BSO Concert Preview: Harbison and Mahler

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:30:16 EDT

April 8-10, 2010
Carlos Kalmer leads the Boston Symphony in the world premiere of Harbison's Double Concerto for violin and cello, and closes the program with Mahler's Symphony No. 7.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: Harbison and Mahler

BSO Concert Preview: Mendelssohn's "Elijah"

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:32:28 EDT

April 1-3, 2010
Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos conducts a grand work considered by many to be Mendelssohn's greatest, his oratorio "Elijah". This big work is strongly influenced by Bach, whose "St. Matthew Passion" Mendelssohn conducted in 1829, rescuing it from obscurity and triggering a renewed interest in that Bach work. Mendelssohn wrote "Elijah" at the request of the Birmingham Festival, one of England's great choir festivals; it was first performed there in 1846. For that occasion the original German text was translated to English; in the present performances the German text, taken from the Old Testament, will be used.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: Mendelssohn's "Elijah"

BSO Concert Preview: Sibelius, Lieberson and Schubert

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:35:06 EDT

March 24-30, 2010
Peter Lieberson's "Songs of Love and Sorrow", a BSO commission completed this year and written for the Canadian bass-baritone Gerald Finley, is a cycle of five settings of poems from Pablo Neruda's Love Sonnets. In this and in its lyrical style, the piece is a companion work to the composer's "Neruda Songs", written for his wife, the late mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, and co-commissioned by the BSO. For Lieberson, "Songs of Love and Sorrow" are "about the fullness of all life experiences. Neruda penetrates the domains of love, sorrow, joy, and impermanence, and does so with such acuity, passion, and beauty.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: Sibelius, Lieberson and Schubert

BSO Concert Preview: Mendelssohn and Rossini

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:38:32 EDT

March 18-20, 2010
Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, in the second of his two weeks of programs, leads Mendelssohn's Overture and Incidental Music to Shakespeare's play "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Mendelssohn wrote the Overture when he was just seventeen, and incorporated it into a complete set of incidental pieces for Shakespeare's play only much later. Gioachino Rossini "retired" from composing operas in 1829 as the greatest living opera composer. His sacred Stabat Mater (1841) is the most magnificent of his late-life works.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: Mendelssohn and Rossini

BSO Concert Preview: Albeniz, Prokofiev and Rimsky-Korsakov

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:43:18 EDT

March 10-16, 2010
Frequent guest conductor Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos returns this season for two weeks of concerts. This first series features the young American violin virtuoso Hilary Hahn in Prokofiev's alternately lyrical and witty Violin Concerto No. 1.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: Albeniz, Prokofiev and Rimsky-Korsakov

BSO Concert Preview: Haydn, Bach and Schubert

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:44:06 EST

January 6-12, 2010
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma is soloist in Haydn's Cello Concerto in C, joining Dutch early-music conductor Ton Koopman in this program of 18th- and early 19th-century works. Haydn's Symphony No. 98 is one of the twelve symphonic masterpieces he wrote for adoring London audiences during two visits there in the first half of the 1790s. C.P.E. Bach, one of the most accomplished sons of J.S. Bach, was along with Haydn one of the originators of the genre of the symphony. Schubert's haunting Unfinished Symphony, begun about 1822, was abandoned by the composer after two movements were completed.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: Haydn, Bach and Schubert

BSO Concert Preview: Debussy, Stravinsky and Brahms

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:54:49 EST

November 24 - December 1, 2009
In his BSO Symphony Hall debut conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier is joined by American violinist Joshua Bell in Brahms's evergreen Violin Concerto, written in 1878 for the great Joseph Joachim. Opening this diverse program is Debussy's "Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun", one of his most characteristic and popular scores.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: Debussy, Stravinsky and Brahms

BSO Concert Preveiew: Debussy, Ibert and Brahms

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:47:03 EST

November 19-21, 2009
These concerts celebrate the 70th birthday year of legendary Irish flutist Sir James Galway and the 80th birthday year of BSO Conductor Emeritus Bernard Haitink, who leads Sir James and the orchestra in the effervescent Flute Concerto of the 20th-century French composer Jacques Ibert. Debussy's "Nocturnes" for orchestra, a triptych of exotically and colorfully scored tone paintings from 1899, begins these concerts. Completing the program is Brahms's Symphony No. 1. Haunted by the symphonic accomplishments of Beethoven, Brahms wrestled for years with the idea of writing a symphony before finally completing this piece in 1876, when he was forty-three.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preveiew: Debussy, Ibert and Brahms

Watch the video exclusive featuring Stravinsky's Petrushka

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:05:21 EST

November 12-14, 2009
Watch the exclusive video! Stravinsky's Petrushka, a ballet about a living puppet, composed for the Ballets Russes in 1911, helped cement Stravinsky's reputation as the most important and exciting young composer in the world.
(VIDEO) Watch the video exclusive featuring Stravinsky's Petrushka

BSO Concert Preview: Honegger, Saint-Saens and Stravinsky

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:21:40 EST

November 12-14, 2009
Italian conductor Fabio Luisi and acclaimed 21-year-old French pianist Lise de la Salle collaborate in their BSO debuts, performing Saint-Saens' elegantly virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 2 with the orchestra. Stravinsky's "Petrushka", a ballet about a living puppet, composed for the Ballets Russes in 1911, helped cement Stravinsky's reputation as the most important and exciting young composer in the world.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: Honegger, Saint-Saens and Stravinsky

BSO Concert Preview: Beethoven, The Complete Symphonies, Part 4

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:56:48 EST

November 5-7, 2009
The fourth program in the BSO's historic Beethoven symphony cycle concludes with a program pairing the shortest of the nine, the wonderfully jovial Eighth (premiered in February 1814, and which the composer considered one of his finest symphonies), with his longest and most ambitious, No. 9 (one of the last pieces Beethoven wrote). Beethoven's use of chorus and soloists in the Ninth's final movement, a setting of Schiller's "Ode to Joy"-an unprecedentedly bold and imaginative stroke-remains startlingly effective today.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: Beethoven, The Complete Symphonies, Part 4

BSO Concert Preview: Beethoven, The Complete Symphonies, Part 3

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:42:06 EST

October 30-31, 2009
The third program in the BSO's historic Beethoven symphony cycle pairs two of the composer's most beautiful and lyrical symphonies. The Symphony No. 6, 'Pastoral', is a programmatic work narrating a pleasant day spent in the country, with cuckoos, dancing peasants, and a thunderstorm. The Seventh Symphony, premiered at the end of 1813, has been an audience favorite ever since.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: Beethoven, The Complete Symphonies, Part 3

