ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Beethoven is a necessity. He is the composer I have devoted more attention to than to any other. I do not need to explain why I’ve chosen his Seventh Symphony; we haven’t performed it for over 30 years - it’s high time! I am thrilled to open our season with this masterpiece from Beethoven’s “heroic decade.”
I’ve put it together with Rossini’s William Tell Overture, in part to feature our wonderful cello section and also because I’ve always felt that the 7th is too often played with an excessively aggressive and Teutonic approach, which obscures Beethoven’s inspiration. Beethoven was aware of Rossini’s enormous success in Vienna and this symphony was his response. So, you may hear a rather different view of this beloved masterpiece, surely the most vigorous and joyful of all of Beethoven’s symphonies.
The Elgar Violin Concerto has been a favorite of mine ever since, as a boy, I heard the–in my view never equaled recording of the 15-year-old Yehudi Menuhin, with Elgar himself conducting. It is music of intimacy and generosity, subtlety and power, in which soloist and orchestra are inextricably entwined, like chamber music writ large. For this reason, when we performed this concerto forty years ago, I chose Oscar Shumsky. as the soloist, the legendary concertmaster of the NBC Symphony. This time we turn to one of the great concertmasters of this era, Guy Braunstein, who served for thirteen years as the concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic and is steeped in the European culture that Elgar knew so well. Boston hasn’t heard him yet but a German critic said "with his intense playing and sheer endless musical imagination, Guy Braunstein joins the ranks of history’s great violinists" (Hans Ackermann, RBB KulturRadio). I can’t wait.
-Benjamin Zander
MORE ABOUT THE CONCERT
This is a live concert that will be live streamed! Be sure to read through our support page for Boston Philharmonic virtual events. Our Live Streams and On Demand events are viewable on computers, smartphones, and tablets. We cannot guarantee that you will be able to view these events on your television at this time.
Information for ticket buyers
- All Boston Philharmonic Orchestra concerts make use of a stage extension. This makes row E the first row directly in front of the stage. View Symphony Hall Seat Map to see where the extension overlaps and where any viewer obstructions are located before you choose your seats.
- If you are choosing to have your tickets emailed to you, your tickets are print-at-home and not digital or e-tickets. This means that you will receive an email with PDF attachments. One PDF per ticket that you purchased. You must print your PDF ticket(s) out and bring them with you to the concert. Print-at-home tickets are a convenience for ticket buyers so that they may receive their tickets right away.
- View our Ticket Policies page for further information.
All dates, repertoire, venues, and artists subject to change.
