“The Boston Symphony Orchestra kicks off its European tour this weekend with performances at London’s Royal Albert Hall,” the orchestra’s first Europe tour since 2007, writes Andrea Shea on Thursday (8/20) at Boston classical radio station WBUR. “BSO musicians are making their way across the pond for a long-planned, 12-concert trip to eight cities, including Berlin, Milan and Lucerne in Switzerland. Principal horn player Jamie Sommerville said he and his peers are looking forward to traveling with their ‘newish’ music director, Andris Nelsons. ‘We’re all in that place where everything is prepared and in sync with the new conductor,’ Sommerville said, … ‘but we’re still really excited because it still feels really new.’ … The hornist recalled how the audiences at Royal Albert Hall in London are more raucous than they are here in Boston. ‘I don’t know how it happens, but it’s an amazing bit of crowd cooperation. They’ll sing songs to the conductors, or to the musicians, during the intermissions. And it’s just a great crowd, and it’s live to radio, so it’s a really cool tradition that we like being part of.’ … The tour repertoire includes performances of Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10, which the BSO recorded this year.”
Posted August 21, 2015
Pictured: Andris Nelson conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra, 2014. Photo by Chris Lee