BSO Concert Preview: Beethoven, The Complete Symphonies, Part 2

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:26:54 EDT

October 27-29, 2009
This is the second series of concerts in the BSO's historic overview of all nine Beethoven symphonies in a multi-week, four-program span. This program features the groundbreaking Symphony No. 3, "Eroica", which was inspired by Napoleon's rise to power. The story goes that Beethoven angrily tore the dedication page in half when Napoleon arrogantly assumed the title of Emperor. The gracefully exuberant Fourth Symphony stands in contrast to the Third's high drama.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: Beethoven, The Complete Symphonies, Part 2

BSO Concert Preview: Beethoven, The Complete Symphonies, Part 1

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:09:43 EDT

October 22-24, 2009
Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos and the BSO perform the first set of concerts in a rare series of all nine Beethoven symphonies in a two-week, four-concert span. In Symphony No. 1 from 1800, we can trace the influence of both Haydn and Mozart. Symphony No. 2, from 1802, departs radically from Classical models in many ways, but is one of the composer's warmest and most sunlit works. The powerful Fifth Symphony-which needs no introduction-is a tremendous live experience.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: Beethoven, The Complete Symphonies, Part 1

Watch the video exclusive featuring Augusta Read Thomas

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:25:18 EDT

October 15-20, 2009
Former BSO assistant conductor Ludovic Morlot, now widely acclaimed as a guest conductor, brings a fascinatingly diverse program in his return to Symphony Hall. He leads the BSO in the American premiere of Augusta Read Thomas's vibrant "Helios Choros II (Sun God Dancers)". Thomas was composer in- residence with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for many years and also has strong ties to the BSO and Tanglewood. Helios Choros II, the central panel of an orchestral triptych, was co-commissioned by the BSO and the London Symphony Orchestra; the LSO gave the premiere in December 2008.
(VIDEO) Watch the video exclusive featuring Augusta Read Thomas

BSO Concert Preview: Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:54:09 EDT

October 8-13, 2009
St. Petersburg-born conductor Vasily Petrenko, chief conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, makes his BSO debut in the first three performances of this all-Russian program, and BSO assistant conductor Julian Kuerti leads the final concert of the series, on October 13. One of Stravinsky's earliest works, the 1908 "Scherzo fantastique" shows the imprint of the composer's studies with Rimsky-Korsakov. Stravinsky himself declared that it owed less to Rimsky than to "Mendelssohn via Tchaikovsky." This brilliant concert-opener contrasts strongly with Rachmaninoff's tone poem "The Isle of the Dead", a substantial, atmospheric work inspired by a famous series of paintings by the Swiss artist Arnold Bocklin. Completed in 1909, the piece was first performed by the BSO under the composer's direction that year. Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10 was a response to the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953. Written eight years after his Symphony No. 9 and considered one of his finest, the Tenth seems partly to have been an exorcism of his resentment of the Soviet leader.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich

BSO Concert Preview: Beethoven, Carter, Debussy, Williams and Ravel

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:51:35 EDT

October 3, 2009
Ann Hobson Pilot joined the BSO as its assistant principal harp in 1969 and became principal harp in 1980, retiring at the end of the 2009 Tanglewood season after forty years with the orchestra. This program celebrates her tenure here, and the great impact she has had as a musician with the BSO and elsewhere. She is soloist in John Williams' "On Willows and Birches", a new work written for her and premiered by her on the BSO's Opening Night concert this season, as well as in Elliott Carter's "Mosaic", a chamber work co-commissioned by the BSO and given its American premiere by Ms. Pilot at Tanglewood in 2008. She also plays Debussy's "Danses sacree et profane", a staple of the harp-and-orchestra repertoire. These concerts begin with Beethoven's high-spirited Symphony No. 4 and end with Ravel's popular "La Valse", his unsettling farewell to the golden era of Vienna.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: Beethoven, Carter, Debussy, Williams and Ravel

Watch the video exclusive on Stravinsky and Brahms

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:53:56 EDT

September 26, 29, 2009
New Video Exclusive on Stravinsky and Mozart. The season continues Sept. 26 and 29 with two choral masterpieces, Stravinsky's "Symphony of Psalms" and Mozart's Requiem, both featuring the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver, conductor. Soloists for the evening are bass Eric Owens and three up-and-coming young singers making their BSO debuts - soprano Grazia Doronzio, mezzo-soprano Anke Vondung, and tenor Michael Schade.
(VIDEO) Watch the video exclusive on Stravinsky and Brahms

BSO Concert Preview: Stravinsky and Mozart

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:58:33 EDT

September 26-29, 2009
James Levine leads two great sacred works for orchestra and chorus in this program featuring the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Italian soprano Grazia Doronzio and German mezzo-soprano Anke Vondung make their BSO debuts in Mozart's Requiem, joining Michael Schade and Eric Owens. Mozart began his Requiem in response to a mysterious commission. It remained incomplete at his death in 1791, but at his wife Constanze's request, his pupil Franz Xaver Sussmayer finished it with remarkable fidelity to the master's style. Stravinsky wrote his starkly beautiful Symphony of Psalms at the behest of Serge Koussevitzky to celebrate the BSO's 50th anniversary. "Symphony of Psalms" was first performed in Europe, and Koussevitzky led the BSO in its American premiere in December 1930.
(MP3) 09/10 BSO Concert Preview 2

BSO Concert Preview: Opening Night at Symphony

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:25:49 EDT

September 23, 2009
For Opening Night of the 2009-10 season, BSO Music Director James Levine leads a diverse program including the world premiere of a new work by John Williams, "On Willows and Birches", written especially for the BSO's longtime principal harp, Ann Hobson Pilot, who retired from the BSO at the end of the 2009 Tanglewood season. The dazzling Russian pianist Evgeny Kissin is soloist in Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2, one of the composer's few works with orchestra. Berlioz's rousing "Roman Carnival" Overture, based on music from his opera Benvenuto Cellini, opens the program, which concludes with Debussy's lush, shimmering "La Mer"-a piece given its American premiere by the BSO in 1907.
(MP3) 09/10 BSO Concert Preview 1

