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Andris Nelsons Named Music Director for BSO

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:02 PM +0000

BOSTON —Today the Boston Symphony Orchestra announced Andris Nelsons will become the new music director, the 15th director in the organization's 130-year history. At 34 years old, Andris Nelsons is the youngest music director to lead the Boston Symphony Orchestra in over 100 years; he is also the first Latvian-born conductor to take on the post.

To hear BSO Managing Director on the appointment of Andris Nelsons, click on "Listen" above.

Nelsons is one of the most sought-after conductors on the international scene today, earning distinction on both the opera and concert podiums in Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam, London and New York. Born in Riga in 1978 into a family of musicians, he began his career as a trumpeter in the Latvian National Opera Orchestra before studying conducting.

As Music Director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) since 2008, Nelsons has earned critical acclaim. With the CBSO Mr Nelsons is undertaking major tours worldwide, including regular appearances at such summer festivals as the Lucerne Festival, BBC Proms and Berliner Festspiele.Together they have toured the major European concert halls, including the Musikverein, Vienna, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris, Gasteig, Munich and the Auditorio Nacional de Música, Madrid. Nelsons made his debut in Japan on tour with Wiener Philharmoniker and returns to tour the Far East with the CBSO in November 2013.

Nelsons's first appearance with the BSO came in 2011, when he stepped in for James Levine, and last summer Nelsons conducted both the Boston Symphony Orchestra (in Ravel's La Valse) and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra (in Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy with Anne-Sophie Mutter) as part of Tanglewood's gala 75th-anniversary concert.

Hear Nelsons conduct the BSO at Symphony Hall

Hear Nelsons conduct the BSO at Tanglewood

Haitink Conducts Mahler

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:04 AM +0000

BSO Conductor Emeritus Bernard Haitink leads the orchestra in the Symphony No. 5 by Schubert and the Symphony No. 4 by Mahler, with soprano Camilla Tilling.

On-demand at Classical New England

The BSO, 2013-2014

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 22:25 PM +0000

The Boston Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2013-2014 season, marked by major theatrical works, multi-disciplinary "Insight" events, and stellar guest artists.

Artistic Administrator Tony Fogg talked about the major highlights of the season. To hear the conversation, click on "Listen" above.

In announcing its lineup of programs and guest soloists and conductors, the BSO does not reference the ongoing search for a new Music Director to succeed James Levine, who stepped down two years ago. The leadership of the BSO has always maintained that the search would be undertaken with care and thoughtfulness, and that it would likely require multiple seasons. Nevertheless, only two conductors are making their BSO debuts next season, which could indicate that the search has moved beyond the initial stages of candidate introductions.

Below are some of the highlights of the new season, and for the complete schedule and program listings, visit the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

	Opening Weekend Christoph von Dohnányi conducts the first weekend of the season, featuring an all-Brahms program that includes the Double Concerto, with violinist Augustin Hadelich and cellist Alban Gerhardt, and the Symphony No. 2. Sept. 21 & 24

	Benjamin Britten's War Requiem and the "Insight" series Charles Dutoit conducts one of the true landmarks of Twentieth Century music. Given its American premiere by the BSO in 1963, the performances of Britten's War Requiem in the coming season will celebrate the centenary of the British composer. In addition, as part of the "Insights" series, collaborations with the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum and the New England Conservatory of Music will allow audiences to deepen their understanding of pacifism as expressed through music. Nov. 7-9

	Bronfman's Beethoven and the "Insight" series Pianist Yefim Bronfman is the soloist in a series of three programs that include all five Beethoven piano concertos and the Triple Concerto (with violinist Guy Braunstein and cellist Alisa Weilerstein), all conducted by Christoph von Dohnányi. These all-Beethoven programs are enriched as part of the "Insight" series, undertaken in partnership with the Museum of Fine Arts, the New England Conservatory of Music, and Harvard University. Multiple free events will explore Beethoven as a pianist through film presentations, improvisations, and lecture and demonstrations. Mar. 13-22

	**Salome, West Side Story, and Golijov's Pasión** Three programs with theatrical roots include Richard Strauss's opera Salome, conducted by Andris Nelsons in a single performance, a presentation of the film West Side Story, with the BSO providing the instrumental soundtrack live with conductor David Newman, and Osvaldo Golijov's La Pasión según San Marcos (The Passion According to St. Mark), with conductor Robert Spano. La Pasión según San Marcos: Jan 9-11 West Side Story: Feb. 14-16 Salome: Mar. 6

