Interchanging Idioms

Keith Lockhart led opening night program featuring Broadway sensation Bernadette Peters, music by Boston Pops Laureate Conductor John Williams, and a new orchestral arrangement of  Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” Celebrating Keith Lockhart’s 20th anniversary as Boston Pops Conductor, the orchestra's 2015 Spring Season opened on Wednesday, May 6 at 8 p.m. with Tony Award-winning actress Bernadette Peters as the special Opening Night guest. Maestro Lockhart was fetted in grand fashion at the end of the evening with a five-foot tall cake presented on stage at Symphony Hall. Keith Lockhart opened the first concert of the 2015 Boston Pops season with John Williams’ celebratory “Sound the Bells!,” a musical tribute to Frank Sinatra, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the singer’s birth, and the premiere of a new orchestra arrangement of Meghan Trainor’s hit pop song “All About that Bass,” written exclusively for the Boston Pops. The Broadway megahit “Everything’...

It shouldn't matter the sex of the person on the podium, but it's nice to see some 'traditions' are being broken. I remember seeing Marin Alsop conduct the Colorado Symphony way back when she was still the Music Director. I remember the headlines when she moves from Colorado to Baltimore to become the first female conductor of a major US orchestra. I started following her career watching what she did with the Cabrillo New Music Festival in California, and reading about her exploits in Europe and Asia. She was quickly becoming the woman to watch on the podium. Several years later I was treated to a brief conversation with her about new music and her advocacy for composers and the performance of new music. As a composer, her support was trilling. She continues to thrill audiences around the world proving it isn't the sex of the person on the podium, but their passion for the music that makes the difference. Over the past 15 years, I have been blessed to see many of ...

AWARD FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROFESSIONAL CHORAL ART Duain Wolfe, Chorus Director for the Colorado Symphony, has been awarded The 2012 Michael Korn Founders Award for Development of the Professional Choral Art. “I am overwhelmed and truly honored by this award,” said Mr. Wolfe. “In a nation where ten percent of the population is actively involved in choral singing, it is humbling to be accorded such a tribute. The professional choral arts embrace a wide range of organizations and I am especially proud that two of Colorado's finest choruses that are models of high professional standards, the Colorado Symphony Chorus and the Colorado Children's Chorale, are sharing this tribute with me.” VP for Artistic Administration at the Colorado Symphony, Anthony Pierce, added “Duain is a remarkable resource for the Colorado Symphony, and I can’t emphasize enough how fortunate we are to have him make the commitment that he does to this community and the state of Colorado.” “As an artis...

Universal Classics continues its commitment to conductor Daniel Barenboim with this new release on Deutsche Grammophon of Bruckner’s Symphony no. 7 in E major featuring the Staatskapelle Berlin. Recorded live in the Berlin Philharmonie in June, 2010, this performance was rapturously received by the audience which erupted into 13 minutes of uninterrupted applause. The recording will be available on May 8, 2012. In June 2010 Barenboim conducted six of Bruckner’s symphonies at the Berlin Philharmonie within a single week, programming the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Symphonies alongside Beethoven’s five piano concertos, with Barenboim himself as the soloist. It was the most monumental project of the concert season, both for the musicians involved and for the audience. The result of this cycle (a favorite practice with Barenboim) was an extraordinarily flexible Bruckner with fluently shifting tempi and an exceptional range of orchestral tone colors. The Staatskapel...

The St. Louis Symphony announced today a change to its May 4-6, 2012 performances at Powell Hall. Guest conductor Rafael Frübeck de Burgos has had to cancel his appearances with the Symphony due to health reasons. Peter Oundjian , who is conducting the St. Louis Symphony’s April 20-22 concerts, will also conduct the final weekend of the Symphony’s RachFest, featuring pianist Stephen Hough performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerti No. 1 and No. 3. The St. Louis Symphony will also perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Glinka’s Ruslan and Lyudmila Overture during all three weekend concerts. Tickets are still available and can be purchased on line at www.stlsymphony.org , by phone at 314-534-1700 or in person at Powell Hall’s box office, 718 North Grand Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63103.