Watch the video exclusive interview featuring Ann Hobson Pilot

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:06:48 EDT

October 3, 2009
Ann Hobson Pilot joined the BSO as its assistant principal harp in 1969 and became principal harp in 1980, retiring at the end of the 2009 Tanglewood season after forty years with the orchestra. This program celebrates her tenure here, and the great impact she has had as a musician with the BSO and elsewhere. She is soloist in John Williams' "On Willows and Birches", a new work written for her and premiered by her on the BSO's Opening Night concert this season, as well as in Elliott Carter's "Mosaic", a chamber work co-commissioned by the BSO and given its American premiere by Ms. Pilot at Tanglewood in 2008. She also plays Debussy's "Danses sacree et profane", a staple of the harp-and-orchestra repertoire. These concerts begin with Beethoven's high-spirited Symphony No. 4 and end with Ravel's popular La Valse, his unsettling farewell to the golden era of Vienna.
(VIDEO) Watch the video exclusive interview featuring Ann Hobson Pilot

Watch the video exclusive of "On Willows and Birches"

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:46:16 EDT

(MP3) WGBH / Brian Bell on Michael Steinberg

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:17:39 EDT

July 26, 2009
The world renowned writer Michael Steinberg passed away on July 26th, 2009. For the following Sunday's Tanglewood broadcast, Brian Bell prepared the following tribute, "Michael Steinberg, in his Own Words."
(MP3) WGBH / Brian Bell on Michael Steinberg

BSO Enhanced Podcast: A Program of French Classics

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:57:02 EDT

April 23-25, 2009
Watch the Enhanced Podcast! This podcast focuses on history of French music as our program this week features Debussy and Ravel. Debussy's early, short "Petite Suite" for piano four-hands was orchestrated colorfully by Henri Busser in "Debussy style" in 1907. Ravel made his own orchestrations of his piano suite "Le Tombeau de Couperin", an homage to the French Baroque composer Couperin. Stravinsky's "Pulcinella" ballet, written just a few years later, takes some of its music from Pergolesi and refashions it in purely Stravinskian good humor.
(VIDEO) BSO Enhanced Podcast: A Program of French Classics

BSO Concert Preview: Mozart and Berlioz

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:41:40 EDT

April 29 - May 2, 2009
For the final concerts of the 2008-09 BSO season, the illustrious English conductor Sir Colin Davis brings the monumental "Te Deum" of Berlioz, a composer with whose music Sir Colin has long and profound experience. Tenor Matthew Polenzani, who has sung in recent BSO performances of Berlioz's "Requiem" and "Romeo et Juliette", joins the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and the PALS Children's Chorus for these performances. The elegant English pianist Imogen Cooper is soloist in Mozart's majestic Piano Concerto No. 25, written in Vienna in 1786.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview episode 26

BSO Concert Preview: Ravel, Debussy and Stravinsky

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:30:16 EDT

April 23-25, 2009
Debussy's early, short "Petite Suite" for piano four-hands was orchestrated colorfully by Henri Busser in "Debussy style" in 1907. Ravel made his own orchestrations of his piano suite "Le Tombeau de Couperin", an homage to the French Baroque composer Couperin. Stravinsky's "Pulcinella" ballet, written just a few years later, takes some of its music from Pergolesi and refashions it in purely Stravinskian good humor.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: Ravel, Debussy and Stravinsky

BSO Concert Preview: Beethoven and Mahler

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:54:31 EDT

April 16-18, 2009
British conductor Mark Wigglesworth makes his BSO debut with this program, which also features two internationally acclaimed soloists. German violinist Isabelle Faust, who made her BSO debut under James Levine's direction in February 2008 with music of Alban Berg, returns as soloist in Beethoven's broadly lyrical Violin Concerto. German soprano Juliane Banse, well known for her performances of recital, orchestral, and operatic repertoire, makes her BSO debut in Mahler's heartwarming, sunlit Symphony No. 4, which has as its finale a setting of the poem "The Heavenly Life," from the German folk poetry collection "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" ("Youth's Magic Horn").
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: Episode 23

BSO Enhanced Video Podcast: Copland's "Appalachian Spring"

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:24:33 EDT

April 9-14, 2009
Korean conductor Shi-Yeon Sung, in her second season as an assistant conductor of the BSO, makes her subscription series debut with this thoughtfully conceived program of music from four countries. On the program is Aaron Copland's very American suite from "Appalachian Spring". This video takes a closer look at the composer and the music.
(VIDEO) BSO Enhanced Video Podcast: Copland's "Appalachian Spring"

Boston Pops: The Red Sox Album!

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:23:31 EDT

May 6 - June 21, 2009
The 2009 Spring Pops Season is highlighted by the launch of the Pops' brand-new Red Sox Album, produced in conjunction with the Boston Red Sox and Major League Baseball, released on Monday, April 6, the opening day of the Red Sox season. Continuing the season theme, America's Favorite Pastime, music from the new CD, along with baseball-themed segments featuring celebrity narrators and film clips, will be featured in programs throughout the Boston Pops' 2009 season. Watch this video podcast!
(VIDEO) Boston Pops: The Red Sox Album!

BSO Concert Preview: Sibelius, Grieg, Copland and Bartók

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:29:47 EST

April 9-14, 2009
Korean conductor Shi-Yeon Sung, in her second season as an assistant conductor of the BSO, makes her subscription series debut with this thoughtfully conceived program of music from four countries. The eminent Brazilian pianist Nelson Freire joins Ms. Sung and the BSO for the Norwegian Edvard Grieg's popular and Romantic Piano Concerto. Finnish composer Jean Sibelius's short, meditative tone poem "The Bard" contrasts with the effusive openness of Aaron Copland's very American suite from "Appalachian Spring". Closing the concert is the suite from Bartók's lurid, exotic ballet "The Miraculous Mandarin".
(MP3)BSO Concert Preview: Sibelius, Grieg, Copland and Bartók

BSO Enhanced Podcast: Charles Dutoit on Stravinsky

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:53:07 EST

March 26-28, 2009
In a 2004 interview, Charles Dutoit mentioned to Brian Bell that he had met Stravinsky, but "that is a story for another day". So in the spring of 2007, Charles Dutoit returned to Boston to conduct, among other things, the Stravinsky Symphony in C. It was "another day". Listen to this event as remembered by Charles Dutoit, which took place in 1959.
(VIDEO) BSO Enhanced Podcast: Charles Dutoit on Stravinsky