	Commissions and New Music Premieres, commissions, and new music once again play a strong role in the BSO's 2013-2014 season. In April, a new Piano Concerto by Bernard Rands will receive its world premiere performances, with soloist Jonathan Biss and conductor Robert Spano. Other significant events include the world premiere of a Bassoon Concerto by Marc Neikrug, with soloist Richard Svoboda, the BSO's principal bassoonist; the world premiere of a Piano Concerto by Justin Dello Joio, featuring soloist Garrick Ohlsson; the American premiere of Speranza by Mark-Anthony Turnage; Penderecki's Concerto Grosso No. 1 for three cellos and orchestra; and the return of conductor and composer Thomas Adès in a program that includes his music. Adès: Oct. 10-12 Turnage: Oct. 24-26 Penderecki: Oct. 31-Nov. 5 Neikrug: Nov. 21-23 Dello Joio: Jan. 23-25 Rands: Apr. 3-8

Photo of Christoph von Dohnanyi courtesy of Decca
Photo of Charles Dutoit courtesy of the Verbier Festival
Photo of Yefim Bronfman by Dario Acosta, courtesy of the artist
Photo of Andris Nelsons by Marco Borggreve, courtesy of the artist
Photo of Robert Spano by Andrew Eccles, courtesy of the artist

Knussen Conducts Knussen

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:35 PM +0000

British composer and conductor Oliver Knussen leads the BSO in his own Violin Concerto and Whitman Settings, as well as Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.

On-demand at Classical New England

Transfiguration and Redemption in Wagner

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 08:35 AM +0000

Mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung joins the BSO and conductor Daniele Gatti for an exploration of Richard Wagner's music, celebrating the bicentennial of the composer's birth.

On-demand at Classical New England

Van Cliburn's BSO Debut

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 20:54 PM +0000

Join us for pianist Van Cliburn's first performance with the BSO recorded in concert in October 1958 at Symphony Hall with conductor Charles Munch.

Sunday, Mar. 17, at 1pm on Classical New England

Lang Lang at Symphony Hall

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 12:34 PM +0000

Pianist Lang Lang performs Rachmaninoff in his BSO subscription debut, and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos conducts Hindemith and Bartók.

On-demand at Classical New England

Stravinsky and Haydn at Symphony Hall

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 17:01 PM +0000

Tenor Matthew Polenzani anchors a stellar case for Stravinsky's Pulcinella and Haydn's Mass in Time of War, conducted by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos.

Saturday at 7pm on Classical New England

The BSO Concert Channel Playlist

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:24 PM +0000

BSO Concert Channel Playlist

The BSO Concert Channel is a 24/7, continuous stream of Boston Symphony Orchestra performances, recorded during Classical New England's BSO broadcasts. Presented as a music-only experience, with no announcements, you'll find the following performances included in the playlist.

