2023-2024 SEason News & Reviews
Boston Classical Review: Zander and BPYO try out program of romantic masters before European tour
"Cellist Zlatomir Fung returned to the BPYO as soloist in this performance. Fung offered a sprightly and tender rendering of the concerto, with his flexible and pleasant tone modulating easily through the work’s many moods. The opening chords of the first movement, followed by an expressive entrance by Fung, immediately centered the sensitive relationship between the soloist and the orchestra. The excellent balance between the two continued throughout, with the orchestra maintaining a support that made the delicacy and dynamic range in Fung’s interpretation evident in every phrase...Fung’s final cadenza finished the piece with a perfect combination of precision and virtuosity." -Katherine Horgan. Read the full review on BostonClassicalReview.com
Boston Musical Intelligencer: The BPYO Prepares for Europe
"It started well, with Reynolds Martin’s militant trumpet conveying the flüchtig (fleeting) for the final triplet of the opening tattoo. Zander’s reading was mournful rather than defiant, heavy-footed at times, but the overall tempo and timing approximated what Mahler himself left us in the piano roll of the Trauermarsch that he made in 1905. A neat Luftpause preceded the appearance of the consolatory Abgesang; I always think the first Trio (Plötzlich schneller. Leidenschaftlich. Wild) ought to go faster, but the tempo here matched the piano roll. Zander drew brilliant, crystalline playing from the orchestra"-Jeffrey Gantz. Read the full article on the Boston Musical Intelligencer site.
The Arts Fuse: Classical Music Preview: Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Season Finale
“This year has been, I think, the best musical year I’ve had with these two orchestras,” the loquacious Zander mentioned in closing. “It’s been consistent throughout the year. It’s been a really fabulous season and I’m really happy about it. And this is the culmination for the BPYO before it goes on tour.
“There’s nothing better to do on Friday night than hear this orchestra play. What else would people do that would be better? Of course, people get very excited about the sports teams – and most of them lose. But this orchestra never loses. It wins every game! And with the screaming, shouting, and carrying on at the end – why wouldn’t you want to be a part of that?” -Jonathan Blumhofer, Read the full article on The Arts Fuse.
The Swellesley Report: Wellesley POPS Senior Profile: Violinist William Prentice orchestrates excellence
"Outside of the high school, Prentice plays in the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (BPYO), one of the premier youth orchestras in the greater Boston area, practicing there for four hours every Saturday. He plans to tour internationally with the BPYO in Germany and Austria this June. "
WBUR: A comprehensive guide to springs classical music performances
APRIL 26 & MAY 3
"Benjamin Zander’s final program of the season with his justly renowned Boston Philharmonic Orchestra consists of two of the most profound works of classical music: Mozart’s darkly insinuating Piano Concerto No. 24 in C-minor, with the magnificent Alessandro Deljavan; and, marking the 200th anniversary of Bruckner’s birth, his unfinished Ninth Symphony, an overwhelming spiritual epic (April 26).
Zander will also lead the impressive Boston Philharmonic Youth Symphony Orchestra in another inspired pairing of concerto and symphony — this time Schumann’s Cello Concerto, with cellist Zlatomir Fung making a welcome return, and Mahler’s immense and autobiographical Symphony No. 5, another Zander specialty (May 3)." -Lloyd Schwartz, Read the full article at WBUR.org.
The Boston Musical Intelligencer: 45, 85: A Triumphant Celebration
"Challenging music comes with high risk. But as the saying goes – the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward – and what a reward it was! Zander gave deep thought to his bold choices. Each piece held some connection to Boston (some connections more apparent than others), and also held significance to Zander’s life, BPYO as an organization, and the talented youth making up the orchestra...While the ages of the ensemble range from 12 – 21, close your eyes and you would imagine mature professionals...Fedorova moved through each movement with command. Her tireless fingers are an orchestra all in one. Her expressive freedom while maintaining clarity of articulation captivated us. Thanks to her stylization, we’d been invited to the conversation with Tchaikovsky...BPYO rose to the challenge of performing Ravel’s famed Daphnis et Chloé in Symphony Hall, where the Boston Symphony Orchestra has laid claim to it. The orchestra shone with brilliant displays of dynamic contrast, phrasing, and balance. You could see and feel the joy and the enthusiasm! The orchestra’s vitality especially shone in the zest of the fortes. The orchestra delivered strength throughout. We were witnessing the emergence of the next generation of top orchestral personnel." -Stephanie Beatrice. Read the full article on the Boston Musical Intelligencer site.
The Arts Fuse:Concert and Album Reviews: Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra plays Britten, Tchaikovsky, Ives, and Ravel — Isabelle Faust plays Britten
"The Second Suite from Ravel’s Daphnis at Chloé, a work that Zander noted, the Boston Symphony all but owns, sounded in this young orchestra’s hands fully BSO-worthy. Throughout, the BPYO’s woodwind playing was superb, especially Sadie Goodman’s solos in the “Pantomime.”
Likewise engaging were the “Four Sea Interludes” from Britten’s Peter Grimes, which emerged with spirit and color, both in delicate movements (the mesmeric “Dawn”) and violent ones (the teeming “Storm”)." -Jonathan Blumhofer. Read the full article on The Arts Fuse.org.