BSO Concert Preview:Ravel, Prokofiev and Stravinsky

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:04:55 EST

March 26-28, 2009
Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit returns to Symphony Hall with one of his frequent collaborators, Georgian-born violinist Lisa Batiashvili, to perform Serge Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2. Also on the program is music from two ballets both written for Diaghilev's Ballet Russes in the same year, 1911: Ravel's suite from the ballet Mother Goose and Stravinsky's "Petrushka".
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: Episode 22

BSO Enhanced Podcast: Janine Jansen and Alisa Weilerstein

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:06:20 EST

March 19-24, 2009
At a look at the two soloists for this series program on Brahms' Double Concerto for violin and cello. This program runs from March 19-24 with conductor Hans Graf. Also on the program is Bruckner's Symphony No. 7.
(VIDEO) BSO Enhanced Podcast: Janine Jansen and Alisa Weilerstein

WGBH / Brian Bell with Hans Graf

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:02:53 EST

March 19-24, 2009
Hans Graf spoke to Brian Bell after his first rehearsal on March 17th about Anton Bruckner and his 7th Symphony. Back at the WGBH studios, musical examples were added in to give you a real tour of the piece. If your not familiar with the music, its a great introduction, and if you know the Symphony well, you hear many insights behind Maestro Graf's interpretation.
(MP3) WGBH / Brian Bell with Hans Graf

BSO Concert Preview: Brahms and Bruckner

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:16:34 EST

March 19-24, 2009
The Dutch violinist Janine Jansen and the American cellist Alisa Weilerstein, both of whose young careers have begun to soar, make their BSO debuts in these concerts, joining Hans Graf for Brahms's Double Concerto, written for the cellist Robert Hausmann and his quartet partner, Brahms's old friend Joseph Joachim, in 1887. Graf also conducts Bruckner's magisterial and deeply felt Symphony No. 7, a work that has been likened to a cathedral in sound.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: Episode 21

Enhanced Podcast: Brahms Symphony No. 4

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:31:25 EST

March 12-17, 2009
Brahms's symphony No. 4 is played this week at the BSO with guest conductor Herbert Blomstedt. We caught up with WGBH's Brian Bell who wrote a segment on Brahms 4. We liked it so much we added some video elements to it. Take a look.
BSO Enhanced Podcast: Brahms Symphony No. 4

WGBH / Brian Bell with Alan Gilbert

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:19:40 EST

March 5-10, 2009
On Tuesday March 3rd, Alan Gilbert spoke about his program with the Boston Symphony, concentrating on the first BSO performances since 1992 of the Symphony No. 4 of Charles Ives. He explained to Brian Bell why he is using 2 conductors and the use of the etherorgan. Warning! Listening to this interview may compel you to attend this concert!
(MP3) WGBH / Brian Bell with Alan Gilbert

BSO Enhanced Podcast: Charles Ives Symphony No. 4 Analysis

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:34:06 EST

March 5-10, 2009
From the Classical Companion. Ives' Symphony No. 4 Analysis. Receiving a rare BSO performance is Charles Ives's epic Symphony No. 4, a work of great originality and a virtual autobiography of Ives's musical experience.
(Video) BSO Enhanced Podcast: Charles Ives Symphony No. 4 Analysis

BSO Enhanced Podcast: Charles Ives Historical Context

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:32:15 EST

March 5-10, 2009
BSO Enhanced Podcast: From the Classical Companion. Charles Ives Historical Context. Receiving a rare BSO performance is Charles Ives's epic Symphony No. 4, a work of great originality and a virtual autobiography of Ives's musical experience.
(Video) BSO Enhanced Podcast: Charles Ives Historical Context

BSO Enhanced Podcast: Charles Ives Biography

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:28:34 EST

March 5-19, 2009
From the Classical Companion. Charles Ives Biography. Ives' Fourth Symphony is programmed this week under conductor Alan Gilbert. Watch the Charles Ives Biography.
(Video) BSO Enhanced Podcast: Charles Ives Biography

BSO Concert Preview: Sibelius, Rachmaninoff and Ives

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:02:05 EST

March 5-10, 2009
American conductor Alan Gilbert, who becomes music director of the New York Philharmonic in 2009-10, leads English pianist Stephen Hough in Rachmaninoff's brilliant and poetic Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Receiving a rare BSO performance is Charles Ives's epic Symphony No. 4, a work of great originality and a virtual autobiography of Ives's musical experience. Opening the program is Sibelius's short tone poem "Night Ride and Sunrise" (1908), not played by the BSO since 1918.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: 2008/09 Episode 18

BSO Enhanced Podcast: James Levine Press Conference

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:22:13 EST

February 19, 2009
Video Podcast of James Levine's Press Conference from February 19, 2009. Maestro Levine talked about his concerts for the 2009-2010 BSO season, as well as the release of the BSO and James Levine's first four albums. Available now as digital downloads are Ravel's "Daphnis et Chloe", Brahms's "A German Requiem", Mahler's Symphony No. 6, and William Bolcom's Lyric Concerto and Symphony No. 8. The Ravel and Brahms works are also available as Super-Audio Compact Discs. The compact discs and digital downloads can be purchased from bso.org.
(VIDEO) BSO Enhanced Podcast: James Levine Press Conference

BSO Enhanced Podcast: Jean-Yves Thibaudet

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:19:47 EST

February 20-25, 2009
The stylish French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet is featured February 25-28 at Symphony Hall performing Franz Liszt's sparkling Piano Concerto No. 2. Here is a more in depth look at Jean-Yves Thibaudet as he speaks with Benjamin Schwartz, Assistant Artistic Administrator at the BSO.
(VIDEO)- BSO Enhanced Podcast: Jean-Yves Thibaudet

BSO Concert Preview: Ravel, Liszt and Dvoák

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:31:17 EST

February 25-28, 2009
Montreal-born conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin makes his Boston Symphony Orchestra debut with a BSO audience favorite, the stylish French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, performing Franz Liszt's sparkling Piano Concerto No. 2. Dvořák's Symphony No. 6, is one of the finest of Romantic scores but seriously neglected among his symphonies. Ravel's "Valses nobles et sentimentales" opens the concert on a colorful note.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: 2008/09 Episode 17