Hear the BSO Concert Channel

Recorded on Sept. 22, 2012 Itzhak Perlman, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Ludwig van Beethoven - Romance No. 1 in G, Op. 40 Itzhak Perlman, violin Ludwig van Beethoven - Romance No. 2 in 5, Op. 50 Itzhak Perlman, violin Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 7 in A, Op. 92
Recorded on Oct. 6, 2012 Marcelo Lehninger, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Peter Tchaikovsky - Romeo and Juliet, Overture - Fantasy Leonard Bernstein - Serenade (after Plato's Symposium) Joshua Bell, violin Antonin Dvorák - Symphony No. 8 in G, Op. 88
Recorded on Oct. 13, 2012 Vladimir Jurowski, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Felix Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 Arabella Steinbacher, violin Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 43
Recorded on Oct. 20, 2012 Charles Dutoit, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Claude Debussy - Symphonic Fragments from The Martydom of Saint Sebastian Frank Martin - Concerto for Seven Wind Instruments, Timpani, Percussion, and String Orchestra Elizabeth Rowe, flute John Ferrillo, oboe William R. Hudgins, clarinet Richard Svoboda, bassoon James Sommerville, horn Thomas Rolfs, trumpet Toby Oft, trombone Timothy Genis, timpani Sergei Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 30 Nikolai Lugansky, piano Sergei Rachmaninoff - Prelude in C minor, Op. 23, No. 7 (encore)
Recorded on Oct. 27, 2012 Charles Dutoit, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Igor Stravinsky - The Nightingale Olga Peretyatko, soprano Diana Axentii and Yvonne Naef, mezzo-sopranos Edgaras Montvidas and Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, tenors David Wilson-Johnson, David Kravitz, and Kelly Markgraf, baritones Matthew Rose, bass Tanglewood Festival Chorus Maurice Ravel - L’Enfant et les sortileges Olga Peretyatko, soprano Julie Boulianne, mezzo-soprano Sandrine Piau, soprano Diana Axentii and Yvonne Naef, mezzo-sopranos Edgaras Montvidas and Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, tenors David Wilson-Johnson, David Kravitz, and Kelly Markgraf, baritones Matthew Rose, bass Tanglewood Festival Chorus
Recorded on Nov. 3, 2012 Juanjo Mena, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Kaija Saariaho - Circle Map Timo Kurkikangas, sound design Benjamin Britten - Violin Concerto, Op. 15 Gil Shaham, violin Antonin Dvorák - Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70
Recorded on Nov. 10, 2012 Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Roberto Sierra - Fandangos Peter Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 Daniil Trifonov, piano Robert Schumann, arr. Franz Liszt - Widmung (encore) Sergei Prokofiev - Symphony No. 5 in B-flat, Op. 100
Recorded on Nov. 17, 2012 Thomas Adès, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Jean Sibelius - Luonnotar, Op. 70 Dawn Upshaw, soprano Thomas Adès - In Seven Days Kirill Gerstein, piano Sergei Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat, Op. 10 Kirill Gerstein, piano Jean Sibelius - Symphony No. 6, Op. 104
Recorded on Nov. 24, 2012 Christian Zacharias, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Franz Josef Haydn - Symphony No. 76 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-flat, K.456 Christian Zacharias, piano Ludwig van Beethoven - Selections from the ballet score The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43
Recorded on Dec. 1, 2012 Stephane Deneve, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Hector Berlioz - Overture to Les Francs-juges, Op. 3 Camille Saint-Saens - Piano Concerto No. 5 in F, Op. 103, "Egyptian" Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano Claude Debussy - "Claire de Lune, from Suite Bergamasque (encore) James MacMillan - Three Interludes from the opera The Sacrifice Albert Roussel - Suite No. 2 from Bacchus et Ariane, Op. 43
Recorded on Jan. 12, 2013 Alan Gilbert, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Henri Dutilleux - Métaboles Peter Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35 Julian Rachlin, violin Igor Stravinsky - Symphony in Three Movements Maurice Ravel - La Valse
Recorded on Jan. 19, 2013 Daniele Gatti, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Giuseppe Verdi - Requiem Fiorenza Cedolins, soprano Ekaterina Gubanova, mezzo-soprano Stuart Neill, tenor Carlo Colombara, bass Tanglewood Festival Chorus
Recorded on Jan. 26, 2013 Charles Dutoit, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Paul Hindemith- Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of Weber Franz Liszt - Piano Concerto No. 1 Stephen Hough, piano Sergei Prokofiev - Suite from Romeo and Juliet
Recorded on Feb. 2, 2013 Andris Nelsons, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Dmitri Shostakovich - Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77[99] Baiba Skride, violin Peter Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
Recorded on Feb. 12, 2013 Christoph von Dohnányi, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Jean Sibelius - Violin Concerto in D, Op. 47 Renaud Capuçon, violin Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
Recorded on Feb. 16, 2013 Christoph von Dohnányi, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	W.A. Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 23 in A, K. 488 Radu Lupu, piano Anton Bruckner - Symphony No. 4 in E-flat, "Romantic"
Recorded on Feb. 23, 2013 Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Igor Stravinsky - Pulcinella (complete) Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano Matthew Polenzani, tenor David Pittsinger, bass-baritone F.J. Haydn - Mass No. 10 in C, "Mass in Time of War" Alexandra Coku, soprano Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano Matthew Polenzani, tenor David Pittsinger, bass-baritone
Recorded on Mar. 2, 2013 Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Paul Hindemith - Concert Music for Strings and Brass, Op. 50 Sergei Rachmaninoff- Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 Lang Lang, piano Béla Bartók - Concerto for Orchestra
Recorded on Mar. 16, 2013 Christoph Eschenbach, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Mozart - Symphony No. 41 in C, K. 551, "Jupiter" Augusta Read Thomas - Cello Concerto No. 3, "Legend of the Phoenix" Lynn Harrell, cello Saint-Saëns - Symphony No. 3, Op. 78, "Organ" Olivier Latry, organ
Recorded on Mar. 23, 2013 Daniele Gatti, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Richard Wagner - Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey, and Siegfried's Death and Funeral March from Götterdämmerung Richard Wagner - Overture to Tannhäuser Richard Wagner - Kundry's Narrative from Act II of Parsifal Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano Richard Wagner - Prelude to Act I of Lohengrin Richard Wagner - Prelude and Liebestod ("Love-Death") from Tristan und Isolde Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano
Recorded on Mar. 30, 2013 Daniele Gatti, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 3 Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano women of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus PALS Children's Chorus
Recorded on Apr. 13, 2013 Oliver Knussen, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Nikolai Miaskovsky - Symphony No. 10 Oliver Knussen - Violin Concerto Pinchas Zukerman, violin Oliver Knussen - Whitman Settings Claire Booth, soprano Modest Mussorgsky, arr. Leopold Stokowski - Pictures at an Exhibition
Recorded on Apr. 20, 2013 Members of the BSO Hear this concert on-demand	Benjamin Britten - Fanfare for St. Edmundsbury Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Serenade No. 11 in E-flat for winds, K. 375 Antonín Dvorák - Serenade in E for strings, Op. 22 Michael Tippett - "Praeludium" for brass, bells, and percussion Benjamin Britten - The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Henry Purcell), Op. 34 with conductor Andris Poga
Recorded on Apr. 27, 2013 Bernard Haitink, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Franz Schubert - Symphony No. 5 in B-flat, D. 485 Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 4 Camilla Tilling, soprano
Recorded on May 4, 2013 Bernard Haitink, conductor Hear this concert on-demand	Johannes Brahms - Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77 Nikolaj Znaider, violin Franz Schubert - Symphony in C, D. 944, "Great"