Boston Classical Review: Young climbers of BPYO scale peaks of early 20th-century music
"Zander’s comments on the concerto focused...on the soloist, the Ukrainian pianist Anna Fedorova—admiring her work for humanitarian relief to her war-torn country, and her style of playing, which Zander described as having “rhythmic freedom that looks back to when music was a living, breathing thing.” The proof of that pudding was in the playing, and sure enough, after crisply executing the concerto’s opening pages, Federova luxuriantly stretched out her first solo passage, then dared conductor and orchestra to keep up with her alternately dreamy and impetuous playing. Which they did, to marvelous effect. The first movement’s wonderful building-up-steam coda paid off handsomely, drawing whoops and excited applause from the audience." -David Wright. Read the full article at Boston Classical Review.com.
WGBH: How a pianist is helping fellow Ukrainians amid Russia’s invasion
"Throughout the last two years, Fedorova has also been an activist for victims of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, raising money for humanitarian organizations and performing with the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra. She spoke about her work and upcoming performance with GBH's All Things Considered host Arun Rath. What follows is a lightly edited transcript." -Diego Lopez and Arun Rath. Read the article on WGBH.og.
The Boston Herald: Benjamin Zander still igniting passion for classical music
"A few days before his 85th birthday, Benjamin Zander will lead the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra through a program as awesome as it is unlikely. The March 3 Symphony Hall concert will run through a selection from a Benjamin Britten opera, Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1, ragtime and Stephen Foster inspired ''Three Places in New England," and the sweeping Suite No. 2 from Ravel's "Daphnis et Chloe." "It's the most ambitious program I have ever put together;' Zander told the Herald. "It would be a challenge for any orchestra because the sounds of those four pieces are totally different so you have to train an orchestra to switch from (piece to piece)." -Jeb Gottlieb. Read the full article on The Boston Herald.com.
The Patch: Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Concert Celebrating Conductor Benjamin Zander's 85th Birthday!
"The Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (BPYO), composed of musicians age 12-21, will celebrate the 85th birthday of their founder and conductor Benjamin Zander on Sunday, March 3, at 3:00 PM at Symphony Hall. The concert, which coincides with the Boston Philharmonic's 45th season, allows both in-person and livestream audiences around the world to join in the birthday celebration..." Read the full listing on the Patch.com.
The Arts Fuse: Classical Album & Streaming Reviews: “Spanish Impressions,” Boston Philharmonic Orchestra & Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra in Concert
"Afterwards came the Brahms First Symphony in a reading that was full of color and direction, the reflective moments warm and well-blended, the fast ones snapping right along. Despite a few hiccups in the ensemble in the last two movements, the BPYO’s performance didn’t stint on might or character...Indeed, Zander’s grasp of the music’s architecture ensured a purposeful flow. For icing (as it were), virtually all the Symphony’s solos — particularly those from concertmaster Darwin Chang and principal horn Graham Lovely — were dispatched with elegance and majesty." -Jonathan Blumhofer, Read the article on The Arts Fuse.
Boston Musical Intelligencer: BPYO Elevates Wagner, Hindemith, and Brahms
"The highly charged youths strutted out in impressive concertante style. The Allegro opened with détaché precision as component parts interlocked like an elegant picture puzzle while the players expressed unalloyed joy in the pleasures of intricate music-making. The sinuous, keening oboe of Robert Diaz made a dazzling impression as did the flute, clarinet and piccolo follow-ups. The criss-cross cadenza of the seemingly six-armed timpanist Ritvik Yaparpalvi almost stopped the show." -Lee Eisman, Read the full article on The Boston Musical Intelligencer site.
Boston Classical Review: Boston Phil Youth Orchestra tackles cornerstone works with rich tone and heartening spirit
"The orchestra played this with great elan, the feeling they were having fun. Instrumental solos were lively and polished...Where this group really shined was in how they took to the music’s rhythms, young players tend to be rhythmically flexible and their playing had something close to swing to it. That was terrific. The orchestra continued to impress in the Brahms symphony. Again, the weight of their sound and variety of color were excellent...This would have been an impressive performance for any professional orchestra." -George Grella, Read the full article at Boston Classical Review.
Boston Globe: Milestones at Symphony Hall, fun beneath the Colosseum, and binoculars for the birds
MUSIC MILESTONES AT SYMPHONY HALL
Celebrate Boston Philharmonic’s 45th season at Boston’s Symphony Hall along with the 85th birthday of the founder and conductor Benjamin Zander. The ensemble of student, professional, and amateur musicians will be performing carefully curated programs of symphonic masterworks, including Beethoven, Shostakovich, Mahler, Bruckner, and more. The season includes four Boston Philharmonic Orchestra concerts and three Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra concerts, kicking off Oct. 20 and ending May 3. Prior to each concert, Zander will offer a deeper understanding of the works in the program with his legendary “Guide to the Music” talks. -Necee Regis. Read the article at The BostonGlobe.com.
WBUR: A comprehensive guide to fall's classical music performances
"Zander is also the founder and conductor of the astonishing Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, which has one ambitious fall concert on the docket including Wagner’s “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg” Overture, Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber, and the Brahms First Symphony (Symphony Hall, Nov. 5)." -Lloyd Schwartz. Read the full article including the video on WBUR.org.
The Boston Globe: 10 classical music attractions to enliven your autumn
"BOSTON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA The Boston Philharmonic fetes the 85th birthday of founder/conductor Benjamin Zander with two fall concerts, the first featuring Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 and former Berliner Philharmoniker concert master Guy Braunstein in Elgar’s Violin Concerto (Oct. 20) and the second a 20th-century program of Britten, Bartók, and Shostakovich (Nov. 17). The Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra gets in on the action, too, with an all-German program of Wagner, Hindemith, and Brahms(Nov. 5). 617-236-0999, www.bostonphil.org" -A. Z. Madonna, read it on The Boston Globe.
