2018-2019 SEason: 40th Anniversary Season News & Reviews
Boston Musical Intelligencer: BPO Couples Early-20th-Century Masters
"Zander, observing Mahler’s request to accelerate, got the exuberant humor of it, showing both the music and his orchestra at their best." -Jeffrey Gantz
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Arts Fuse: Concert Music Review: The Boston Philharmonic plays Ives and Mahler
"This performance of Ives’ Third was the most welcome entry in the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra’s celebratory season – a beautifully considered, powerfully rendered account of this too-neglected score. " -Jonathan Blumhofer
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Boston Classical Review: Rare Ives and epic Mahler from Zander, Boston Philharmonic
"for Mahler enthusiasts, Boston has no better advocate than Zander." -Aaron Keebaugh
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Boston Musical Intelligencer: Noted by the Conductor
Article by Benjamin Zander.
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Beacon Hill Times: Benjamin Zander: The Mystery of Music is Still Alive at 80
Feature article on Benjamin Zander.
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Associated Press: Can't stop won't stop: Famous conductor's show goes on
Feature article on Benjamin Zander.
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The Arts Fuse: Boston Philharmonic Plays Beethoven
"By any measure, this is an impressive orchestra, as technically accomplished as any number of professional ensembles, domestic and international." -Jonathan Blumhofer
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Boston Classical Review: Fast and gripping, Zander, Boston Philharmonic bring fresh spirit to familiar Beethoven
"From the outset, with the famous opening four-note theme, Zander’s touch carved out something entirely individual yet inevitably familiar given the material...The whisper of Zander and the Boston Philharmonic can be as exciting as their roar...This was the Boston Philharmonic at their biggest and most balanced, from timpanis down to piccolo. A packed house responded with a five-minute standing ovation, including whistles for each of the sections and multiple curtain calls for Zander." – Andrew Sammut
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Wicked Local: Winter Arts Preview Here's the cure for cabin fever
"Long renowned for his groundbreaking interpretations of Beethoven, Boston Philharmonic Orchestra founder and conductor Benjamin Zander burnishes that legend with three all-Beethoven programs, Feb. 14 and 17 at Sanders Theatre in Cambridge, and Feb. 16 at Jordan Hall in Boston. " -Nancy Olesin
WBUR Winter Preview: Here's What's On Tap In The Classical Music World This Winter
"Zander has a history of bringing old chestnuts to fresh life, especially when he uses Beethoven’s notoriously faster metronome markings" - Lloyd Schwartz, WBUR
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The Arts Fuse Concert Review: Boston Philharmonic plays Ginastera, Ravel, and Strauss
"Saturday’s performance at Jordan Hall was galvanic. Principal cellist Rafael Popper-Keizer and principal harp Ina Zdorovetchi set the bar with their introductory duet and the ensemble never looked back.
Indeed, the score’s most delicate moments — the strings’ subtle interlude between the theme and first variation; the lilting “pastoral variation,” played with rosy warmth by principal horn Kevin Owen; the contrabass’s reprise of the theme (executed with lovely tone by principal bass Anthony D’Amico) — were all etched with care." -Jonathan Blumhofer
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Boston Musical Intelligencer: Romping Promenade From BPO
"Every moment felt secure and right under Zander’s leadership...I commend Zander and the BPO (in its 40th year) on their exhilarating promenade through three mutually informing pieces which blended exhilaration and introspection to well-judged effect. Fun but demanding this must have been for the players!" – Lee Eisman
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The Arts Fuse: Concert Review: Boston Philharmonic plays Ginastera, Ravel, and Strauss
"Throughout the concert, Zander’s direction combined attention to detail with grand, well-defined gestures...Zander also spoke about the music between pieces and conducted excerpts with the excitement of someone playing these works for the first time." – Andrew Sammut
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Boston Classical Review: Zander, Boston Philharmonic celebrate with Ginastera, Ravel and Strauss
"The brilliant orchestration and narrative nuances keep musicians on their own toes. The opening bars immediately showed Zander’s knack for achieving a fulsome but transparent sound. “Daybreak” envelops the listener in lush harmonies but the Philharmonic’s balance kept the orchestration from turning into mere cushioning. Voicings embraced rather than merely filled in under the lead. Flutist Lisa Hennessy’s solo in the “Pantomime” impressed with its strong projection, subtle shading and sheer seductive power. Zander shaped an intense “Bacchanale” finale that still savored Ravel’s score." Andrew J. Sammut
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The Boston Globe: With energy, emotion Boston Philharmonic follows Benjamin Zander's lead
"Zander and his orchestra strove for maximum impact. To that, it really feels like “his” orchestra. It’s tough to imagine what the Philharmonic would be without Zander, who celebrates both 40 years with the orchestra and 80 years on Earth this season. Not only does he know the music, he knows the musicians" –Zoe Madonna
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Boston Musical Intelligencer: BPO Opens 40th Season
"Jonah Ellsworth, the soloist in the concerto, brought total concentration to an intense and warmly inflected performance. Who can forget his fine appearance in February of last year in Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the Boston Phil in Sanders? This concerto is a bigger piece, and certainly a better one, indeed the most beloved of all concerti for the cello." -Mark DeVoto
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Boston Classical Review: Boston Philharmonic puts focus back on the music in thrilling season opener
"Thursday’s soloist was the superb cellist Jonah Ellsworth, who proved a supremely collegial collaborator. Ellsworth’s solo line was always comfortably buoyed by the BPO’s sensitive accompaniment. When it rose above, he implemented the score’s Herculean demands with staggering ease and precision – but somehow never drew undue attention to himself. This is the sort of performance you’d expect from a Yo-Yo Ma or a Mischa Maisky, not a musician pushing twenty-five." -Jonathan Blumhofer
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Improper Bostonian: Celebrate the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra’s 40th Anniversary with a Concert
"he season of anniversaries has already begun for the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra – as the BPO celebrates a thrilling forty years of bringing top-notch music to the communities of Boston, it also celebrates the eightieth birthday of their beloved conductor, Benjamin Zander. And what better way to celebrate than by sharing exquisite music?"
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Celebrating 40 Years of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra
"Even after all these years, Benjamin Zander still gets excited for new seasons with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.
You can hear it in the conductor’s voice as he giddily breaks down what’s to come in 2018 and 2019. While Zander’s enthusiasm never wavers season to season, he’s especially excited this time around, as the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra celebrates its 40th anniversary" -Matt Juul
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