Thomas Hampson’s 2009-10 season
Thomas
Hampson’s new position as the New York Philharmonic’s first Artist-in-Residence
will be a centerpiece of his 2009-10 season, but the singular American baritone
opens his new U.S. season on the opposite coast with the San Francisco
Symphony Orchestra
on September 23. Under his
frequent collaborator, conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, he sings early songs by
Gustav Mahler, including the Songs of a Wayfarer, and records them for the SFSO’s
award-winning Mahler cycle.
Hampson
follows up the four-concert Symphony series in San Francisco with the
continuation of his remarkable “Song of America” project, which this season celebrates the
250th anniversary of what is recognized to be the first song written
by an “American” (“My Days Have Been So Wondrous
Free,” composed in 1759 by Philadelphian Francis Hopkinson). A companion CD, Wondrous Free, is currently available for
download at iTunes, and the CD will be available exclusively at ArkivMusic.com
beginning September 15 (availability from other retailers will be announced
shortly). Drawing on the
unparalleled collection of American songs housed at the Library of Congress, “The
Song of America” project brings together a unique series of recitals,
educational activities, exhibitions, recordings, cybercasts, and interactive
online resources. Some recital
venues will have lobby exhibitions of facsimiles from music archives of the
Library, and joint efforts with local academic and cultural partners are
planned to give a wide range of listeners access to America’s history as told
through its rich array of song.
Hampson
will be extraordinarily busy as the New York Philharmonic’s first
Artist-in-Residence,
taking part throughout the season in a wide range of activities that showcase
his singular talents as performer, music enthusiast, and scholar. Among the highlights this season, he
performs three programs with the orchestra, joining them in Europe under the
Philharmonic’s new music director, Alan Gilbert, on the latter’s first European
tour with the orchestra. Hampson
also gives a recital in Alice Tully Hall this spring; master classes at the
Juilliard School; and three lectures entitled “Listening to Thought” in the
orchestra’s “Insight” series. For
his commitment to educational activities, the Philharmonic recently named him
its Leonard Bernstein Scholar.
Hampson’s first appearances with the New
York Philharmonic this season will be with Zemlinsky’s seldom-performed Lyric
Symphony under guest conductor Neeme Järvi, beginning on
November 5. Hampson’s personal
research into the music and arts in Vienna at the turn of the 20th
century is reflected not only in his choice of repertoire, but also in his
ability to speak eloquently on his subjects of choice. The first “Listening to Thought”
lecture, “Vienna’s Paradigm Shift,” takes place in early November (date TBA) at
Lincoln Center’s Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse. The baritone
will explore the interplay of verbal and musical languages in vocal music,
focusing on experimentation and change in Vienna between the wars.
On New Year’s Eve, Hampson will join Gilbert and the
orchestra for performances of selections from favorite Broadway shows as well
as Aaron Copland’s beloved Old American Songs.
Soon after, before departing on
the first European tour of the conductor’s tenure as music director of the New York
Philharmonic, Hampson will perform John Adams’s The Wound-Dresser
with Gilbert and the orchestra (Jan 14-16). On January 11, he will give his second “Listening to
Thought” lecture. It is also the
annual Erich Leinsdorf Lecture, which this season concerns the “Awakening of
the American Voice.” Hampson’s
talk will emphasize Walt Whitman’s writings and influences on his own and later
generations of authors, poets, and composers.
Thomas Hampson’s operatic appearances
this season include three roles at Zurich Opera. In addition to the current production
there of Verdi’s Ernani (Sep 4-13), he will encore the role
of Scarpia in Puccini’s Tosca in February, and sing
the title role of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin
in May. He will give eight
performances at New York’s Metropolitan Opera as Germont in
Verdi’s La traviata in March and April – alongside the
Violetta of Angela Gheorghiu and the Alfredo of the rapidly rising young tenor
star, James Valenti. In June,
Hampson sings a single performance of Amfortas in Wagner’s Parsifal
at the Vienna State Opera and also performs at the company’s gala; both events
pay tribute to Ioan Holender, who completes his tenure as director of the
company this season.
Additional European engagements
on Hampson’s schedule include Mendelssohn’s Elijah with
Kurt Masur in Leipzig (Sep 17 and 18); a recital at Düsseldorf’s Robert
Schumann Festival in May, honoring the composer’s bicentennial; spring recitals
in Zurich, Dublin, and Berlin; and, on July 7, 2010, a special series of three
concerts – all on the same day – in Kaliste, Czech Republic. Kaliste is the birthplace of composer Gustav
Mahler, who was born there on July 7, 1860, and the trio of
concerts that day will be televised internationally as an upbeat to the
worldwide celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the composer’s
birth. Hampson has studied,
performed, and recorded the Austrian composer’s music extensively, and he will
be extremely busy with various Mahler-related activities throughout the
anniversary year.
Further highlights of Hampson’s American season include
a special gala concert with the Dallas Opera in October as part of the opening
festivities for its new Norman Foster-designed Winspear Opera House. On November 19, Hampson will co-host
the Fifth Annual Opera News Awards with his colleague Susan
Graham. The two were such an
engaging team last season that the Metropolitan Opera Guild, which publishes Opera
News, invited them back to emcee an evening of both light
and serious tributes to “the best of the best” in the world of opera. Hampson and Graham have each previously
won an Opera News Award.
