2010-2011 Season, Concert 1
Gershwin, Ravel, Stravinsky, Debussy
Gershwin An American in Paris
Ravel Piano Concerto in G
Stephen Drury piano
Stravinsky Symphonies of Wind Instruments
Debussy La Mer
The Boston Philharmonic launches its 2010–2011 season with the crisp, bracing harmonies of a program that is all-French, either by birth or by implication. In a lighter tone than is usual with the BPO, the concert opens with Gershwin’s An American in Paris, that remarkable evocation of Parisian sights and sounds seen through the prism of a very American sensibility.
Ravel’s ravishing and virtuosic Piano Concerto in G Major follows. Pianist Stephen Drury has an uncanny affinity for this music, Ravel’s amazing balancing act between subtlety and outrageousness. His performance of this concerto with the orchestra back in 1995 astounded the audience and received rave reviews. We are thrilled that Mr. Drury is returning in this signature work.
Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments, one of the composer’s seminal masterpieces, is scored entirely for solo wind and brass instruments. It was written in memory of Debussy, but the dedication only highlights the differences between the older composer’s evanescent fluidity and the young Russian’s tensile strength and sharp edges.
And to close, we offer Debussy’s beloved La Mer, which, surprisingly, the orchestra has never before played in its 32 year history. Debussy’s score is the iconic French orchestral masterpiece of the twentieth century, ever-fresh, beloved, endlessly imitated by other composers. It is the ultimate orchestra seascape — quintessentially French and as salty as they come. |
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Thursday, October 21, 2010
Sanders Theatre
Discovery Series, 7:00pm
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Jordan Hall
Pre-concert talk, 6:45 pm
Concert, 8:00 pm
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Sanders Theatre
Pre-concert talk, 1:45 pm
Concert, 3:00 pm
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Stephen Drury |
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Current Season 
2010-2011 Season