BSO/Classical New England — 2026/08/29

 Now that the Tanglewood season is over, during the hiatus until the Symphony Hall season begins, WCRB treats us to "encore broadcasts" of past concerts. This evening we can hear a reprise of the opening concert of last year's season. In the words of WCRB: https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/the-boston-symphony-orchestra/2025-09-09/opening-night-of-the-bsos-2025-2026-season

Saturday, August 29, 2026
8:00 PM

In an encore broadcast, the Boston Symphony Orchestra launches its 2025-2026 season with the music of gods and heroes, conducted by Music Director Andris Nelsons. This program pairs Mozart’s final symphony—No. 41, which earned the name Jupiter in honor of its unprecedented ambition and majesty—with Richard Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben, or, A Hero's Life, a work of intensely personal emotion and orchestral virtuosity.

Andris Nelsons, conductor

W.A. MOZART Symphony No. 41, Jupiter
Richard STRAUSS Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life)

This concert was originally broadcast on September 27th, 2025, and is not available on demand.

In the first of a three-part interview, BSO Concertmaster Nathan Cole describes his experience of the 2025 Tanglewood season and the challenges of the solo violin part of Strauss's Ein Heldenleben. To listen, use the player above.

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT:

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath from WCRB at Symphony Hall with Nathan Cole, the 11th Concertmaster of the Boston Symphony.

The BSO's page is here with the usual arrows linking to performer bios and program notes:  https://www.bso.org/events/sep-25-27-mozart-strauss?performance=2025-09-27-20:00 They synopsize as follows:

Symphony No. 41, Jupiter, Mozart's last symphony, represents the pinnacle of Classical-era symphonic writing, with luminous orchestration and bright tunefulness that are so classically Mozart. Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben is a bold, autobiographical tone poem, weaving together six stories while echoing themes from his greatest works.

There doesn't seem to be a note for the Mozart symphony (at least I didn't find it) but the one for "Ein Heldenleben" is quite extensive and informative.

I'm not a big fan of Strauss, but I consider his music okay, and the Mozart is great.