“Over the past five decades, the New York Philharmonic’s concerts in the city’s parks have become a well-loved institution,” writes Zachary Woolfe in Friday’s (6/8) New York Times. “The orchestra has tapped James Gaffigan as its leader for this year’s series, which begins on June 12 at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx and tours to Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn through the 15th. ‘I always thought the best kinds of parks concert are more variety shows,’ Mr. Gaffigan said in a phone interview from Switzerland, where he is the music director of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra…. This year’s programs will be no exception, featuring the joyous dances from Bernstein’s ‘On the Town,’ Rimsky-Korsakov’s seductive ‘Scheherazade’ and the riotous Bacchanale from Saint-Saëns’s ‘Samson et Dalila.’ Oh, and two jazzy pieces from the orchestra’s Very Young Composers initiative. (Truly, truly young, as in 11.) The evenings will end, per tradition, with fireworks. [The] 38-year-old native New Yorker says he is eager to lead education and community events…. ‘I remember going to a parks concert when I was in high school, in Central Park,’ he said.”
Posted June 12, 2018
