Bamberg Symphony gets to play Carnegie Hall

Bamberg Symphony gets to play Carnegie Hall

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norman lebrecht

November 23, 2016

The Bavarian State Philharmonic is upping its game with a nine-city US tour, rolling out from Carnegie Hall on February 8. That’s a huge investment by the Bavarian state and a high expectation of New York audience interest.

Christoph Eschenbach conducts the tour, which runs on to Miami, LA, Daytona and more.

Eschenbach_Christoph11__credit_Eric-Brissaud_

Comments

  • Horst Franken says:

    The title is correct: ‘Bamberg Symphony’, but the name of the orchestra in the text is wrong. It should be that or ‘Bamberger Symphoniker’.
    I doubt that an orchestra like that under this type of conductor will be able to fill Carnegie Hall, or the other venues, but at least they try.

  • Olassus says:

    How foolish to tour with the reviled Eschenbach and not Jakub Hrůša.

  • Bruce says:

    I don’t know how well he is respected by non-musicians, but Eschenbach sells tickets in the US, whereas people here haven’t heard of Jakub Hrůša. They will have bigger audiences and more attention from the press with CE conducting.

  • mbhaz says:

    I’m looking forward to hearing them again in Los Angeles. It’s a fine orchestra, not great, but nothing wrong with that. I don’t know why some people have a problem with Eschenbach; every time I’ve heard him I have been impressed and thrilled. What I don’t like is how expensive tickets are getting for things like this.

    • Cyril Blair says:

      True…$44 is a lot for an upper balcony seat. (highest ticket seems to be $112.)

      Of course, there are two (2) obstructed view/restricted leg seats in the balcony going for $18.50. Just how many restrictions are placed upon the leg, I wonder. Is this a seat only a child could sit in.

      • mbhaz says:

        I wish the prices were that low in LA. Here they’re going for $160 and up. And that’s Royce Hall, hardly a great venue.

        • Max Grimm says:

          You can thank UCLA or the promoter for those ticket prices. With the exception of the Carnegie Hall concert, which is being put on and paid for by the Bamberg Symphony itself (as Cyril points out, ticket prices are $18.50-$112), all other concerts of their US tour are being put on by promoters who decide the respective ticket prices themselves, having already paid the Bamberg Symphony an artists’ fee.
          Here’s a 5 minute Deutsche Welle news video (auf Englisch) titled Classical accounts – The money side of music which also talks about the US tour (starting at 2:55mins)
          http://www.dw.com/en/classical-accounts-the-money-side-of-music/av-19119154

  • Justin Viener says:

    I think they are great. They don’t show off and play the music in a crisp style.

  • Joe says:

    Just heard them at Carnegie Hall: overture to Don Giovanni, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, and Mahler’s 5th Symphony. The first two pieces were perfectly enjoyable. However, the brass section on Mahler was–I am sorry to say–quite awful (trumpet and French horn very noticeably out of tune a few times, trumpeters slurring notes). I do appreciate all the work they must have put into this performance, and I do acknowledge that the overall impression from it was uplifting–but, honestly, I expected a bit more quality in the brass section.

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