“Since October, Symphony Hall has been playing the role of sound stage rather than concert venue,” reports Andrea Shea in Thursday’s (3/25) WBUR radio (Boston). “Without live audiences filling its 2,625 seats the Boston Symphony Orchestra needed to create video performances that would engage their fans at home. Enter Emmy Award-winning stage, screen and TV director Habib Azar. From pieces by Beethoven to Dvořák, Stravinsky, and Copland, Azar has overseen 13 of the 15 on-demand ‘BSO NOW’ programs this season. He also filmed the Holiday Pops, which was the BSO’s first live-streamed production…. Before the pandemic hit, Azar orchestrated live shoots for world premieres and rarely performed operas. He’s captured acclaimed performances for the Metropolitan Opera’s ‘Live in HD’ series and ‘Live from Lincoln Center.’ … Azar cut his teeth directing soap operas… He’s also a trained composer. A cadre of robotic cameras has been helping Azar tell musical stories at Symphony Hall that reach fans through their computer screens.” In an interview, Azar speaks about his busy schedule filming orchestra performances during the pandemic, how directing daytime television has informed his current work, and whether highly produced streaming content from orchestras is here to stay.
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