BSO — 2024/01/13

 The BSO is back live with a concert I don't especially care about. WCRB gives us the essentials: https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/the-boston-symphony-orchestra/2023-09-25/leons-stride-and-ravel-with-seong-jin-cho-and-the-bso

Saturday, January 13, 2024
8:00pm

Encore broadcast on Monday, January 22

Recent Pulitzer Prize winner and 2022 Kennedy Center honoree Tania León brings Strideto Symphony Hall, a piece inspired by Susan B. Anthony and the steps women continue to take towards equality. Award-winning pianist Seong-Jin Cho returns to perform Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, composed for pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who lost an arm in World War I. The concert closes with one of the most influential pieces in history: Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.

Andris Nelsons, conductor
Seong-Jin Cho, piano

Tania LEÓN Stride 
Maurice RAVEL Piano Concerto for the left hand
Igor STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring

Watch Tania León describe the creative process behind Stride.

From NPR: Tania León Wins Music Pulitzer ForStride, Celebrating Women's Resilience.

To hear Seong-Jin Cho preview Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, use the player above, and read the transcript below.

TRANSCRIPT:

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Seong-Jin Cho

I'll listen to the first piece out of curiosity. As far as I'm concerned, the Concerto for the Left Hand is innocuous but nothing special, so I'll leave the radio on; but I don't like Rite of Spring, so I may well turn the radio off after intermission.

The BSO's performance detail page tells us:

Andris Nelsons, conductor 
Seong-Jin Cho, piano

Tania LEÓN Stride
RAVEL Piano Concerto for the left hand
Intermission
STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring

This week’s performances of Tania León Stride are supported in part by income from the Morton Margolis fund in the BSO’s endowment.
Thursday evening's performance by Seong-Jin Cho is supported by the Nathan R. Miller Family Guest Artist Fund.

Tania León’s Pulitzer Prize-winning piece Stride draws on her Cuban heritage and her long association with dance to create music rich with rhythmic vitality and scintillating instrumental colors. Superstar Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho plays Maurice Ravel’s dramatic Piano Concerto for the left hand, originally composed for pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his arm during World War I. Closing the concert is and one of the most influential pieces in history: Igor Stravinsky’s ballet score The Rite of Spring, a work of primal power.

Program notes are there for each of the pieces.

So far, there is no review in the Intelligencer, but the Globe is very favorable, especially for the Ravel concerto.

Enjoy, if you listen.

BSO/Classical New England — 2023/12/30

 For this week's "encore broadcast" WCRB brings us the concert of September 24, 2022, which they describe as follows:

Saturday, December 30, 2023
8:00 PM

In an encore broadcast, Andris Nelsons leads the Boston Symphony and the Lorelei Ensemble in Gustav Holst’s sweeping "The Planets," and pianist Awadagin Pratt makes his BSO debut with a concerto by J.S. Bach and Jessie Montgomery’s "Rounds."

Andris Nelsons, conductor
Awadagin Pratt, piano
Lorelei Ensemble

John WILLIAMS A Toast
Johann Sebastian BACH Keyboard Concerto in A, BWV 1055
Jessie MONTGOMERY Rounds
Gustav HOLST The Planets

This concert was originally recorded on September 24, 2022.

To hear a preview of Jessie Montgomery's Rounds with pianist Awadagin Pratt, use the audio player above.

Transcript:

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall, where I talked with pianist Awadagin Pratt today about Jessie Montgomery's Rounds

I posted about it at the time. Since I had heard the same program on Thursday, I was able to give my impressions as well as link the reviews. Those links still work. Here's a link to the BSO performance detail page, which gives access to the full program notes.

Enjoy.

BSO/Classical New England — 2023/12/23

 They don't tell us in so many words, but it looks as if this evening's BSO offering from WCRB is this collection from the days of Seiji Ozawa: https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/the-boston-symphony-orchestra/2021-11-11/tchaikovskys-the-nutcracker-from-the-bso

Saturday, December 25, 2021
8:00 PM

In a timeless holiday season tradition, Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra bring to life Tchaikovsky's magical tale of Christmas, Sugar Plum Fairies, and one very handsome prince!

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa, conductor

BACH/STRAVINSKY Chorale Variations on Vom Himmel hoch
TCHAIKOVSKY The Nutcracker
BERLIOZ Overture and "Shepherd's Farewell" from Part 2 of L'enfance du Christ

It's good stuff, worth listening to.