Radu Lupu at Symphony Hall

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 22:22 PM +0000

The Romanian pianist is the soloist in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23, and Christoph von Dohnanyi conducts Bruckner's Fourth Symphony.

On-demand at Classical New England

SPECIAL BROADCAST TIME: Capu�on Plays Sibelius

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 19:25 PM +0000

The French violinst performs the Violin Concerto by Sibelius, and Christoph von Dohnányi conducts Brahms's "Haydn" Variations and Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

Tuesday at 7pm on Classical New England

Nelsons Conducts Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 21:15 PM +0000

Conductor Andris Nelsons leads the BSO in Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5, and Baiba Skride is the soloist in Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1.

On-demand at Classical New England

Dutoit Conducts 20th Century Masterpieces

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 21:56 PM +0000

Charles Dutoit leads the BSO in works by Hindemith and Prokofiev, and Stephen Hough is the soloist in Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1.

On-demand at Classical New England

Verdi's Monumental Requiem

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 20:41 PM +0000

Daniele Gatti leads a stellar cast of solosits, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a performance commemorating the bicentennial of Giuseppe Verdi's birth, in concert at Symphony Hall.

On-demand at Classical New England

Alan Gilbert Conducts the BSO

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 14:36 PM +0000

The New York Philharmonic conductor leads the BSO in music by Dutilleux, Stravinsky, and Ravel, and Julian Rachlin is the soloist in Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto.

On-demand at Classical New England

Stephane Deneve and the French Tradition

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 11:09 AM +0000

Deneve joins forces with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet for the "Egyptian" Concerto by Saint-Saëns and conducts music by Berlioz, Roussel, and James MacMillan.

On-Demand at Classical New England

Tanglewood 2013

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:34 PM +0000

The Boston Symphony Orchestra's 2013 Tanglewood season features an All-Tchaikovsky Opening Night, Bernstein's West Side Story, and anniversary tributes to Wagner and Verdi.

BSO Artistic Administrator Anthony Fogg talks about Tanglewood 2013 with Classical New England's Cathy Fuller:

Highlights of the season:

	July 5 Opening Night features violinist Joshua Bell as the soloist in Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, part of an All-Tchaikovsky program that also includes the Symphony No. 5, conducted by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos.

	July 11 In celebration of composer John Harbison's 75th birthday, Emmanuel Music and conductor Ryan Turner perform Harbison's The Great Gatsby in Ozawa Hall.

	July 13 The BSO performs Leonard Bernstein's score for West Side Story, synchronized with the 1961 film starring Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno, and Richard Beymer, which is projected on high definition screens arrayed around the Shed and lawn.

	July 27 Conductor Andris Nelsons returns to Tanglewood to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Giuseppe Verdi with the composer's Requiem. One week earlier, bass-baritone Bryn Terfel anchors the cast of another bicentenary tribute, Act III from Richard Wagner's Die Walküre, conducted by Lothar Koenigs.

	August 24 Boston Pops Laureate Conductor John Williams returns to conduct Film Night, one of the most popular events each summer, and this year featuring conductor David Newman and singer Audra McDonald.
	For more details, visit the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

(photo of the Lion Gate at Tanglewood by Stu Rosner, courtesy of the BSO)

Undiscovered Classical Masters

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 10:44 AM +0000

Christian Zacharias is both pianist and conductor in unexpected and rarely heard masterworks by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven.

On-demand at Classical New England

Thomas Ad�s and the Story of Creation

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 20:59 PM +0000

The British composer conducts two stories of creation: his own In Seven Days, with pianist Kirill Gerstein, and Sibelius's Luonnotar, with soprano Dawn Upshaw.

On-demand at Classical New England

Daniil Trifonov Debuts at the BSO

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 07:58 AM +0000

The Tchaikovsky Competition Grand Prize winner performs Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, and Giancarlo Guerrero conducts music by Sierra and Prokofiev.

Tonight at 7pm on Classical New England