nyphil

Sublime Commemoration After you finish packing away your picnics...

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:18:21 -0400

Sublime Commemoration

After you finish packing away your picnics and scrubbing down your barbecues on Monday, come to our Free Annual Memorial Day Concert at The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. On this day of special thanks and acknowledgement Music Director Alan Gilbert will be leading the Philharmonic in Bruckner’s Symphony No. 3. He and the musicians are well warmed up on this powerful piece, having recently played it in European cultural capitals, including in the composer’s own home of Vienna.

The locals had to give it up to the New Yorkers, with a critic writing that they played “this unwieldy, sensitive, unrestrained, seething work … like a light-footed dance,’ and praise the “extreme transparency in the interpretation, a seemingly effortless undertaking that invited the listener to savor it.”

This is your chance to experience it for yourself — for free! Tickets are required, and will be distributed on line beginning at 6:00 p.m. If it’s full up when you get there, never fear: the performance will be audio broadcast onto Pulpit Green (adjacent to The Cathedral) weather permitting.

Bicentennial Man While performing arts groups around the world...

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:53:55 -0400

Bicentennial Man

While performing arts groups around the world have taken the 2012-13 season to celebrate the music of Richard Wagner, it was on May 22 in 1813 that the man who defined “gesamtkunstwerk” was born. The New York Philharmonic tips its hat to Wagner’s works with A Ring Journey, an “orchestral synthesis” of the composer’s epic Ring Cycle arranged by our very own Alan Gilbert (after Erich Leinsdorf).

Meanwhile, you can sate your appetite for all things Niebelungen thanks to the Philharmonic’s Digital Archives, which houses a number of scores from all four parts of the Ring, many (like the excerpts shown above) marked by Leonard Bernstein.

“If you manage to realize what was in your mind, then...

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:04:09 -0400

“If you manage to realize what was in your mind, then you’re happy.”

The New York Philharmonic mourns the loss and celebrates the life and music of Henri Dutilleux, our inaugural Marie-Josée Kravis Prize for New Music laureate, a brilliant composer (who summed up his work with the above quote), and a true friend to the Phil. As our 2012 Kravis Emerging Composer Sean Shepherd wrote earlier today on Twitter: “Henri Dutilleux was my hero in music. Much to love and to admire about both the man and his exquisite body of work. Very sad day.”

In this 2011 video, Dutilleux is informed (in French) by Alan Gilbert that he won the inaugural Kravis Prize during a recording session that also features Renée Fleming.

(Photo: Chris Lee)

Billy Bard ‏@WilliamBard Upon recommendation from @NLebrecht’s @SinfiniMusic Album of the...

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:36:18 -0400

Billy Bard ‏@WilliamBard

Upon recommendation from @NLebrecht’s @SinfiniMusic Album of the Week, now listening to the 1958 @nyphil “Rite” w/ Bernstein… HOLY COW!

Walking Music This time of year, our home base of Avery Fisher...

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:16:06 -0400

Walking Music

This time of year, our home base of Avery Fisher Hall is, by day, a bustle of activity for college graduation ceremonies as students from the likes of NYU and Fordham march across the stage, sheepskin in hand. It recently led us to unearth this score copy of Elgar’s Military March No. 1, the trio of which is better known as Pomp and Circumstance, from our Digital Archives. But, as one of our Facebook fans asked: Why is this the graduation song to beat all graduation songs?

“Pomp and Circumstance” was first heard in its popular use at Yale University’s 1905 graduation, where Elgar was receiving an honorary doctorate of music. As a result, Yale music professor Samuel Sanford (a friend of Elgar’s) incorporated a few works by the composer into the proceedings, including the trio from March No. 1 as a recessional. It’s still used in that capacity at Yale, and quickly became a popular processional for other colleges and high schools. The work was first heard at the Philharmonic two years after Elgar received his honorary degree from Yale, in 1907 at a concert conducted by Walter Damrosch.

Dream a Little Dream Delve into our season finale, A...