BSO/Classical New England — 2023/12/16

 As Holiday Pops continues to hold the stage in Symphony Hall, WCRB treats us to another "encore broadcast." This time it's the concert of last April 22, which they describe as follows:

Saturday, December 16, 2023
8:00 PM

In an encore broadcast, Anne-Sophie Mutter is the soloist in Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 1 and Thomas Adès’s Air, a work inspired by Sibelius. Andris Nelsons leads the BSO in Sibelius’s Luonnotar, with soprano Golda Schultz, and in his Symphony No. 5.

Andris Nelsons, conductor
Golda Schultz, soprano
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin

SIBELIUS Luonnotar (translation)
MOZART Violin Concerto No. 1
Thomas ADÈS Air, for violin and orchestra
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 5

This concert was originally recorded on April 22, 2023, and is no longer available on demand.

Hear a preview of Thomas Adès's Air with Anne-Sophie Mutter using the audio player above, and read the transcript below.

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT:

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Anne-Sophie Mutter, who is back with the Boston Symph

I wrote about it at the time, and I'm connfident all the links in my post will still work, so check them out. It was good last spring, so it should be good now.

Enjoy.

December WHRB Orgy® Season

 I'm sorry I didn't get to this sooner. The Warhorse Orgyran on December 1 and 2. Then came Brahms 190, which ended yesterday.Fortunately, there is still good material to come. Beginning at noon on Decfember10, we get 100 Yeqars of Maria Callas. The The Emerson Quartet Orgy begins at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, December 11. It continues off and on until Wednesday evening. One intermission is at 1:00 on Tuesday: Gems of French Opera.

The full program guide, with specific timings, is available at https://www.whrb.org/programming/program-guide/

There's also a button on that page for you to listen if you're beyond broadcast range.

BSO/Classical New England — 2023/12/09

My cruise prevented me from posting on November 18; my cancelled flight home and the fonsequent delay of one day kept me from saying anything on the 25th. I don't remember why I didn't put anything up last week, but finally I'm back and ready to go. Meanwhile, I hope you found the concerts without a push from me.

Now the Symphony is on hiatus while "Holiday Pops" graces Symphony Hall. We get an encore broadcast  from last winter. Here's the blurb from WCRB:

Saturday, December 9th, 2023
8:00pm

In an encore broadcast, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet joins the Boston Symphony for Saint-Saëns’s virtuosic Egyptian Concerto, and Israeli conductor Lahav Shani leads the BSO in his Symphony Hall debut with Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony and Rachmaninoff’s dazzling Symphonic Dances.

Lahav Shani, conductor
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

Sergei PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 1, Classical
Camille SAINT-SAËNS Piano Concerto No. 5, Egyptian
Sergei RACHMANINOFF Symphonic Dances

This concert was originally broadcasted on February 18th, 2023 and is no longer available on demand.

Hear a preview of Saint-Saëns's Piano Concerto No. 5 with Jean-Yves Thibaudet with the audio player above, and read the transcript below:

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT:

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Sy

(The past participle of broadcast is broadcast, not "broadcasted." What's the matter with kids these days?)

I posted about it back then, and I expect the links there to work now. It looks as if I neglected to post a link to the BSO's performance detail page.Here it is, with the usual links.

This should be enjoyable.

BSO — 2023/11/11

 Sorry I missed last week.

Here's WCRB's synopsis of this week's concert:

Saturday, November 11, 2023
8:00pm

Encore broadcast on Monday, November 20

Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu leads the BSO in Peter Lieberson’s Drala, inspired by the Tibetan Buddhist term describing life-source, as well as Schumann’s brooding and majestic Symphony No. 4. Leonidas Kavakos returns to Symphony Hall to perform Alban Berg’s final finished piece, the Violin Concerto, written in response to the death of Alma Mahler's daughter.

Hannu Lintu, conductor
Leonidas Kavakos, violin

Peter LIEBERSON Drala
Alban BERG Violin Concerto
Robert SCHUMANN Symphony No. 4

Leonidas Kavakos appears courtesy of Sony Classical, a label of Sony Music Entertainment

In a preview conversation, Hannu Lintu describes the connections among the three pieces on this program, the story behind Berg's Violin Concerto, with its dedication to Manon Gropius and the meaning behind the Bach chorale embedded in its last movement, and why his Finnish musical background draws him to Schumann's Fourth Symphony. To listen, use the player above, and read the transcript below.

