Alan Gilbert caps 2011 with a flourish from new music to New Year’s Eve
Alan Gilbert, in his third season as music director of the New York Philharmonic, has had a banner year – including the orchestra’s moving international broadcast marking the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and the magical early summer staging of Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen – which has been named one of the city’s top cultural events of 2011 by New York magazine. Now Gilbert brings 2011 to a close with a flourish, as he ranges from contemporary music to rarely-heard Schubert to an All-American celebration on New Year’s Eve. On December 16 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and December 17 at Peter Norton Symphony Space, Gilbert leads the Philharmonic in the season’s first concerts in CONTACT!, the orchestra’s new-music series: the program includes works by Composer-in-Residence Magnus Lindberg, H.K. Gruber, and a world premiere–New York Philharmonic commission from Alexandre Lunsqui. Gilbert also conducts December 28-30 Philharmonic concerts of Haydn, Ravel, and Schubert with mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter at Avery Fisher Hall; he then leads the orchestra with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet in a New Year’s Eve concert of works by George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein.
The CONTACT! programs at the Met Museum (Dec 16) and Peter Norton Symphony Space (Dec 17) will see Gilbert conduct Gran Duo by Magnus Lindberg, who is in his third season as the Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence at the New York Philharmonic. The program also includes Frankenstein!! – the popular “pan-demonium” by Austrian composer and chansonnier HK Gruber (who makes his Philharmonic debut in these performances) – and the world premiere of Fibers, Yarn, and Wire by Brazilian-American composer Alexandre Lunsqui. About Lindberg and his Gran Duo, Gilbert says:
“Magnus Lindberg has turned out to be such a wonderful addition to our Philharmonic family. He has embodied every aspect of his position here that we had hoped – the composer part and the in-residence part. It seemed obvious that we should keep him on for another year, as the relationship was growing between him and the orchestra and between him and the audience – you can feel it when he comes on stage to take a bow. Magnus is one of the great composers of our time. We’re lucky to have him. Gran Duo is a very exciting work. To me, it’s such an interesting piece, written for winds, brass, and percussion; a small part of a normal orchestra, but it feels huge, monumental, epic.”
For the New York Philharmonic’s December 28-30 concerts at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, Gilbert will conduct Haydn’s Symphony No. 88, Ravel’s Mother Goose (the complete ballet) and La Valse, plus a sequence of rarely heard orchestrations of Schubert songs by Reger and Britten – with the vocal role taken by Swedish star, mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter. Of the Ravel portion of the program, Gilbert says: “People love Ravel, of course, but the extent to which he was a genius as an orchestrator may be underappreciated. What he was able to do with the orchestra and the colors he created with normal, standard instruments was staggering, unique. The Mother Goose ballet was written for a fairly small orchestra, but you feel like you’re hearing an orchestra of 200, plus organ and chorus. It’s uncanny. And in La Valse, the way he creates this swirl of sound is just fantastic.”
For the Philharmonic’s New Year’s Eve concert at Avery Fisher Hall, Gilbert conducts Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story and the Overture to Candide, and – with the ever-scintillating pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet – Gershwin’s Concerto in F major and the iconic Rhapsody in Blue. About the New Year’s Eve event, Gilbert says:
“New Year’s Eve this year is going to be a blast. We have two of America’s greatest composers, both fun and popular but incredibly sophisticated – Bernstein and Gershwin. Two of Gershwin’s most beloved works for solo piano and orchestra, including the Concerto in F – commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, by the way – and, of course, Rhapsody in Blue. I’ve thought sometimes that Gershwin is the greatest American composer of them all, and I don’t think I’d have a lot of trouble trying to defend that statement. He was a true master. Of course, his jazz sensibility has a naturalness and swing, but his sense of harmony was as developed as any 20th-century composer. The fact that his music is so fun and joyous to listen to and is at such a high level is very impressive to me. Obviously, it’s a perfect combination with the music of West Side Story and the Candide Overture for a celebratory, festive New Year’s Eve.”
Looking Ahead
In the new year, Gilbert will conduct the New York premiere of the New York Philharmonic Co-Commission (with London’s Barbican Centre) of Thomas Adès’ Polaris, as well as Mahler’s valedictory Symphony No. 9 (Jan 5, 7 and 10 at Avery Fisher Hall). In February, conductor and orchestra will leave their home base for a tour of European music capitals, with the London stay representing the Philharmonic’s inaugural International Associates residency at the Barbican Centre, part of a long-term agreement between the two institutions.
In the spring, Gilbert will conduct performances of Wagner’s Lohengrin with the Royal Swedish Opera and Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic (of which he is conductor laureate). Back in New York with the Philharmonic, he will present the world premiere of the New York Philharmonic Commission of Marc Neikrug’s Concerto for Orchestra (April 26-28). Gilbert conducts the orchestra in Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 at Carnegie Hall on May 2 as part of the storied venue’s 120th-season celebrations. The conductor will lead the Philharmonic with soloist Yefim Bronfman in the world premiere of Magnus Lindberg’s Piano Concerto No. 2 (May 3–5). And later in May, Gilbert takes the Philharmonic on a West Coast tour that will include an appearance as part of the San Francisco Symphony’s Centennial Celebration and the orchestra’s debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.
Alan Gilbert: upcoming engagements
All concerts with New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall, NYC unless otherwise noted.
