2021-2022 SEason News & Reviews: 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY SEASON
"The performances we heard clearly bore the stamp of a thorough, intensively, and purposefully didactic preparation: there were meticulously crafted details of depth, layering, and inner dialogue of the layers of symphonic sound – they bore witness to an obvious, unceasing care for the precise finish of the phrasing, governed by properly balanced balances of dynamics and, of course, distinguished by the wonderful contributions of the various solo instruments. The result of all this was a symphonic sound that was stimulatingly clear, transparent, vivid and detailed. In general, avoiding any type of risky outbursts, Zander's conducting left everywhere and always sufficient space for the development of the orchestral details and the highlighting of the particularities of the writing." Read it on efsyn.gr
-
Boston Classical Review: Blazing night of Russian music benefits Ukraine war relief with Boston Phil Youth Orchestra
"To be sure, the BPYO has been one of the most consistently impressive and musically satisfying groups in town this past decade. This season was no exception. Though comprised mainly of teenagers, it’s an orchestra whose collective professionalism belies its membership’s juvenescence. What’s more, the players typically bring a sense of excitement, discovery, and intentionality to their performances that, in turn, enlivens even the most familiar repertoire." -Jonathan Blumhofer, Read it on Boston Classical Review
- WGBH: A benefit concert for children in Ukraine and its geopolitical playlist: interview with Benjamin Zander
“For a young orchestra, they open up their souls and their emotional pores in a way that they are unlikely to do in the environment of home and school,” he said. “So it's a liberating experience and it's an unforgettable experience. I meet people 20 years after they have been in this orchestra, the previous one, and they tell me that the tour was the thing, that that was the thing that changed their lives, and they'll never forget it.” -Benjamin Zander. Article by James Bennett II read it on WGBH.org.
- WGBH: The May Drop from a knockout opera to a knocked out Shakespere "The Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra goes on tour every year. In 2022, they were slated to visit Russia, and then a war happened. The youth talent have since set their sights on Greece, but for now, under the direction of Benjamin Zander, they'll be presenting a concert featuring a program of Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Prokofiev, for the benefit of Ukraine relief." -James Bennett II. Read it on WGBH.org
- Boston Herald: Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra’s concert aims to score win for Ukraine relief “It seems very fitting for this moment to play music that is very deep and full of extremely powerful emotions played by young people,” Zander told the Herald ahead of the concert...The BPYO itself seems to hold itself in protest — protest against expectations, fate, a society that often appears to not value complex, enriching art. Through a decade, the makeup of the symphony has become more diverse than most major professional symphonies. Its repertoire defies the idea that young people can’t play intensely challenging works. Its leader, at 83 years old, revels in championing the talents of kids just out of elementary school." -Jed Gottlieb. Read it on Boston Herald.com
- WBUR: 10 Classical concerts to enjoy this spring
"Benjamin Zander, director of the Boston Philharmonic and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, has announced that “the Boston Philharmonic stands in solidarity with Ukraine. All ticket sales from this concert will be donated to the Ukraine Tensions: No Child Forgotten program to assist some of Ukraine's most vulnerable children suffering from Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.” This meaningful program of Russian music begins both ironically and with a wish for the future, Shostakovich’s “Festive Overture,” followed by Georgian pianist Alexander Korsantia playing Prokofiev’s fiendishly difficult and exhilarating Third Piano Concerto and ends with Tchaikovsky’s tragic “Pathétique” Symphony." -Lloyd Schwartz, Read it on WBUR.org
Ukraine's anthem is known as "Shche ne Vmerla Ukrainy i slava, i volia," which translates to "Glory and Freedom of Ukraine has not yet Perished." The lyrics are derived from a patriotic poem by Pavlo Chubynsky.
The orchestra also closed with Shostakovich's 5th Symphony, which they say has served as a symbol of power and protest."
- The Boston Musical Intelligencer: War, Terror...and Yes, Uplift
"On Sunday, moreover, Zander’s very moderate starting tempo undercut any thoughts of festivity, suggesting instead the people’s slow trudge. The second-subject trumpet solo (Jon-Michael Taylor) broke through the orchestra’s stranglehold; the shimmering horn solo that ushers in the development seemed to belong to a different time and place. This took us, inexorably, to another magic celesta moment before the march returned. Zander’s slow pace clarified Shostakovich’s reason for putting the final metronome mark in quavers: he wanted us to hear every individual eighth note, right down to the coda, where, under timpani bashing in fourths (Shostakovich must have had the Mahler Third in mind), one note, an A, is repeated 252 times. In Zander’s final pages, this was the note of the people, the protest of the people, the resistance of the people, their ownership of the music." -Jeffrey Gantz, Read it on The Boston Musical Intelligencer
- The Simmons Voice: A night with the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra
"The music is layered and compounding, and as the maestro states, “the music gets so complicated and opaque… at some points 35 different voices can be heard.” The voices all complement each other, and the imagery is so vivid in every part. As I listen to the music, I feel as if I am with Strauss while he was writing it." -Piper Summer
Read the full article here.
- Boston Classical Review: Elgar, Ravel, Shostakovich works imbued with resonance by Zander, Boston Phil Youth Orchestra
"The BPYO’s three-dimensional, purposeful reading was less played through than lived out...for all its mighty exclamations, this Shostakovich Five thrived on moments of quiet and delicacy. Its exposed woodwind exchanges unwound tenderly. The Largo’s fragile episodes were gripping for their intensity; its last bars provided fleeting, shimmering catharsis...The result was a performance of riveting focus and, especially over the finale’s insistent final pages, soaring, singing defiance." -Jonathan Blumhofer, Read it on Boston Classical Review
- Boston Musical Intelligencer: Zander and BPYO Thrive in Demanding Concert
"The evening concluded with many minutes of applause and exuberant stomping from the stage and house, and too many curtain calls to count, making the energy and optimism in the air palpable. A year’s worth of preparation for something without any certainty of realization had not been in vain, and hope for the future not only endured, but also thrived." -Nathaniel Eiseman, Read it on The Boston Musical Intelligencer
"as gripping and natural a Mahler Fourth as I’ve ever heard. The first movement was both disciplined and flexible, with seamless exchanges between its numerous themes. In the second, the music’s sheer weirdness came over bracingly – thanks, in no small part, to concertmaster Eric Chen’s sneeringly characterful scordatura solos. The gorgeous third was spacious and serene, and never lacked for concentration: Zander’s handling of the shifts of character between each variation were perfectly unaffected; and the movement’s rich climaxes were contrasted by playing of astonishing tonal presence." -Jonathan Blumhofer, Read it on Boston Classical Review