BSO Concert Preview: Late Mozart Symphonies

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:38:32 EST

February 19-21, 2009
Rounding off James Levine and the BSO's three-program survey of Mozart's symphonies is this program of his final three. These works are literally the standard by which all subsequent examples in the genre are judged. The pinnacle of Mozart's orchestral mastery, they are nonetheless astonishingly distinct from one another, from the bright invention of No. 39, to the restless quest of No. 40, to the elegantly perfect architecture of the "Jupiter".
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: 2008/09 Episode 16

BSO Concert Preview: All-Mozart Symphonies

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:43:43 EST

February 12-21, 2009
Because so few conductors look beyond the tried-and-true favorites among Mozart's symphonies, it's rare to encounter in the concert hall any of the composer's symphonies that we haven't already heard. For his final concerts of the BSO's 2008-09 subscription season, Music Director James Levine-who recorded all of Mozart's symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic in the 1980s-leads three programs that offer a mix of early and middle Mozart symphonies-some of them never previously played by the BSO-followed by the great final trilogy of the symphonies 39, 40, and the "Jupiter". This week's two programs-the first on February 12 and 13, the second on February 14 and 170-offer a mix of works that show Mozart using and expanding upon the musical and stylistic trends of predecessors and contemporaries as he made the symphony his own. These concerts will be followed on February 19, 20, and 21 with Mozart's last three symphonies, performed in a single program.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: 2008/09 Episode 15

BSO Enhanced Podcast: Project Mozart

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 10:09:09 EST

February 12-19, 2009
The Boston Symphony Orchestra will present "Project Mozart", a unique fashion contest featuring designs inspired by the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, scheduled in conjunction with upcoming BSO all-Mozart programs, February 12, 17, and 19, at Symphony Hall. The "Project Mozart" contest will feature evening wear designs by eleven talented fashion students affiliated with schools throughout the greater Boston area.
(VIDEO)- BSO Enhanced Podcast: Project Mozart

WGBH / Brian Bell on Brahms' Second Symphony

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 10:41:44 EST

February 5-7, 2009
Brian Bell discusses Brahms' Symphony No. 2
(MP3) WGBH / Brian Bell on Brahms' Second Symphony

BSO Concert Preview: Mozart, Schuller and Brahms

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:38:07 EST

February 5-7, 2009
Following her performances as Amelia in Verdi's "Simon Boccanegra", Barbara Frittoli returns to sing very different music: a Mozart concert aria as well as a dramatic scene from his first operatic masterpiece, "Idomeneo, King of Crete". Also on the program is the fourth world premiere of this season, eminent American musician Gunther Schuller's orchestrally kaleidoscopic, symphony-like "Where the Word Ends", a BSO 125th anniversary commission. Brahms's wonderfully warm Symphony No. 2 closes the program. spacer
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: 2008/09 Episode 14

BSO Concert Preview: Verdi - "Simon Boccanegra"

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:35:08 EST

January 29 - February 3, 2009
James Levine brings some of the world's most sought-after vocal stars to Symphony Hall in his continuing role as an advocate of opera in concert performances. Verdi's grand opera "Simon Boccanegra" tells the story of the title figure, a Genoese corsair, whose ascent to lead that city-state is complicated by both political and personal intrigue in this great operatic tragedy.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: 2008/09 Episode 13

BSO Enhanced Podcast: Verdi Historical Context - Video

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:00:55 EST

January 29 - February 3, 2009
James Levine brings some of the world's most sought-after vocal stars to Symphony Hall in his continuing role as an advocate of opera in concert performances. Coming up is Verdi's "Simon Boccanegra". Here is Verdi's Historical Context Video.
(VIDEO)- BSO Enhanced Podcast: Verdi Historical Context

BSO Enhanced Podcast: Verdi Biography - Video

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:58:03 EST

January 29 - February 3, 2009
Verdi's grand opera "Simon Boccanegra" tells the story of the title figure, a Genoese corsair, whose ascent to lead that city-state is complicated by both political and personal intrigue in this great operatic tragedy. Watch the Enhanced Video from the Classical Companion!
(VIDEO)- BSO Enhanced Podcast: Verdi Biography

BSO Enhanced Podcast: Kurt Masur

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:11:29 EST

January 22-27, 2009
Download the Enhanced video podcast on Kurt Masur. Former New York Philharmonic music director Kurt Masur returns to the BSO podium with an all- Felix Mendelssohn program, marking the 200th anniversary of the composer's birth. The "Hebrides" Overture was inspired by the composer's tour to Scotland's islands and its folklore. Symphony No. 3, "Scottish", completed in 1842, had been noted down the first sketches in 1829 during the same Scottish sojourn. He began his "Italian" Symphony in 1830 during an extended stay in that sunlit country.
(VIDEO)- BSO Enhanced Podcast: Kurt Masur

BSO Concert Preview: All-Mendelssohn Program

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:09:53 EST

January 22-27, 2009
Former New York Philharmonic music director Kurt Masur returns to the BSO podium with an all- Felix Mendelssohn program, marking the 200th anniversary of the composer's birth. The "Hebrides" Overture was inspired by the composer's tour to Scotland's islands and its folklore. Symphony No. 3, "Scottish", completed in 1842, had been noted down the first sketches in 1829 during the same Scottish sojourn. He began his "Italian" Symphony in 1830 during an extended stay in that sunlit country.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: 2008/09 Episode 12

Brian Bell with Bernard Labadie

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:30:59 EST

January 14-17, 2009
In between his first two rehearsals leading the Boston Symphony for his debut, Bernard Labadie spoke to Brian Bell about his concert program of January 15-17, 2009. Is Labadie an early music specialist changing the ways of the Boston Symphony? His thoughts might surprise you.
(MP3) WGBH / Brian Bell with Bernard Labadie

Interview with Bernard Labadie

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:43:05 EST

January 14-17, 2009
In conversation with BSO Assistant Artistic Administrator Benjamin Schwartz, conductor Bernard Labadie shares reflections about his upcoming BSO debut, the joys and challenges of conducting Handel, and how to navigate the switch between working with period and modern instrument ensembles.
(MP3) Interview with Bernard Labadie

WGBH / Brian Bell on Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony with Robert Spano

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:01:43 EST

January 22-27, 2009
One summer at Tanglewood, Brian Bell spoke to Robert Spano about Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony. With Charles Munch's classic BSO recording illustrating the points, this feature serves as a conversation piece that unveils the musical and technical questions that face musicians and listeners.
(MP3) WGBH / Brian Bell on Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony with Robert Spano

