In Sunday’s (11/6) Philadelphia Inquirer, David Patrick Stearns writes, “The Philadelphia Orchestra had a moment in the sun last month with a national cinemacast starring pianist Lang Lang in movie theaters across the country—though the morning after doesn’t look so glorious. When the companion DVD to Lang Lang’s Liszt: My Piano Hero album comes out Nov. 22 on Sony Classical, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s portion won’t be on it. Mainly, the disc will feature the prerecorded solo concert he gave in London in May—the same one that preempted part of the orchestra’s concert (Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10) during the cinemacast, cutting its role to that of Lang Lang’s accompanist on Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1, on the program’s second half. … Lang Lang’s simulcast was the first to focus on an instrumentalist—one reason the Philadelphia Orchestra was present only in the Liszt that featured him (which the orchestra has said was fine). … The presenter, NCM Fathom, a division of National CineMedia, was pleased enough with the outcome to be thinking of doing similar programming again: Senior vice president Dan Diamond is well aware of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s incoming music director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and his youthful charisma. ‘We view these programs, especially the first of its type, as a pilot program to build with,’ Diamond said.”
Posted November 7, 2011
