In Tuesday’s (4/19) New York Times, Daniel J. Wakin writes, “The Montreal Symphony Orchestra, once a storied ensemble that gave blazing performances with the international maestro Charles Dutoit, lost some luster when he left amid acrimony with the players. … But now, a month before it makes a rare trip to Carnegie Hall, the orchestra is producing sounds of resurgence. Under its music director, Kent Nagano, the symphony has released a handful of recordings and gone on several tours to Europe, Asia and other sites in Canada (Hello, Nunavik!). … Now, the Montreal Symphony is ready for its next big prize: a new concert hall. … While work was behind schedule—much of the space looked like a raw construction site, with a forest of scaffolding filling the interior and pallets of materials lying about during a visit in early April—orchestra and Quebec government officials promise it will be ready for inaugural concerts in September. Mr. Nagano called it ‘the fulfillment of a dream that the orchestra has been waiting for through its 77-year history.’ … The new hall will have at most 2,100 seats, and fewer with a chorus performing. … The space from the stage to the last row of seats is a relatively intimate 75 feet, far more congenial to Haydn, Mozart and Bach.” The Orchestra is performing at Carnegie Hall on May 14 as part of the festival “Spring for Music.”
Posted April 19, 2011