BSO Concert Preview: Mozart, Haydn and Handel

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:50:32 EST

January 14-17, 2009
Québécoise conductor Bernard Labadie is one of the world's most accomplished early-music specialists. In his debut performances with the BSO, he is joined by Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey in Haydn's congenial Cello Concerto No. 2 in D. The concert begins with the Chaconne from the ballet music Mozart composed to follow his first operatic masterpiece, "Idomeneo". Handel's famous "Water Music" far transcends the highest aspirations of "occasional" music, its original purpose.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: 2008/09 Episode 11

WGBH / Brian Bell with James Levine, Elliott Carter and Daniel Barenboim

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:46:00 EST

December 4-9, 2008
After the final rehearsal on December 4th 2008 for the world premiere of the Elliott Carter Interventions, the composer, who turns 100 on December 11th, BSO Music Director James Levine and piano soloist Daniel Barenboim gathered in the soloists dressing room for a roundtable discussion of Elliott Carter's piece, written on the occasion of his centenary.
(MP3) WGBH / Brian Bell with James Levine, Elliott Carter and Daniel Barenboim

(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: Elliott Carter

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:38:02 EST

December 4-9, 2008
Boston Symphony Orchestra Music Director James Levine takes to the podium and the piano for two wide-ranging programs celebrating the 100th birthday of the dean of American composers, Elliott Carter, December 4-9. Both programs are anchored by Stravinsky's groundbreaking "The Rite of Spring", the 20th century masterpiece that inspired a young Carter to become a composer himself.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: 2008/09 Episode 10

WGBH / Brian Bell with Roger Voisin in 1994

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:42:10 EST

November 28-29, 2008
Friay afternoon's concert, November 28, 2008 is dedicated to the memory of Roger Voisin. In February of 1994, Roger Voisin sat down with Brian Bell to talk about his days with the Boston Symphony, and the feature that resulted became one of the most popular and requested of all.
(MP3) WGBH / Brian Bell with Roger Voisin in 1994

Seiji Ozawa Tribute - Video

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:07:18 EST

November 28-29, 2008
Tribute Video to Director Laureate Conductor Seiji Ozawa. Maestro Ozawa returns to lead the BSO at Symphony Hall for the first time since April 2002. He leads an all-French program including Berlioz's popular "Symphonie fantastique", which tells the hyper-Romantic story of an artist's unrequited love.
(VIDEO)- Seiji Ozawa Tribute - Video

BSO Concert Preview: Messiaen and Berlioz

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:38:50 EST

November 28-29, 2008
Director Laureate Seiji Ozawa returns to lead the BSO at Symphony Hall for the first time since April 2002. He leads an all-French program including Berlioz's popular "Symphonie fantastique", which tells the hyper-Romantic story of an artist's unrequited love.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: 2008/09 Episode 9

Brian Bell on Berlioz's "Symphonie fantastique"

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:52:10 EST

November 28-29, 2008
Berlioz's "Symphonie fantastique" is discussed by WGBH'S Brian Bell. Seiji Ozawa returns to Symphony Hall to conduct this landmark piece, November 28-29, 2008
(MP3) WGBH / Brian Bell on Berlioz's "Symphonie fantastique"

(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: Brahms, Elgar and Tchaikovsky

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:25:49 EST

November 20-25, 2008
Tchaikovsky's tone poem-like, four-movement "Manfred" Symphony is based programmatically on Byron's verse-play about a self-tortured hero who wanders the Alps seeking redemption. Brahms's rarely heard Handel Variations, originally for piano, were orchestrated by the important English composer Edmund Rubbra in 1938. The esteemed American cellist Lynn Harrell joins the BSO for performances of Sir Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: 2008/09 Episode 8

WGBH / Brian Bell on Tchaikovsky's "Manfred" Symphony

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:14:38 EDT

November 20-25, 2008
The "Manfred" Symphony is the largest work of Tchaikovsky that could be construed as "unknown". Does it deserve to be overlooked? Judge for yourself after hearing this short introduction by Brian Bell of WGBH Radio.
(MP3) WGBH / Brian Bell on Tchaikovsky's "Manfred" Symphony

(VIDEO) Enhanced Video Podcast - Dvořák's Cello Concerto - Video

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:32:58 EST

November 13-15, 2008
Enhanced Video on Dvořák's Cello Concerto. German conductor Marek Janowski returns to guest-conduct the BSO and Alban Gerhardt in Dvořák's Cello Concerto, arguably the greatest of concertos for the instrument, with equal parts Romantic (and very Dvořákian, i.e., Czech) intensity and lyrisicm.
(VIDEO) Enhanced Video Podcast - Dvořák's Cello Concerto - Video

BSO Concert Preview:Dvořák and Beethoven

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 17:01:47 EST

November 13-15, 2008
German conductor Marek Janowski returns to guest-conduct the BSO and Alban Gerhardt in Dvořák's Cello Concerto, arguably the greatest of concertos for the instrument, with equal parts Romantic (and very Dvořákian, i.e., Czech) intensity and lyrisicm. Beethoven's "Pastoral" Symphony, familiar as it remains, is ever fresh in its depiction of a day spent in the countryside, and enjoying even the thunderstorm that is its fourth movement.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: 2008/09 Episode 7

Enhanced Video Podcast - "Carmina burana" - Video

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:09:04 EST

November 6-8, 2008
John Oliver and members of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. For the second of his two weeks of concerts, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos brings Carl Orff's sprawling 20th-century masterwork, Carmina burana, to Symphony Hall.
(VIDEO) Enhanced Video Podcast - "Carmina burana" - Video

WGBH / Brian Bell on "Carmina burana"

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:06:11 EST

November 6-8, 2008
The "Carmina burana" of Carl Orff caused a sensation when it was introduced in this country in 1954. Here was a piece that seemed to have no historical precedent. But it does, as this week's BSO concert with Sequentia makes evident. This feature by Brian Bell shows the influences that were in force when Carl Orff wrote "Carmina burana" beginning in 1934.
(MP3) WGBH / Brian Bell on "Carmina burana"

BSO Concert Preview: "Carmina burana"

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:03:05 EST

November 6-8, 2008
For the first time in almost four decades at Symphony Hall, the Boston Symphony Orchestra performs Carl Orff's stirring 20th-century masterpiece "Carmina burana", led by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, one of the work's most ardent proponents, November 6-8.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: 2008/09 Episode 6

