In Friday’s (2/4) New York Times, Daniel J. Wakin reports on the launch of the New York Philharmonic’s publicly available digital archives and the announcement of the orchestra’s 2011-12 season. The archival initiative is “the first phase of a project to put most of its vast archives on the Internet. This phase encompasses the Bernstein years, running from 1943—when he made his last-minute debut as a substitute for an ailing Bruno Walter—to 1970, the year after his formal tenure ended. During that period the orchestra opened its doors to women, toured extensively, moved to Lincoln Center and entered the television age. … Paid for by a $2.4 million grant from the Leon Levy Foundation, the release contains 3,200 programs; hundreds of documents; more than 1,000 scores marked by past conductors, including Mahler; letters; handwritten notes; old clippings; and yellowing Western Union telegrams.” Additionally, “The New York Philharmonic, announcing its 2011-12 season on Thursday, said it would perform a huge program in two concerts at the Park Avenue Armory, including Stockhausen’s ‘Gruppen.’ The work is written for three orchestras, each with its own conductor. … the orchestra and its music director, Alan Gilbert, will present the first performance of a song cycle for mezzo-soprano (Stephanie Blythe) and orchestra by John Corigliano … Another major premiere will feature Marc Neikrug’s Concerto for Orchestra.”
Posted February 4, 2011
