“An assortment of world and American premieres, a wealth of artist debuts, visits by many old friends, and an extravaganza that places the Boston Symphony Orchestra alongside Leipzig’s Gewandhaus Orchestra: these are a few of the coming attractions in the BSO’s 2019-20 season,” writes Zoë Madonna in Thursday’s (3/28) Boston Globe. “The joint concerts … will be the centerpiece of the season’s ‘Leipzig Week in Boston’ event…. For Schoenberg’s ‘Verklärte Nacht’ and Scriabin’s ‘Poem of Ecstasy,’ [Music Director Andris Nelsons] wants to fill the stage with as many players as possible…. BSO-commissioned new works [will include] Eric Nathan’s season-opening Concerto for Orchestra” and BSO/Gewandhaus co-commissions by Betsy Jolas, Arturs Maskats, and HK Gruber. “BSO assistant conductor Yu-An Chang will lead the world premiere of a new work by Chihchun Chi-sun Lee.… [Nelsons will lead] Act III of Wagner’s ‘Tristan und Isolde’ in concert [featuring] tenor Jonas Kaufmann and BSO first-timer soprano Emily Magee…. André Raphel leads … Uri Caine’s civil rights oratorio ‘The Passion of Octavius Catto,’ featuring the composer’s own jazz combo, the specially formed BSO Gospel Chorus, and vocalist Barbara Walker…. Their season concludes with a concert including a new work by Michael Gandolfi for voices and ensemble,” commissioned by the BSO.
Posted March 29, 2019