Dec 16, 17
New York, NY
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (12/16)
Peter Norton Symphony Space (12/17)
New York Philharmonic with HK Gruber, chansonnier
Alexandre Lunsqui: Fibers, Yarn, and Wire
Magnus Lindberg: Gran Duo
HK Gruber: Frankenstein!! A “Pan-demonium”
Dec 28, 29, 30
New York Philharmonic with Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano
Haydn: Symphony No. 88
Schubert: Songs for Mezzo-Soprano and Orchestra
orch. Britten: “Die Forelle”
orch. Reger: “Gretchen am Spinnrade”
orch. Reger: “Im Abendrot”
orch. Anonymous: “An Silvia”
orch. Reger: “Nacht und Träume”
orch. Reger: “Erlkönig”
Ravel: Mother Goose (complete ballet)
Ravel: La Valse
Dec 31
New York Philharmonic with Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
Bernstein: Overture to Candide
Gershwin: Concerto in F
Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
Jan 4
New York Philharmonic
Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Ravel: Mother Goose (complete ballet)
Ravel: La Valse
Jan 5, 7, 10
New York Philharmonic
Thomas Adès: Polaris (New York Premiere–New York Philharmonic Co-Commission with the Barbican Centre)
Mahler: Symphony No. 9
Jan 6
Brookville, NY
Tilles Center for the Performing Arts
New York Philharmonic
Thomas Adès: Polaris (New York Premiere–New York Philharmonic Co-Commission with the Barbican Centre)
Mahler: Symphony No. 9
Jan 18, 19, 20, 21
New York Philharmonic with Lang Lang, piano
Magnus Lindberg: Feria
Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 2
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5
Jan 22
All-Brahms Recital with Frank Peter Zimmermann
Frank Peter Zimmermann, violin; Enrico Pace, piano; Philip Myers, horn; Sheryl Staples, violin; Cynthia Phelps, viola; Alan Gilbert, viola; Carter Brey, cello; Eileen Moon, cello
Brahms: Scherzo for violin and piano (from FAE Sonata)
Brahms: Trio for violin, horn, and piano in E-flat major, Op. 40
Brahms: String Sextet No. 1
Jan 26, 27, 28
New York Philharmonic with Frank Peter Zimmermann, violin
Beethoven: Violin Concerto
Stravinsky: Symphony in Three Movements
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2
Feb 2–Feb 18
EUROPE / WINTER 2012 tour with New York Philharmonic
Dates/programs TBA
Feb 23, 25, 28
New York Philharmonic with Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano
Steven Stucky: Son et Lumière
Berlioz: Les Nuits d’été
Mussorgsky/Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition
Feb 24
Philadelphia, PA
Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
New York Philharmonic with Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano
Steven Stucky: Son et Lumière
Berlioz: Les Nuits d’été
Mussorgsky/Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition
March 2
New York, NY
Avery Fisher Hall
Juilliard Orchestra with soloist TBA
Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin
Rouse: Violin Concerto
Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps
April 7, 9, 11, 13, 16, 20
Stockholm, Sweden
Royal Swedish Opera
Wagner: Lohengrin
April 12, 14
Stockholm, Sweden
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic
Mahler: Symphony No. 6 in A minor, “Tragic”
April 25
New York Philharmonic (Rush Hour Concert) with Lisa Batiashvili, violin
Berlioz: Le Corsaire Overture
Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 5, “Turkish”
Debussy: La Mer
April 26, 27, 28
New York Philharmonic with Lisa Batiashvili, violin
Berlioz: Le Corsaire Overture
Marc Neikrug: Concerto for Orchestra
Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 5, “Turkish”
Debussy: La Mer
May 2
New York, NY
Carnegie Hall
New York Philharmonic
Mahler: Symphony No. 6, “Tragic”
May 3, 4, 5
New York Philharmonic with Yefim Bronfman, piano
Dvořák: Carnival Overture
Magnus Lindberg: Piano Concerto No. 2
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4
May 7–15
CALIFORNIA / Spring 2012
New York Philharmonic
Dates/programs TBA
May 19 (Saturday Matinee Concert)
New York Philharmonic with Glenn Dicterow, violin
Schubert: Octet
Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 1
Dvořák: Carnival Overture
May 19, 22, 26
New York Philharmonic with Glenn Dicterow, violin
Dvořák: Carnival Overture
Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 1
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4
May 23
New York Philharmonic with Evgeny Kissin, piano
Grieg: Piano Concerto
Other works TBD
May 28
New York, NY
The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine
New York Philharmonic
Free Memorial Day Concert
Mahler: Symphony No. 9
June 14, 15, 16
New York Philharmonic with Leonidas Kavakos, violin; Joshua Hopkins, baritone
Beethoven: Coriolan Overture
Korngold: Violin Concerto
Nielsen: Symphony No. 3, “Sinfonia espansiva”
June 16 (Saturday Matinee Concert)
New York Philharmonic with Alan Gilbert, conductor and violin; Leonidas Kavakos, violin; Cynthia Phelps, viola; Carter Brey, cello; Maria Kitsopoulos, cello; Joshua Hopkins, baritone
Schubert: String Quintet in C major
Nielsen: Symphony No. 3, “Sinfonia espansiva”
June 20, 21, 22, 23
New York Philharmonic with Emanuel Ax, piano; Jennifer Zetlan, soprano; Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano; Paul Appleby, tenor; Joshua Hopkins, baritone; New York Choral Artists, Joseph Flummerfelt, director
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 22
Mozart: Mass in C minor, “Great”
June 29, 30
New York, NY
The Park Avenue Armory
New York Philharmonic
Pierre Boulez: Rituel in memoriam Bruno Maderna
Mozart: Act I Finale from Don Giovanni
Stockhausen: Gruppen for Three Orchestras
Ives: The Unanswered Question
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