Meanwhile, the BSO's performance detail page gives us this (along with links to the program notes):

Hannu Lintu, conductor 
Leonidas Kavakos, violin 

LIEBERSON Drala
BERG Violin Concerto
Intermission
SCHUMANN Symphony No. 4

How do you see the world? Drala, a BSO commission by American composer Peter Lieberson, premiered in 1986 and takes its title from a Tibetan Buddhist term. The word “drala” has many meanings, one of which relates to deepening and expanding one’s perception of the world. Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu leads the BSO and frequent guest Leonidas Kavakos in Alban Berg’s final finished piece; quoting poignantly from Bach, this haunting 1935 Violin Concerto was written in response to the death of a friend’s daughter. In closing, Robert Schumann’s majestic Symphony No. 4, which draws inspiration from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony in its use of recurring musical themes to tie together the work’s four movements.

The Globe reviewer didn't like the first piece but seems to have enjoyed the rest.

The Intelligencer's reviewer loved the first piece, but was unhappy with the Schumann.

Based on all that, I'm not expecting to enjoy "Drala." In general, I don't care for Berg, but the violin concerto may be less bad than some of his stuff. So for me, the best part will come after intermission, with the Schumann symphony. See what you think, f you listen.

BSO/Classical New England — 2023/10/28

 The BSO isn't at Symphony Hall this week, so WCRB is giving us an "encore broadcast" of a concert from last April. Herewith the particulars as they give them:

Saturday, October 28th, 2023
8:00pm

In an encore broadcast, BSO Assistant Conductor Earl Lee conducts Unsuk Chin’s powerful tribute to Beethoven, subito con forza, and Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 2, as well as Mozart’s brooding Piano Concerto No. 20 featuring soloist Eric Lu in his Boston Symphony debut.

Earl Lee, conductor
Eric Lu, piano

Unsuk CHIN subito con forza
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 20, K. 466
Robert SCHUMANN Symphony No. 2

This concert was originally broadcasted on April 8th, 2023 is no longer available on demand.

Hear a preview with conductor Earl Lee using the audio player above, and read the transcript below.

TRANSCRIPT:

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Earl Lee, Boston Symphony Assistant Conductor. Earl,

For whatever reason, I failed to post about it back in April. Fortunately, the BSO performance detail page for the concert is still available, with active links to the program notes and the following general blurb:

BSO Assistant Conductor Earl Lee, making his full-program Symphony Hall debut, is joined by acclaimed young Chinese American pianist Eric Lu for Wolfgang Mozart’s passionate, stormy D minor piano concerto. The title of South Korean-born composer Unsuk Chin’s brief, exciting concert opener translates as "suddenly, with power." Composed during one of his periods of chronic depression, Robert Schumann’s Second Symphony is nevertheless wonderfully affirmative and optimistic in character.

Eric Lu’s performance Friday afternoon is supported by the May and Dan Pierce Guest Artist Fund.

---

Earl Lee, conductor
Eric Lu, piano

Unsuk CHIN subito con forza
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K.466
Intermission
SCHUMANN Symphony No. 2

The review in the Globe is favorable; I can't find one in the Intelligencer.

It seems that if this isn't quite up to the level of "must listen," you could certainly do worse.

BBSO — 2023/10/21

 This is one you won't want to miss. Here's how WCRB describes it:

Saturday, October 21, 2023
8:00pm

Encore broadcast on Monday, October 30

Andris Nelsons leads the BSO in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 with soloist Paul Lewis. This heroic piece is paired with Hannah Kendall’s The Spark Catchers, a new work inspired by imagery from Lemn Sissay’s poem by the same name, and James Lee III’s Freedom’s Genuine Dawn, a BSO co-commission with texts by the 19th-century African-American orator and activist Frederick Douglass read by narrator Thomas Warfield.

Andris Nelsons, conductor 
Paul Lewis, piano
Thomas Warfield, narrator

Hannah KENDALL The Spark Catchers
James LEE III Freedom’s Genuine Dawn, for narrator and orchestra (BSO co-commission)
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5, Emperor

Read Lemn Sissay's 2017 poem "The Spark Catchers" here.

Read the entire text of "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" from PBS and learn more about the speech from the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Using the tabs below, you can hear composer James Lee III describe the genesis of Freedom's Genuine Dawn as well as Paul Lewis describe the journey of performing all five of Beethoven's Piano Concertos. Transcripts included below.

