencer is highly favorable.

I wasn't there to hear it on Thursday or Friday, so I'm definitely looking forward to listening to this evening's performance.

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.