Also joined by Yefim Bronfman and Gil Shaham for Mozart, Beethoven & Berg Michael Tilson Thomas will conduct the London Symphony Orchestra in three concerts in May and June at the Barbican. On 27 May they perform Mahler’s Symphony No 4, with soprano Elizabeth Watts and are joined by Yefim Bronfman as soloist in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 3. Bronfman returns on 31 May to perform Berg’s Chamber Symphony alongside violinist Gil Shaham and the programme is completed by Mahler’s Symphony No 1 (‘Titan’). The trio of Mahler symphonies continues on 3 June with a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No 5, alongside Mozart’s Violin Concerto No 5 (‘Turkish’) with Gil Shaham as soloist. Before the 3 June concert at 6pm there will be a free recital given by Guildhall School musicians, part of the ongoing Guildhall Artists at the Barbican series. Michael Tilson Thomas is Principal Guest Conductor of the LSO. In June 2013 he returns to conduct the Orchestra with cellist Yo-Yo Ma in three conce...

The Gürzenich Orchestra in Cologne , Germany today announced that U.S. conductor James Gaffigan will become its first Principal Guest Conductor at the start of the 2012/13 season. In addition to annual concerts, this newly created position will entail CD recording projects and conducting opera productions with the Opera of Cologne Oper Köln. This is the third European appointment for 33-year-old Mr. Gaffigan who assumed the positions of Chief Conductor of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra in 2011. Throughout the current season, Mr. Gaffigan has made numerous prominent U.S. orchestral debuts and he makes his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic this week, on Friday, March 30 at 8:00PM at Walt Disney Concert Hall, leading a program of Respighi’s Trittico Botticelliano, Bartók’s Miraculous Mandarin Suite and Grieg’s Piano Concerto with André Watts. Mr. Gaffigan says he accepted the Gürzenich Orchestra inv...

Last night I was afforded opportunity to watch a rehearsal of Nicola Benedetti and Christoph Koenig with the Pacific Symphony I've see the Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 performed lived a half dozen times. Nicola has performed it at least ten times that amount, recorded in and put in countless hours prior to that learning the piece. What all that time and effort has done is to internalize the music, to the point there is very little thought as to what's the next note. Watching Nicola go through the various passages, starting and stopping, repeating sections and moving on drove home how very familiar she is with the music. Nicola had a music stand with the music, but this was only as a reference point so when Maestro Koenig asked for the orchestra to start 8 bars before rehearsal letter "A" she could find that point in the music. After a quick glance to determine what phrase she would start with, the rest of that portion of the rehearsal as introspective, Nicola co...

Mr. Gaffigan to make his debut with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra. In addition he returns to lead the Minnesota Orchestra and the Baltimore, Dallas, Milwaukee, National and Toronto symphony orchestras American conductor James Gaffigan returns to North America in 2012 to lead nine major orchestras in engagements which include debuts with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Praised for his passionate and energetic performances as well as his ability to connect with audiences and musicians, Mr. Gaffigan has attracted international attention and has frequently been acknowledged as “one to watch”. In the summer of 2011, James Gaffigan assumed positions as Chief Conductor of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. This season, in addition to his ten weeks with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and four weeks ...

On the evening of Friday, October 14, at Powell Hall in St. Louis, conductor David Robertson, Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony, was made a “ Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres ” by the French Republic’s Ministry of Culture. The award and medal were presented to Mr. Robertson by Marie-Anne Toledano, Cultural Attaché of the Consulate General of France in Chicago, at a festive reception after the St. Louis Symphony concert. This concert, led by David Robertson, gave the U.S. premiere of French composer Philippe Manoury’s Synapse, with violinist James Ehnes as soloist. It was supported by FACE, the French-American Fund for Contemporary Music created by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in 2004. Additional works on the program were the Overture to Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman and Sibelius’s Symphony No. 1. The “Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” (Order of Arts and of Letters) was established on May 2, 1957, by the French Minister of Culture, and ratified as part ...

