The Philadelphia Orchestra season, just rolled out, features a cycle of Rachmaninov works in is 150th birthday year played by Yuja Wang. (It’s in the bag.)
Other highlights include more Florence Price and a gala opening with – remember him? – Lang Lang.
Full season here.
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Blomstedt is visiting to conduct Bruckner’s 4th.
That’s the only concert worth travelling for. If I were to live in Philly, I may have attended a few other concerts, but, overall, another embarassing season from one of my favorite orchestras.
This would be a second cycle besides the one she will do with LA Phil and Dudamel. She’s also going on tour with San Francisco Symphony to Europe, playing Rachmaninoff’s third concerto, conducted by Salonen of all people.
“Of all people?” Salonen is their music director.
Personally would dream to listen to Beatrice Rana’s Schumann and Augustin Hadelich’s Sibelius!
That’s the Clara Schumann.
She must have fingers made of steel. The late Jan, early Feb concerts: Rach piano concertos 2 and 3 AND the Paganini Variations all in one concert! That’s amazing. And Philly is doinf another great symphony by a neglected Black composer, William Dawson. Hope they record it!
Stokowski recorded it (also Jarvi and Fagan), but another more modern recording is desirable.
The Price recordings have been successful, one earned a Grammy. William Dawson’s Negro Symphony has a Philly Stokowski. premiere history. Don’t be surprised if Deutsche Gramaphon releases it, perhaps along with a Florence Price Violin Concerto that will be performed this season.
Over four days, she’s playing two concerts of Rachmaninoff Concertos 2 + 1 + Paganini, alternating with two concerts of Concertos 3 + 4 + Paganini. Bionic fingers indeed!
Do Yuja Wang and Lang Lang have to denounce the government of China for their genocide against the Uyghurs to play in Philadelphia?
Do American orchestras have to denounce in official statements every single illegal war the US started before they are allowed to perform in Asia?
Are there any legal wars? Not sure what country you hail from, hsy, but I suspect we could find a few “illegal wars” in your past without much trouble.
I’m sure they would if asked.
So how good a conductor is Yannick Nézet-Séguin?
Better than most currently before the public, but not as good as Szell or Reiner 🙂
I remember seeing him conduct Das Lied Von Der Erde in Montreal in 2008. That’s when I knew he was going to be a major conducting star. I find many of his performances memorable – and I attend over 100 symphonic concerts every year. He even got me to love Tan Dun’s “Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women” back in 2014. I still remember it! I have never seen him give a flat performance of any work either.
I have seen him live many times, although not recently. He has been great on a few occasions and very good on a number of others. But while he is rarely flat out bad, there have been a number of performances that weren’t up to my pre-performance expectations, or at least anticipation.
I did hear a broadcast of him conducting Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade recently and thought it was significantly better than any of several previous performances of the piece I’ve heard from him (a couple live ones with Philly and one broadcast, I think with the BRSO).
He’s definitely grown as a conductor since his early guest appearances in Philadelphia. Perhaps he’d be more consistent if he didn’t overwork himself. He even seems to wind up stepping in for someone else, be it Dudamel in Philadelphia or Gergiev with the VPO, when he has an off week scheduled.
Rach is very popular. Good for him.
I thought they were still in the midst of a Trifonov “Rach Fest” (?) . . . or has the war brought an end to that?
The Rach Fest might be good. From a purely orchestral listening point of view, the Philly Orchestra just sounds insanely wonderful playing Rach with Yannick. He “gets the sound” as well as Slatkin “gets the sound,” and that’s saying something……….
I would gladly go to every concert in Yuja’s “Rach Fest” if I could.
She’s one of the finest pianists currently performing.
And the Philadelphia Orchestra? It grew up playing Rachmaninoff – with Rachmaninoff!