Then, and Now

Tonight Alan Gilbert will conduct the New York Philharmonic in Carnegie Hall, its one-time home, for Mahler’s Symphony No. 6, which he has described as being gorgeous but as leaving you with a sense of total despair, adding: “Throughout the work you can feel the desperate search for relief and happiness — and there are many opulent, lush passages in the symphony that are incredibly beautiful and seemingly optimistic — but, for me, there’s always the sense that it is on the verge of collapse.”

He will be leading this powerful but personal work in the hall that was the Orchestra’s home during Mahler’s tenure as the Philharmonic’s Music Director (1909–11). It was at Carnegie Hall that the Philharmonic gave the work’s U.S. premiere in 1947, led by then Music Director Dimitri Mitropoulos.

“Each one is uniquely different.”

— Conductor David Zinman speaking On the Music and shares his thoughts on the symponies of Beethoven and the programs of March 15–17 and 20, which feature Beethoven’s Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3 paired with Hartmann’s Concerto funèbre for Solo Violin and String Orchestra, performed by Gil Shaham, in the final week of The Modern Beethoven: A Philharmonic Festival.

“David Zinman is one of the most important interpreters of Beethoven working today. To hear him do these symphonies live is really the way to experience what he brings.”

— Music Director Alan Gilbert discusses David Zinman’s distinctive approach to Beethoven on the latest On the Music podcast, which looks at the opening program of The Modern Beethoven: A Philharmonic Festival, featuring Beethoven’s Symphonies Nos. 2 and 7 paired with Stravinsky’s Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra, with Peter Serkin. Mr. Zinman joins the podcast to talk about the “revolutionary qualities” of Beethoven’s music.

Did You Know?

Here’s another fun fact for you: Every time Beethoven sat down to write music he poured ice water over his head, a little ritual the composer believed would help stimulate his brain. Fortunately, such drastic measures are not required of the listener of Beethoven’s music.

The Modern Beethoven: A Philharmonic Festival starts tonight — with David Zinman conducting Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 2 and 7 paired with Stravinsky’s Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra, featuring Peter Serkin.

(via carpeflute1093)

“This story has value as something that bonds orchestra and public in a way that even goes beyond music.”

In “Shared History,” Bradley Bambarger explores the wealth of information available in the archives of cultural institutions and highlights the New York Philharmonic’s Digital Archives as being “the model for how a 21st-century-organization can preserve and disseminate its back pages in a forward-looking manner.” Read the entire article in the Winter 2012 issue of Symphony magazine.

Did You Know … 

Igor Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements was commissioned and premiered by the New York Philharmonic, with the composer himself conducting, in January 1946 at Carnegie Hall. 

The modern-day Philharmonic — led by Music Director Alan Gilbert at Avery Fisher Hall — will perform the Symphony in Three Movements at three concerts, January 26–28.

morereal:

Igor Stravinsky with something hilarious in his pocket.

California, 1952

“I conceived of it as glorifying the grandeur of the human spirit … praising the free and happy man — his strength, his generosity, and the purity of his soul.” — Sergei Prokofiev

Hard to believe Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 was written during a time of war — World War II to be exact. The New York Philharmonic tackles this orchestral battle January 18–21.

classicalliterature:

Prokofiev as drawn by Henri Matisse for the premiere of Chout (1921)

kdkathryn:

A schematic of Mahler symphonies.

Why should the trumpets get all of the glory? On December 1–3 the violas will shine when Daniel Harding and the Philharmonic perform Mahler’s never-completed Symphony No. 10 — after all, Mahler chose the violas to start off the Adagio of his final composition. Once you’ve mastered this handy schematic, go to nyphil.org/mahler to further test your knowledge.