After an extraordinarily busy start to his new season with the New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert hits the road in October for a series of guest conducting engagements with major orchestras in the U.S. and Europe. His debut with the Munich Philharmonic (Oct 16, 18, 19) will include his first performance of Janácek’s thrilling Sinfonietta. A program of Haydn and Beethoven with the San Francisco Symphony (Oct 27–29) will also include Dutilleux’s L’arbre des songes, a violin concerto to be performed by Renaud Capuçon. Concerts with the Cleveland Orchestra (Nov 11–13) will feature Schoenberg’s hauntingly beautiful Pelleas und Melisande, which Gilbert conducted to great acclaim in his first season as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, and last season with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. With Hamburg’s NDR Symphony Orchestra (Dec 1–3), Gilbert will conduct – among other works – Brahms’s grandly scaled Piano Concerto No. 2, with guest soloist Yefim Bronfman. In two Pa...

Conductor James Conlon has been honored with a 2011 ECHO Klassik Award, one of the most established and well known music awards in the world, in the category “Music DVD Recording of the Year (Documentation)” for his performance in the film A Surprise in Texas: The Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. The prize will be awarded to Mr. Conlon, as well as the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, during a ceremony to be held October 2, 2011 at the Konzerthaus Berlin. The documentary follows James Conlon and the competitors of the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition during the rigorous three-week competition, offering an intricate view into the inner workings of the world's most prestigious piano competition, including intense rehearsals, preconcert rituals, and finally the receipt of the gold prize. The documentary features pianists Haochen Zhang of China , 19 – the youngest competitor – as well as blind pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii, 20, of Japan and Yeol Eum Son...

Thomas Søndergård, principal conductor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, will succeed Thierry Fischer as principal conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW) starting in September 2012. Søndergård's first outing with the orchestra, in December 2009, was apparently a mutually satisfactory experience. "It was an amazing moment for me," said the conductor, "and I retain a vivid memory of the players' involvement and sheer enthusiasm from the very first note." BBC NOW Executive Director David Murray concurred: "Thomas has won over the Orchestra with his natural musicianship, dynamic drive and deep commitment.''

Catch his post from Greg Sandow on the future of classical music here Greg makes a series of points about the whether or not orchestras are actively trying to improve their playing. He sites several examples of orchestras who tout on one hand how important quality music is to them and yet on the other hand the near complete avoidance of how to improve this quality when the subject is brought up. The main question: are orchestras really trying to improve or are they leaving improvement up to the individual players? For my own part I think improvement can be looked at in a variety of ways; Is the orchestra playing technically better or Is the orchestra providing more exciting concerts. Maybe this last one isn't really an internal improvement, but one of external exposure. It does still, however, signify some change in the status of an orchestras performance. In terms of improving technical ability there is the conundrum of the war between the individual and the ensemble....

Lee Mills to conduct FREE BSO concert as part of Artscape festivities, July 16 The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra announced today that Lee Mills, 24, a talented American conductor will be the third recipient of the BSO-Peabody Conducting Fellowship. This one-year program is designed to support the musical and leadership development of today’s young conductors. Beginning in September 2011, Mr. Mills will begin a one-year artist diploma program, receiving a full tuition scholarship to the Peabody Institute at the Johns Hopkins University. Mr. Mills will also receive personal instruction from BSO Music Director Marin Alsop, who actively shapes the program. A native of Montana, “promising young conductor” ( The Baltimore Sun ) Lee Mills recently completed a graduate performance diploma from the Peabody Institute. During that time, he served as the assistant conductor of the Peabody Concert Orchestra, the Peabody Singers and the Peabody-Hopkins Chorus. A new music enthusiast, he has premie...