James Lee III InterviewPaul Lewis Interview

Of course, the major attraction comes after the intermission, Beethoven's Fifth Piano Concerty, nicknamed "Emperor." It ranks amount my faavorite pieces ever. But the first part of the concert is also intriguing. I want to hear "Freedom's Genuine Dawn. From the description in the program notes, it should be worth heariing. I heard "The Spark Catchers" on Friday afternoon along with Beethoven's No. 2 and 4 on Friday afternoon. It's ho-hum — definitely tolerable but, on first hearing, not memorable. On balance, I'd say it's worth sitting through to get to the rest of the show.

The program notes, for more information about the pieces, are linked on the BSO's own performance detail page, which begins with this description of the concert:

Andris Nelsons, conductor
Paul Lewis, piano 
Thomas Warfield, narrator 

Hannah KENDALL The Spark Catchers 
James LEE III Freedom’s Genuine Dawn, for narrator and orchestra (Co-commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons, Music Director, through the generous support of the New Works Fund established by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.)
Intermission
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5, Emperor

English pianist Paul Lewis takes us on a musical and stylistic adventure through all five of Beethoven’s piano concertos over three concerts. These performances are paired with two poetic journeys: Hannah Kendall’s The Spark Catchers, inspired by imagery from Lemn Sissay’s poem by the same name; and James Lee III’s Freedom’s Genuine Dawn, a BSO co-commission set with texts by the seminal 19th-century African American orator and activist Frederick Douglass.

The review in the Intelligencer gives some idea of what to expect in "The Spark Catchers." Since it is of the Thursday concert, it has nothing about the rest of the program. So far, there is no review in the Globe.

I'll be going out to my club for dinner. I want to try the veal chop which is a special this week. But I definitely plan to hear the rebroadcast on Monday October 30. I recommend listening this evening if you're free, and again or for the first time on the 30th.

BSO — 2023/10/14

It looks like an unusual concert this evening. WCRB tells us:

Saturday, October 14, 2023
8:00pm

Encore broadcast on Monday, October 23

Yo-Yo Ma brings his unsurpassed passion to both of Shostakovich’s powerfully emotional cello concertos as part of the BSO’s multi-season survey of Shostakovich’s symphonies and concertos, and Haydn’s Symphony No. 22, nicknamed Philosopher, is paired with Iman Habibi’s moving Zhiân in a program led by Music Director Andris Nelsons.

Andris Nelsons, conductor 
Yo-Yo Ma, cello 

Joseph HAYDN Symphony No. 22, Philosopher 
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH Cello Concerto No. 2
Iman HABIBI Zhiân (BSO commission)
SHOSTAKOVICH Cello Concerto No. 1

Listen to The World's interview with Iman Habibi from earlier this year and learn the meaning behind Zhiân.

The BSO performance detail page puts it this way:

Andris Nelsons, conductor 
Yo-Yo Ma, cello 

HAYDN Symphony No. 22, Philosopher 
SHOSTAKOVICH Cello Concerto No. 2
Intermission
Iman HABIBI Zhiân (Commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons, Music Director, through the generous support of the New Works Fund established by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.)
SHOSTAKOVICH Cello Concerto No. 1

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma brings his unsurpassed skill and passion to both of Shostakovich’s powerful cello concertos, originally written for the legendary Mstislav Rostropovich. These performances are part of the BSO’s multi-season survey of Shostakovich’s symphonies and concertos. Haydn’s stately Symphony No. 22, nicknamed Philosopher, pairs with Iman Habibi’s Zhiân, a BSO commission, to round out the evening. 

Saturday’s concert is supported by Lloyd Axelrod, M.D.

The Friday Preview on October 13 at 12:15pm will be hosted by author and Northeastern emeritus professor Harlow Robinson with composer Iman Habibi. Admission included with ticket.

As usual, there are links to the program notes, which could be interesting. You may also get some idea about the music from the review in the Intelligencer. The Globe also has a generally favorable review, but questions the choice of Haydn to open the concert.

In general, I don't care for Shostakovich, and I don't hope for much from Zhiân. OTOH, the Haydn symphony is very enjoyable. If it were just a little earlier, I might skip it this evening and go to my club for dinner and plan to catch the rebroadcats on the 23rd. Anyway, I recommend the Haydn.