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 — 2015/03/26-31

This week the Boston Symphony is giving another world premiere. It's a wonderful work for organ and orchestra titled Ascending Light, by Michael Gandolfi. The BSO commissioned it to honor their long-time organist Berj Zamkochian and to commemorate the Armenian Genocide, which began in 1915. Music Director Andris Nelsons will conduct and Olivier Latry will be the organ soloist. After intermission, we'll hear Mahler's Symphony No. 6. In addition to the usual links to program notes, audio previews, and performer bios, the orchestra's performance detail page gives the following background information on the concert:

Andris Nelsons returns for the final three of his ten enormously wide-ranging 2014-15 programs. Here he conducts the BSO's second world premiere of the season, a concerto written by Boston-based composer Michael Gandolfi for Symphony Hall's remarkable, recently restored Aeolian-Skinner organ. Gandolfi's dynamic, pattern-infused, colorful works include the earlier BSO commissions The Garden of Cosmic Speculation (premiered by the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra) and Night Train to Perugia (premiered by the BSO in 2012). Gandolfi's new work shares a program with Gustav Mahler's powerful Symphony No. 6, arguably Mahler's most heartfelt symphonic statement-his wife Alma called it "the most completely personal of his works."

The Boston Musical Intelligencer published an interview with the composer which is a good preview, like the official program notes. As for the reviews, the Globe was unimpressed, while the Boston Musical Intelligencer finds it "a distinguished addition to that rara avis, the organ concerto." As for the Mahler, BMInt noted many details of the performance and had no complaints, while the Globe gave a mixed review.

My own feeling is that the new piece by Gandolfi is a masterpiece, almost overwhelming. It is true music throughout (not like way too much recent "music" which lacks coherence, recognizable melody, or harmony — this has all three in abundance), with plenty of the life force which gives the first movement its title, and lyricism when it comes to the ascending light section. The audience gave a prolonged standing ovation for conductor, organist, and composer, and I think it was fully deserved. I'm far from alone in my opinion: there are favorable comments on the BMInt's interview with Michael Gandolfi, and the following comment on their review:

Great review. Thursday evening’s concert was superb. The Gandolfi work was powerful, expressive, and moving. I’ve never seen a BSO audience roar with such a sustained standing ovation to any new work being performed. Yes, it was tonal and accessible, but more than that, it was *really good.* It’s a work I want to hear again. When was the last time any of us said that at the premiere of any new work here in Boston? 

BSO management, please take note. I think if there is a distaste for new music in Boston, it’s more a distaste for atonal, inaccessible music that virtually no one except for 3-4 academicians can remotely enjoy or take any pleasure in. Thankfully we are done hearing the Elliott Carters and Milton Babbitts of the world here in Boston now that what’s-his-name is gone. There have to be other compositional voices out there besides Michael Gandolfi who write new music that is meaningful, expressive, and engaging. 

Kudos to Michael Gandolfi for writing a tremendous, powerful, and deeply affecting new piece of music. I have to believe this is a work that will be played for many years to come.

So I'm urging you to listen to the broadcast/webstream over WCRB on Saturday evening and again on Monday, April 6, both at 8:00 Boston (Daylight Saving/Summer) Time. If you don't like Mahler, you can "leave" at intermission.  The station's BSO page also offers a link to an interview with the composer and the organist. It's not about the music itself so much as about how it got composed and about organs and organ playing in general.

Edited to add: Here's a link to a video of brief excerpts from the BSO. It gives some idea, but of course it can't match the impact of hearing the whole thing.

Tanglewood — 2012/08/03-05

Sorry for being so late posting: I've been preoccupied with other things, some of which were important. Anyway, here's the line-up for this weekend.

Friday, August 3.  Lorin Maazel is scheduled to conduct the following:

MOZART - Symphony No. 38, Prague
MOZART - Arias from Così fan tutte, The Marriage of Figaro, and Don Giovanni
RAVEL - Alborada del gracioso
RAVEL - Don Quichotte à Dulcinée, for baritone and orchestra
RAVEL - Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2

Baritone Gerald Finley will be the soloist. Links to notes and audio previews are on this page of the BSO website



Saturday, August 4.  Under the baton of Christoph von Dohnány the orchestra will play Schumann's Symphony No. 4 and Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2, with Yefim Bronfman as soloist in the latter piece. The BSO performance detail page, with links for notes and audio previews is here.



Sunday, August 5.  Sunday afternoon brings us a world premiere, a piece by Michael Gandolfi titled "Night Train to Perugia," which he composed on commission from the BSO. Also on the program are Piano Concerto No. 5, "Egyptian," by Saint-Saëns, with Jean-Yves Thibaudet as soloist and the Symphonie Fantastique of Berlioz at the end to keep the audience in their seats until the end of the show. Lorin Maazel conducts again. The performance detail page links only notes and audio for the Berlioz.


The website for Classical New England, which streams and broadcasts these concerts, has its own links to material about the concerts, both on the home page (as of this writing) and on their page devoted to their BSO program(me)s.


For timings, see my posts for previous Tanglewood weekends.