At a recent meeting, the Board of Directors of the Bruckner Society of America chose Franz Welser-Möst, Music Director of The Cleveland Orchestra and the General Music Director of the Vienna State Opera, to receive the Julio Kilenyi Medal of Honor. The Kilenyi Medal of Honor was created by Julio Kilenyi (1885-1959) especially for the Bruckner Society of America. The first medals were given out in 1933 to Arturo Toscanini, Serge Koussevitsky, and Bruno Walter. Ever since those first awards were presented, the Society has continued to present them to conductors, scholars, and musicologists who have helped to further the understanding and appreciation of Anton Bruckner’s life and work. It is for Franz Welser-Möst’s understanding, advocacy, and dedication to Bruckner’s music that the Board of Directors has chosen to present this special recognition to Franz Welser-Möst during his upcoming series of performances with The Cleveland Orchestra at the Lincoln Center Festival. The award ...

After his final concert this season as Pianist-in-Residence of the Berlin Philharmonic, where he will perform Mozart and Dvořák chamber works on June 8, the celebrated Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes prepares for a tour of summer festivals in Norway, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy, plus song recitals in Germany, England, and Switzerland. Andsnes and German baritone Matthias Goerne will perform songs by Mahler and Shostakovich at the Risør Festival, Verbier Festival, and Salzburg Festival; Andsnes will also give solo recitals at the Ruhr Festival, Cheltenham Festival, and Verbier Festival, plus a performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 with the Budapest Festival Orchestra at the Kissinger Sommer Festival. Andsnes’s solo program this summer is the one he performed in the U.S. and Europe this spring, featuring two piano sonatas by Beethoven (No. 21 in C major, Op. 53, “Waldstein,” and No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111) and works by Brahms (Four Ballades, Op. 10) and Schoenberg (Sech...

Italian conductor Riccardo Muti has been named winner of Spain's Prince of Asturias arts award for 2011. The Prince of Asturias Foundation said Wednesday that Muti was "one of the best classical music directors in the world" and highlighted "the passion and virtuosity with which he has conducted the most prestigious orchestras." Muti also won the $1 million Birgit Nilsson Prize earlier this year. Eight Asturias prizes are awarded each year covering the arts, human rights, sciences and sports. They include a €50,000 ($74,000) cash award and a sculpture by Joan Miró. They are presented by Spain's crown prince each autumn in Oviedo.

New York Philharmonic Music Director Alan Gilbert begins the month of April guest conducting the Berlin Philharmonic in a program covering Berg’s Seven Early Songs with mezzo-soprano Christianne Stotijn, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat major (K. 482) with pianist Emanuel Ax, and Stravinsky’s complete Firebird ballet (April 1-3). Gilbert returns to his home city to give the New York Philharmonic’s annual Erich Leinsdorf Lecture (April 4), which will be webcast live from the Walter Reade Theater on the orchestra’s web site (www.nyphil.org/leinsdorf). The subject of the lecture, entitled “Performance and Interpretation,” will be whether there is such a thing as a perfect interpretation. Next up is a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 with the Juilliard Orchestra (April 15). Gilbert closes out the month back on the podium with the New York Philharmonic, leading the orchestra in a program that presents Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 and Messiaen’s Couleurs de la Cité céleste with ...

BSO Concertmaster Jonathan Carney will perform Bruch’s Second Violin Concerto Young German conductor Cornelius Meister makes his Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) debut leading the BSO in Brahms’ Second Symphony on Thursday, April 28 at 8 p.m. and Friday, April 29 at 8 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and Saturday, April 30 at 8 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore. Also on the program will be Mahler’s arrangement of Smetana’s The Bartered Bride Overture and Bruch’s rarely heard Second Violin Concerto, featuring BSO Concertmaster Jonathan Carney. Johannes Brahms composed his ebullient and tender Second Symphony at the peak of his career. Brahms began work on his second symphony in the summer of 1877, while on vacation in a country retreat in Pörtschach, and later premiered the symphony in Vienna in December of the same year. Making his debut performance, the BSO welcomes young German conductor Cornelius Meister, who also holds the post of Chief Conductor and Artistic ...