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:44:21 -0400

Dream a Little Dream

Delve into our season finale, A Dancer’s Dream, with a look at our newest Pinterest board: Inside “A Dancer’s Dream.” Director and designer Doug Fitch (who helped create our productions of Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre and Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen) has given us an exclusive peek at the inspiration boards that went into costuming Columbine, the Moor, Petrushka, and the Ice Maiden for Petrushka and The Fairy’s Kiss, two ballets by Stravinsky that make up our season finale in June that stars NYC Ballet principal dancer Sara Mearns. See how designers like Alexander McQueen, Christian Dior, Comme des Garçons, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Viktor & Rolf combine with artful origami and the looks of everyone from Mad Max to classical ballet to create this one of a kind Dream.

Bustin’ Out All Over The Orchestra may be back from a...

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:38:09 -0400

Bustin’ Out All Over

The Orchestra may be back from a three-week tour, but there’s no rest for the wicked as we prepare to launch into our final month of the 2012–13 season. Following next Monday’s Free Annual Memorial Day Concert at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, we host a slew of guest artists including Wynton Marsalis, Paulo Szot, Megan Hilty, Marin Mazzie, Lisa Batiashvili, Gerald Finley, Patricia Racette, Lionel Bringuier, Leonidas Kavakos, Emanuel Ax, and Sara Mearns. For a full calendar of our June journey, click here.

Home, Where My Music’s Playin’ After 16 days, 13...

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:18:33 -0400

Home, Where My Music’s Playin’

After 16 days, 13 concerts, 2 chamber performances, 9 cities, and 4 countries, the Orchestra is finally back in Gotham. We’re welcoming them back with one final installment of our EUROPE / SPRING 2013 virtual tour, which captures the final performance in Vienna and a return back to New York City. Check it out here, and thanks for joining us on the journey this past month!

(Photos: Chris Lee)

Vienna Waits for You The Philharmonic’s EUROPE / SPRING...

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:55:12 -0400

Vienna Waits for You

The Philharmonic’s EUROPE / SPRING 2013 tour wraps up with a set of concerts to celebrate the centenary of the Wiener Konzerthaus, bringing all of the major works performed on tour together for three performances. Join in to see the activity around the Konzerthaus (including the return of some familiar faces) courtesy of our Virtual Tour.

(Photos by Chris Lee)

Jimmy and Lenny Congratulations to James Levine as he prepares...

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:14:00 -0400

Jimmy and Lenny

Congratulations to James Levine as he prepares to return to the concert stage this weekend, following a two-year hiatus. While his performance this weekend will be with his “home” team of The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Jimmy would occasionally step next door to conduct the Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall (you can see the full measure of his appearances with us by searching his name here). In this photo from the Digital Archives, he shares shop talk with Leonard Bernstein.

Welcome back, Jimmy!

A Presidential Visit Our list of distinguished audience members...

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:23:21 -0400

A Presidential Visit

Our list of distinguished audience members on tour grew a bit longer last night: Austrian Federal President Dr. Heinz Fischer came to our May 15 concert, our first of three at the Vienna Konzerthaus celebrating the Konzerthaus’s centenary. Federal President Fischer offered his congratulations post-concert to Alan Gilbert, Matthew VanBesien, and our soloist for that evening, Emanuel Ax, before the three gentlemen went to the post-concert reception for our Global Sponsor Credit Suisse. Thank you very much for joining us, Dr. President, and happy birthday to the Wiener Konzerthaus! Here’s to another 100 years.

Found in Translation The latest from our EUROPE / SPRING 2013...

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:59:14 -0400

Found in Translation

The latest from our EUROPE / SPRING 2013 Virtual Tour is now available for your voyeuristic pleasure! Among the highlights of our time in Dresden are the beautifully ornate Semperoper, where we played Mozart, Bloch, and Musorgsky, and its striking contrast in Volkswagen’s Die Gläserne Manufaktur, the site of Magnus Lindberg’s Kraft, plus works by Christopher Rouse and Leonard Bernstein. Not to mention a familiar face in the audience…

(Photos by Chris Lee)

There It Is “But they showed no corrections of any kind....

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:17:48 -0400

There It Is

“But they showed no corrections of any kind. Not one. He had simply written down music already finished in his head. Page after page of it as if he were just taking dictation. And music, finished as no music is ever finished. Displace one note and there would be diminishment. Displace one phrase and the structure would fall.”

