Jaap van Zweden and the New York Philharmonic will mark the centennial of the ratification of
the 19th Amendment, granting equal voting rights to women, by commissioning works by 19 women. The multi-season Project 19 initiative will launch with three consecutive weeks in February 2020, each featuring a World Premiere complemented by collaborations with partners across the city. The 19 commissioned composers, whose works will be premiered over multiple seasons, are Unsuk Chin, Mary Kouyoumdjian, Joan La Barbara, Tania León, Nicole Lizée, Caroline Mallonee, Jessie Montgomery, Angélica Negrón, Olga Neuwirth, Paola Prestini, Ellen Reid, Maria Schneider, Caroline Shaw, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Joan Tower, Melinda Wagner, Nina C. Young, and Du Yun.
Jaap van Zweden will conduct the Orchestra in the first three Project 19 World Premieres. 2015
Rome Prize winner Nina C. Young’s commission will be premiered February 5–6, 8, and 11,
2020. Pulitzer Prize–nominated Tania León’s commission will be premiered February 13, 15, and
18, 2020. Ms. León will also curate a new-music program as part of Nightcap at the Stanley H.
Kaplan Penthouse, February 15, 2020. The Project 19 commission by Ellen Reid — co-founder of
Luna Composition Lab, a mentorship program for young self-identified female, non-binary, and
gender non-conforming composers — will be premiered February 20–22, 2020.
Also in the strikingly bold and different season are a staging of Schoenberg’s Erwartung and Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle, with Nina Stemme; a World Premiere by Olga Neuwirth conducted by John Adams; World Premiere of Nico Muhly’s Concerto for Two Pianos, with Katia and Marielle Labèque; and Daniil Trifonov as artist in residence.
• Susanna Mälkki returns October 18–19 and 22, 2019, to conduct Unsuk Chin’s Sheng Concerto, with Wu Wei as soloist in his Philharmonic debut.
• Philippe Jordan returns October 30–November 2, 2019, to conduct works by Prokofiev; Mendelssohn, with violinist Julia Fischer as soloist.
• Esa-Pekka Salonen returns November 6, 8–9, and 12, 2019, to conduct two of his works, including the New York Premiere of Castor; Schoenberg orchestrations of works by J.S. Bach; and Hindemith.
• Santtu-Matias Rouvali makes his Philharmonic debut November 14–16, 2019, conducting the New York Premiere of Bryce Dessner’s Wires, with the composer as soloist on electric guitar in his debut.
• Daniel Harding returns January 9–11, 2020, to conduct works by Grieg, with pianist Paul Lewis as soloist, and R. Strauss.
• Gustavo Dudamel returns for two consecutive weeks: January 15–18 and 21, 2020, to conduct works by Ives; the New York Premiere of Esteban Benzecry’s Piano Concerto, Universos infinitos, with Sergio Tiempo as soloist in his Philharmonic debut; and Dvořák, and January 23–25, 2020, to lead works by Schubert and Mahler with mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung and tenor Simon O’Neill.
• Simone Young returns January 30–February 1, 2020, to conduct the New York Premiere of Brett Dean’s Cello Concerto, with Alban Gerhardt as soloist in his Philharmonic debut.
• Franz Welser-Möst returns February 27–29, 2020, to conduct works by Jörg Widmann and R. Strauss.
• Valery Gergiev returns March 12–14, 2020, for an all-Russian program featuring works by Shchedrin; Rachmaninoff, with pianist Denis Matsuev as soloist; and Stravinsky.
In its new season – due to be announced in the next couple of hours – we hear the New York Philharmonic has cut back Beethoven content to just three symphonies.
Given that Carnegie are doing two full cycles and visiting orch will trundle in some more, this looks like a shrewd bit of Beethoven avoidance for the duration of the 250th anniversary.
Russian media report the death of Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov, composer of many classic films and several mainstream symphonies. He was 82.
press release:
For the first time in their history, seven large Berlin orchestras join forces to give a concert for an open and diverse society. On 24 March at 4:00 pm, musicians from the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Staatskapelle Berlin, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin will perform together at the Konzerthaus Berlin under the theme “Unisono für Vielfalt – Konzert für eine offene Gesellschaft” (In Unison for Diversity – Concert for an Open Society).
Marie Jacquot will conduct the concert; actor Matthias Brandt will serve as host.
The musical programme reflects the diversity of the orchestra members and of society, with compositions from Turkey, the Czech Republic, Argentina, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and other countries, with works ranging from Brahms’s Hungarian Dances to Dukas’s La Péri and Astor Piazzolla’s Libertango to Tōru Takemitsu’s Signals from Heaven and Ulvi Cemâl Erkin’s Köçekçe Suite.
In this way, the orchestras advocate respect, tolerance and diversity, not only within their own ranks, but in German society as a whole.
It’s taken Edward Gardner a surprisingly long time to appear at Covent Garden. But at 44, with his hair elegantly greying, the finest British opera conductor of his generation will command its podium for a new production of Janáček’s tragedy Katya Kabanova.
What may make this event more broadly significant is that Gardner could well be the man to succeed Antonio Pappano if his two-decade reign as music director of the Royal Opera concludes when his present contract expires in 2023….
Oh, really?
Pappano’s greatest value to Covent Garden is that he commands the loyalty, respect and affection of the most sought-after opera singers. They know him well and love working with him. Jonas Kaufmann has told me that Pappano is the main reason he sings in London. Anna Netrebko has said much the same.
Gardner, 44, is chief conductor in a small town in Norway without much access to box-office stars.
He won’t find himself in pole position to succeed Pappano unless something goes badly wrong for the ROH (or boldly right for him).
From the publicity-seeking motor manufacturer:
Tesla CEO Eon Musk revealed additional details on how the company’s upcoming Sentry Mode theft-deterrent system will function, which includes a humorous look against the background of something as serious as addressing vehicle break-ins. According to Musk’s latest Tweet about the Iron Man-reminiscent feature, when an intrusion is detected while Sentry Mode is activated, composer Johann Sebastian Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 will play, drawing as much attention as possible to the would-be perpetrator(s).
This is Tesla’s choice:
Could we recommend something scarier?
Or a truly alarming interpreter?
The 47th Istanbul Music Festival proudly presents the ‘sensational pianist Yuja Wang’, we learn today.
A survey by streaming service Deezer found that the average person reaches “musical paralysis” — when she or he primarily listens to familiar tracks and does not seek out new genres — at the age of 27 years and 11 months.
Musical discovery peaks nearly three years earlier, with 25-year-olds on average listening to at least 10 new songs per week.
Deezer surveyed 5,000 adults online across Brazil, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Same in classical?
The collapsed chain of UK record stores, signified by the dog-and-horn emblem, has been rescued from administration by the Canadian entrepreneur Doug Putman, owner of Sunrise Records.
He will preserve 100 stores and 1,487 jobs. A further 27 stores will close immediately.
Putman, 34, said he was ‘delighted to acquire the most iconic music and entertainment business in the UK.’
He is a strong believer in vinyl. Slipped Disc would like to suggest that he starts by upgrading the lightbulbs in HMV’s gloomy Oxford Street flagship store.
