“Among several unusual experiences planned for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s 2018-2019 season is the ensemble’s first performance of an incomparable 20th-century work by Olivier Messiaen,” writes Tim Smith in Friday’s (3/2) Baltimore Sun. Messiaen’s Turangalila-Symphonie “requires massive forces, including … the ondes Martenot. On the opposite side of the spectrum will be a concert with the BSO debut of exceptional actor and singer Leslie Odom Jr…. The Los Angeles-based Troupe Vertigo … will be showcased in a ‘Cirque Nutcracker’ program…. [Also planned are] a semi-staged presentation of Gershwin’s seminal opera, ‘Porgy and Bess,’ and … music by eight living composers. ‘Three of them are women,’ Music Director Marin Alsop says. ‘And that wasn’t intentional, which is even better.’ They include British composer Roxanna Panufnik … whose work for chorus and orchestra … will receive its world premiere in March 2019…. In September, Alsop will conduct Joseph Schwantner’s 1982 tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., ‘New Morning for the World: Daybreak of Freedom’ for narrator and orchestra.” The season will also feature music by living composers including John Adams, Jennifer Higdon, Helen Grime, Andrew Norman, and Kevin Puts. The Pulse series—featuring the orchestra and indie bands—will be announced later.
Posted March 5, 2018