Enhanced Video Podcast - Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos - Video

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:20:02 EST

October 29 - November 8, 2008
A look at the distinguised career of Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos and his partnership with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
(VIDEO) Enhanced Video Podcast - Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos - Video

WGBH / Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos with Brian Bell

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:23:21 EST

October 29 - November 4, 2008
Do you have some doubts about Strauss' "Symphonia Domestica"? Let conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos take you on a personal guided tour. He spoke with Brian Bell of WGBH Radio.
(MP3) WGBH / Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos with Brian Bell

BSO Concert Preview: Brahms and Strauss

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:47:06 EDT

October 29 - November 4, 2008
Esteemed Spanish conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos begins the first of two back-to-back weeks with the Boston Symphony Orchestra with a program pairing Richard Strauss' vividly autobiographical "Symphonia domestica" and Brahms' rousing Violin Concerto in D, featuring violinist Leonidas Kavakos.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: 2008/09 Episode 5

Enhanced Video Podcast - Steven Ansell Interview - Video

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:36:33 EDT

October 23-25, 2008
From the Classical Companion. Interview with Steven Ansell. In this all-French program, BSO principal violist Steven Ansell is soloist in Berlioz's "Harold in Italy" under BSO music director James Levine.
(VIDEO) Enhanced Video Podcast - Steven Ansell Interview - Video

BSO Concert Preview: Messiaen, Boulez and Berlioz

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:24:49 EDT

October 23-25, 2008
In this all-French program, BSO principal violist Steven Ansell is soloist in Berlioz's "Harold in Italy". The title is a reference to Byron's Childe Harold. Messiaen's "Et exspecto" is one of the composer's profound statements of his Catholic faith, dazzlingly scored for an orchestra of winds and percussion. The orchestral versions of the first four of Boulez's "Notations", originally for piano, recall both Messiaen and Debussy.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: 2008/09 Episode 4

Enhanced Video Podcast - Berlioz Analysis - Video

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:10:13 EDT

October 23-25, 2008
From the Classical Companion. Berlioz Analysis. In this all-French program, BSO principal violist Steven Ansell is soloist in Berlioz's "Harold in Italy".
(VIDEO) Enhanced Video Podcast - Berlioz Analysis - Video

Enhanced Video Podcast - Berlioz Biography - Video

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:07:52 EDT

October 23-25, 2008
From the Classical Companion. Berlioz Biography. In this all-French program, BSO principal violist Steven Ansell is soloist in Berlioz's "Harold in Italy".
(VIDEO) Enhanced Video Podcast - Berlioz Biography - Video

Enhanced Video Podcast: Messiaen Analysis - Video

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:02:46 EDT

October 23-25, 2008
From the Classical Companion! Messiaen Analysis. Messiaen's "Et exspecto" is one of the composer's profound statements of his Catholic faith, dazzlingly scored for an orchestra of winds and percussion.
(VIDEO) Enhanced Video Podcast: Messiaen Analysis - Video

Enhanced Video Podcast: Messiaen Biography - Video

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:57:56 EDT

October 23-25, 2008
From the Classical Companion! Messiaen Biography. Messiaen's "Et exspecto" is one of the composer's profound statements of his Catholic faith, dazzlingly scored for an orchestra of winds and percussion.
(VIDEO) Enhanced Video Podcast: Messiaen Biography - Video

WGBH / Brian Bell with Leon Kirchner

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:53:55 EDT

October 16-18, 2008
WGBH's Brian Bell speaks to Leon Kirchner about the musical language behind "The Forbidden".
(MP3) WGBH / Brian Bell with Leon Kirchner

Enhanced Video Podcast - A History of Commissions by Anthony Fogg

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:01:52 EDT

October 16-18, 2008
Anthony Fogg talks about the history of BSO commissioned works and Kirchner's "The Forbidden". The BSO's second world premiere of the 2008-09 season, continuing the series of commissions celebrating the orchestra's 125th anniversary, is the eminent composer Leon Kirchner's "The Forbidden", based on his rhapsodic and romantic recent piano piece of the same name (aka Sonata No. 3).
(VIDEO) - Enhanced Video Podcast - A History of Commissions by Anthony Fogg

WGBH / Brian Bell on Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:40:32 EDT

October 16-18, 2008
Every music director with the exception of William Steinberg conducted the Tchaikovsky Sixth frequently, even Erich Leinsdorf had difficulty staying away from the piece. Here is Brian Bell's analysis.
(MP3) WGBH / Brian Bell on Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony

BSO Concert Preview: Mahler, Symphony No. 6

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:02:43 EDT

October 10-14, 2008
Continuing a multi-year survey of the works of Gustav Mahler, James Levine conducts the BSO in the composer's Symphony No. 6, the central work in a kind of trilogy formed by the instrumental symphonies nos. 5, 6, and 7. This intensely emotional symphony, written in 1903-04, is arguably Mahler's most heartfelt symphonic statement.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview: 2008/09 Episode 3

BSO Concert Preview: Previn, Stravinsky and Beethoven

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:40:04 EDT

October 2-7, 2008
Sir André Previn's subscription concerts open with a world premiere: a BSO commission written by himself titled "Owls". Also on the program is Stravinsky's Violin Concerto with soloist Gil Shaham, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 4.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2008/09 Episode 2

BSO Concert Preview: Brahms "A German Requiem"

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:40:02 EDT

September 26-27, 2008
Audio Podcast by Richard Dyer, recorded by Ron Della Chiesa. Brahms's largest work! An utterly personal response to the Requiem text, featuring baritone soloist Michael Volle, and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2008/09 Episode 1

From the Archives: Brahms "A German Requiem"

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:44:35 EDT

September 26-27, 2008
Brahms's largest work! An utterly personal response to the Requiem text, featuring baritone soloist Michael Volle, and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. This video explores the history and composition of the piece. Narrated by Ron Della Chiesa.
(Video) From the Archives: Brahms "A German Requiem"

WGBH / André Previn with Brian Bell

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:16:41 EDT

October 2-7, 2008
Sir André Previn's subscription concerts open with a world premiere: a BSO commission written by himself titled "Owls". Though he had just a few minutes to look at the score before speaking with the composer last August, Brian Bell couldn't pass up the opportunity to speak to André Previn about it.
(MP3) WGBH / André Previn with Brian Bell

