2010-2011 Season
Dear Friends,
I invite you to subscribe to the upcoming season of the Boston Philharmonic. Of course, each program stands alone and can be enjoyed separately. But when you become a subscriber, you decide to go on a journey with us — a journey to new places, as well as to some familiar ones that will emerge in a new light when we visit them again together. I will be your “tour guide” and I promise the orchestra will play their hearts out for you!
I have created four programs, each of which projects a self-contained world. I am especially excited by the first program, in which the music of Debussy, Gershwin, Stravinsky and Ravel combines to conjure up the sophistication, color, brilliance and panache of Paris in the early 20th century. La Mer, An American in Paris and the Symphonies of Wind Instruments are all new to Boston Philharmonic programs. But our old friend, pianist Stephen Drury, who perhaps more than anyone in our community stays at the cutting edge of musical performance, will be on hand to recreate his galvanizing performance of Ravel’s Piano Concerto from fifteen years ago, which was included in the Penguin CD Guide as one of the best recordings of the piece ever made.
We performed Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony not so many years ago, but I have been thinking so deeply about Bruckner recently, while preparing our performances of the Fifth and with all the excitement surrounding the Grammys, that his music has come to occupy a huge place in my life. It feels that it is time to go back to the Eighth — the grandest of them all — to see what new views and vistas will emerge. I cannot wait to scale again the heights of this great masterpiece and share its sublime vision of spiritual uplift with you. This program will bring solace to your soul.
I have known about Ilya Kaler for years as one of the leading virtuosi of the day — he is the only violinist to win the Gold Medal at the Triple Crown of violin competitions: Tchaikovsky, Sibelius and Paganini. Recently I heard his recording of the Szymanowski Violin Concerto and I knew immediately I had to bring this amazing artist (and that work) to Boston. Having overlooked the great Polish composer Szymanowski in the past, I was thrilled to discover this masterpiece. Kaler’s performance of it is like burning ice! The other two works on the program, Vaughan Williams’ Tallis Fantasy and Elgar’s Enigma Variations have been very dear to my heart since my youth and are probably their composers’ two most beloved works. Their warmth and expansiveness make a wonderful English “sandwich” for the smoldering, compacted intensity of the Szymanowski.
Finally, it is an immense privilege to welcome back Natalia Gutman. Whenever she comes to Boston all the string players start vibrating with excitement. No musician today carries the authentic flame of Russian performance art like Natalia! To be in her rehearsals is a revelation — we have no spoken language in common, but her extraordinary communicative ability and the certainty of her “voice” inspire everyone to greater expressive heights. The prospect of performing Natalia’s Shostakovich Second Cello Concerto and Prokovief’s staggeringly powerful Romeo and Juliet together on one program thrills me perhaps more than anything else in this unusually rich and varied season.
Our Wagner and Mahler Ninth concerts sold out last season, so be sure to have your tickets in advance. And remember, in the pre-concert talks I will explain the music, give the back story and point out beauties and ways of listening, so that during the performances you will be completely engaged with the music. As a subscriber you will go through the whole journey and I dare say your eyes will be shining!
Benjamin Zander | |
Current Season 
2010-2011 Season
Concert 1
read more...