A very happy 87th birthday to British playwright Sir Peter Shaffer, the man behind Amadeus in both stage and screen forms. Appropriately enough, we marked Sir Peter’s natal day with a performance of Mozart in Vienna. Laughs (though none to the degree of Tom Hulce’s) were had by all.

Doug Adams ‏@DougAdamsMusic 4h Love that Bill Murray attended the @nyphil’s Dresden show …...

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:37:56 -0400

Doug Adams ‏@DougAdamsMusic 4h

Love that Bill Murray attended the @nyphil’s Dresden show … and that they call him “Peter Venkman” on Facebook — pic.twitter.com/be6p0ai97q

That’s the Fact, Jack Well, there’s somethin’...

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:42:00 -0400

That’s the Fact, Jack

Well, there’s somethin’ you don’t see everyday… While filming in Dresden, Bill Murray (aka Phil Connors aka Bob Harris aka Steve Zissou) spent his day off at Volkswagen’s Die Gläserne Manufaktur watching Alan and the Orchestra perform Christopher Rouse’s Prospero’s Rooms, Bernstein’s Serenade (with Joshua Bell), and Magnus Lindberg’s wildly theatrical and raucous Kraft (which used reporposed Volkswagen auto parts for its found instruments).

If we had to pick one day to live over and over, yesterday may not be a bad choice; if you missed the performance, for the next 90 days you’ll have the change to re-live it, courtesy of medici.tv.

EUROPE / SPRING 2013: Dortmund und Berlin Late last week, we...

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:50:04 -0400

EUROPE / SPRING 2013: Dortmund und Berlin

Late last week, we visited flying rhinos in Dortmund, enjoyed a free day in Essen, and made a historic return to the Konzerthaus Berlin (our last performances in the hall were in 1988, when it was still part of East Berlin). Check out the highlights as part of the latest installment of our virtual tour for EUROPE / SPRING 2013!

(Photos by Chris Lee)

Revving Up If you’re not yet psyched about experiencing...

Tue, 14 May 2013 13:28:00 -0400

Revving Up

If you’re not yet psyched about experiencing Magnus Lindberg’s Kraft by watching the Webcast on medici.tv — which begins at 2:00 p.m. New York time — you will be after watching this video of Alan Gilbert and the Philharmonic’s preparations for today’s concert at Dresden’s Volkswagen Transparent Factory! Then check in tomorrow for photos and more video on our Virtual Tour.

A Feather in His ASCAP Congratulations are in order for Jon...

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:30:50 -0400

A Feather in His ASCAP

Congratulations are in order for Jon Deak, our former Associate Principal Bass who remains ubiquitous with the Phil thanks to Credit Suisse Very Young Composers, a program formed in 1995 through his vision. The prize acknowledges “his distinguished contribution to American music as composer, bassist and champion educator” that Jon is one of the recipients of ASCAP’s 14th annual Concert Music Awards. Well-deserved, Jon!

(Photo: Suzy Allman for The New York Times)

Happy Birthday, Jazz Style Acting Principal Clarinet Mark Nuccio...

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:27:00 -0400

Happy Birthday, Jazz Style

Acting Principal Clarinet Mark Nuccio is celebrating his birthday far from home, by traveling on the EUROPE / SPRING 2013 tour. And it’s not all Bruckner and Tchaikovsky while he’s on the road, as he has already been practicing (in photo, by Chris Lee, above) for his solo in Copland’s Clarinet Concerto, conducted by Alan Gilbert, in the jazz-infused program May 31–June 1.

If you’re one of the lucky ones to have tickets for these almost sold-out concerts, check out this taste of the score for the piece that Leonard Bernstein marked (which lives in our Digital Archives) to prep for when you hear him jam!

Colberthday Nation, tonight’s word is...

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:44:25 -0400

Colberthday

Nation, tonight’s word is “birthday” as we wish a happy 49th to Stephen Colbert! Mr. C joined us in 2011 for our performance of Stephen Sondheim’s Company, and you can catch him in action in the above rehearsal video (featuring formidable ninja Martha Plimpton). In the meantime, we’ll be raising some Americone Dream to our favorite arctophobe, for whose presence we’re always greatful (and never sorry).