Last
season’s highlights included Hampson’s role debut as Scarpia in Tosca at the Zurich Opera, and his
critically acclaimed portrayals of Athanaël in Thaïs at the Metropolitan Opera, and Germont
in the stunning production of La traviata at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden – the two last
opposite Renée Fleming. He also
took part in the gala opening nights of both the Metropolitan Opera, broadcast
live in HD worldwide, and Carnegie Hall, broadcast nationally on PBS. Orchestral performance highlights
included Britten’s War Requiem with Antonio Pappano at London’s Royal Albert Hall and a
European tour with the UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra.
Details of the artist’s engagements appear below, and
further information may be found at his website, www.thomashampson.com.
Thomas Hampson: selected 2009-10 engagements
Sep 4, 6, 11, and 13, 2009
Zurich, Switzerland
Verdi: Ernani (Don Carlos)
Sep 17 and 18, 2009
Leipzig, Germany
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra / Kurt Masur
Mendelssohn: Elijah
Sep 23, 24, 25, and 26, 2009
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra / Michael Tilson
Thomas
Gustav Mahler: “Ablösung im Sommer”; Lieder eines
fahrenden Gesellen (“Songs of a Wayfarer”)
Sep 29, 2009
San Francisco, CA
“Song of America – A Diary”
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Free admission
Sep 30, 2009
San Francisco, CA
Recital – Herbst Theatre
“Song of America” recital
Wolfram Rieger, piano
Oct 3, 2009
Los Angeles, CA
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Recital for Los Angeles Opera (pianist TBA)
Oct 6, 2009
Portland, OR
Newmark Theatre
Friends of Chamber Music
“Song of America” recital
Pianist TBA
Oct 9, 2009
Santa Barbara, CA
Campbell Hall
“Song of America” recital
Wolfram Rieger, piano
Oct 11, 2009
Boulder, CO
Macky Auditorium, University of Colorado
“Song of America” recital
Wolfram Rieger, piano
Oct 15, 2009
Dallas, TX
Dallas Opera
Gala opening of Winspear Opera House
Oct 21, 2009
Richmond, VA
Modlin Center, University of Richmond
“Song of America” recital
Pianist TBA
Nov (date TBA), 2009
New York, NY
Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse
New York Philharmonic Lecture:
“Listening to Thought – Vienna’s Paradigm Shift”
Nov 5, 6, 7, and 10, 2009
New York, NY
Avery Fisher Hall
Zemlinsky: Lyric Symphony
with Hillevi Martinpelto, soprano
New York Philharmonic / Neeme Järvi
Nov 12,
2009
Philadelphia,
PA
American
Musicological Society Conference
“Song of
America” recital
Craig
Rutenberg, piano
Nov 17, 2009
Princeton, NJ
McCarter Theatre
“Song of
America” recital
Craig Rutenberg, piano
Nov 19, 2009
New York, NY
Gotham Hall
Fifth Annual Opera News Awards
Co-host (with Susan Graham)
Dec 31, 2009
New York, NY
Avery Fisher Hall
Gala New Year’s Eve Concert
Copland: Old American Songs
Selections from Broadway musicals
New York Philharmonic / Alan Gilbert
Jan 11,
2010
New York,
NY
Walter
Reade Theater
“Listening
to Thought – Awakening of the American Voice
Annual
Leinsdorf Lecture
New York
Philharmonic
Jan 14-16,
2010
New York,
NY
New York
Philharmonic / Alan Gilbert
John Adams:
The Wound-Dresser
Jan 22,
2010
Barcelona,
Spain
New York
Philharmonic European tour begins (through Feb 3; cities/dates TBA)
Alan
Gilbert, conductor
Feb 19, 2010
Atlanta, GA
Emory University
Emerson Concert Hall
“Song of America” recital
Pianist TBA
Feb 24, 26, and 28, 2010
Zurich, Switzerland
Puccini: Tosca – Scarpia
Mar 29; Apr 3, 7, 10, 13, 17, 21, and 24, 2010
New York, NY
Metropolitan Opera
Verdi: La traviata – Germont
Apr 5, 2010
New York, NY
Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse
“Listening to Thought – A Guide to German Romanticism”
Apr 11, 2010
New York, NY
Recital at Alice Tully Hall, presented by the New York
Philharmonic
Apr 16 and 17, 2010
New York, NY
New Music Chamber Recital
New York Philharmonic
May 2, 6,12, and 14, 2010
Zurich, Switzerland
Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin
(title role)
Opernhaus Zürich
May 10, 2010
Zurich, Switzerland
Recital TBA
May 20, 2010
Düsseldorf, Germany
Robert Schumann Festival
Recital
Wolfram Rieger, piano
May 30, 2010
Dublin, Ireland
Recital
Wolfram Rieger, piano
Jun 1, 2010
Berlin, Germany
Recital
Wolfram Rieger, piano
Jun 4, 2010
St. Petersburg, Russia
White Nights Festival
TBA
Jun 11-13, 2010
Santa Fe, NM
Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival
Jun 20, 2010
Mannheim, Germany
Gala TBA
Jun 26, 2010
Vienna, Austria
Vienna State Opera Gala
Jun 30, 2010
Vienna, Austria
Wagner: Parsifal – Amfortas
Jul 7, 2010
Kaliste, Czech Republic
Mahler Sesquicentennial Celebration
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© 21C Media Group, September 2009