WGBH / "Eugene Onegin" with Brian Bell

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:46:38 EDT

September 24, 2008
Not familiar with the action of the Tchaikovsky opera "Eugene Onegin"? Listen to a 2 minute musical tour of the action put together by Brian Bell of WGBH Radio.
(MP3) WGBH / "Eugene Onegin" with Brian Bell

WGBH / Pictures at an Exhibition with Brian Bell

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 17:58:59 EST

September 24, 2008
James Levine opens the 2008-09 season with Mussorgsky's 'Pictures at an Exhibition'. Scored for piano by the composer, BSO Music Director Serge Koussevitzky commissioned Maurice Ravel to orchestrate Pictures, leaving us with one of the great symphonic showpieces of all time. Brian Bell provides you with a guided tour through the Exhibition
(MP3) WGBH / Pictures at an Exhibition with Brian Bell

Podcast Exclusive: James Levine 65th Birthday

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:20:08 EDT

June 23, 2008
Boston Symphony Orchestra Music Director, James Levine, has amassed countless professional milestones in his decades-long career, and marks a personal milestone when he celebrates his 65th birthday on June 23!
(Video) Podcast Exclusive: James Levine 65th Birthday

BSO Concert Preview: Berioz' "The Trojans"

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:33:14 EDT

April 18 - May 4, 2008
The Roman poet Virgil's epic Aeneid served as the basis for Berlioz's equally epic, five-act opera "Les Troyens" (The Trojans), the ultimate magnum opus of a composer who wrote a very many large-scale works. In these unprecedented concert performances by the BSO, each of the opera's two parts will be performed in separate concerts; then both parts will be performed in the space of a single Sunday, with a dinner break in between. Part I, "The Capture of Troy", depicts the fall of Troy; Part II, "The Trojans at Carthage", depicts Aeneas at the court of Queen Dido in Carthage, their love affair, and his departure for Italy (leaving Dido emotionally shattered) to fulfill his destiny of founding Rome.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 25

BSO Concert Preview: Harbison and Mahler

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:22:04 EDT

April 17-18, 2008
James Levine conducts the third world premiere of the 2007-08 season, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Harbison's Symphony No. 5 for mezzo-soprano, baritone, and orchestra, based on the story of Orpheus and Eurydice and featuring Kate Lindsey (in her BSO debut) and Nathan Gunn. Also on the program is Mahler's symphony-like "Das Lied von der Erde" ('The Song of the Earth'), a setting for mezzo-soprano and tenor of German versions of Chinese poems on the broad subject of life and death as described through imagery and music prosaic and sublime.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 24

WGBH 89.7 / Brian Bell on "Das Lied von der Erde"

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:28:02 EDT

April 17-18, 2008
In November 1994, guest conductor James Levine and mezzo-soprano Anne Sophie von Otter took the BSO stage for a performance of Mahler's "Das Lied von der Erde". They'll do it again on April 17, 2008. In preview of this performance, WGBH 89.7's Brian Bell offers this feature on the 1994 program.
(MP3) WGBH 89.7 / Brian Bell on "Das Lied von der Erde"

WGBH 89.7 / Brian Bell with Michael Steinberg

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:37:39 EDT

Brahms - Symphony No. 3
In 1996, the BSO performed the Brahms Third Symphony. At the very same time, author Michael Steinberg was in town promoting his new book, "The Symphony: A Listener's Guide". WGBH 89.7's Brian Bell took this as a sign. The result? This 18-minute conversation between Bell and Steinberg about Brahms's Third.
(MP3) WGBH 89.7 / Brian Bell with Michael Steinberg

BSO Concert Preview: Harbison and Mahler

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:22:04 EDT

Podcast Exclusive: Berlioz' "The Trojans"

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 11:29:27 EDT

April 22 - May 4, 2008
The Roman poet Virgil's epic Aeneid served as the basis for Berlioz's equally epic, five-act opera "Les Troyens" (The Trojans), the ultimate magnum opus of a composer who wrote a very many large-scale works. In these unprecedented concert performances by the BSO, each of the opera's two parts will be performed in separate concerts; then both parts will be performed in the space of a single Sunday, with a dinner break in between. Part I, "The Capture of Troy", depicts the fall of Troy; Part II, "The Trojans at Carthage", depicts Aeneas at the court of Queen Dido in Carthage, their love affair, and his departure for Italy (leaving Dido emotionally shattered) to fulfill his destiny of founding Rome.
(Video) Podcast Exclusive: Berlioz' "The Trojans"

Podcast Exclusive: Berlioz' "The Trojans" - Audio Only

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:46:41 EDT

Podcast Exclusive: John Harbison "Symphony No. 5 Analysis"

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:12:51 EDT

April 17-18, 2008
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Harbison's Symphony No. 5, a BSO commission, is the third world premiere of the BSO's 2007-08 season. Harbison's four-movement symphony sets texts on the story of Orpheus and Eurydice.
(Video) Podcast Exclusive: John Harbison "Symphony No. 5 Analysis"

Podcast Exclusive: John Harbison "Symphony No. 5 Analysis" - Audio Only

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:25:19 EDT

April 17-18, 2008
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Harbison's Symphony No. 5, a BSO commission, is the third world premiere of the BSO's 2007-08 season. Harbison's four-movement symphony sets texts on the story of Orpheus and Eurydice.
(MP3) Podcast Exclusive: John Harbison "Symphony No. 5 Analysis" - Audio Only

Podcast Exclusive: John Harbison "Dramatic Composer"

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:10:21 EDT

Podcast Exclusive: John Harbison "Dramatic Composer" - Audio Only

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:26:55 EDT

April 17-18, 2008
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Harbison's Symphony No. 5, a BSO commission, is the third world premiere of the BSO's 2007-08 season. Harbison's four-movement symphony sets texts on the story of Orpheus and Eurydice.
(MP3) Podcast Exclusive: John Harbison "Dramatic Composer" - Audio Only

Podcast Exclusive: "From Division to Inclusion" - Audio Only

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:30:29 EDT

April 17-18, 2008
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Harbison's Symphony No. 5, a BSO commission, is the third world premiere of the BSO's 2007-08 season. Harbison's four-movement symphony sets texts on the story of Orpheus and Eurydice.
(MP3) Podcast Exclusive: "From Division to Inclusion" - Audio Only

Podcast Exclusive: John Harbison "Prolific Composer"

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:06:04 EDT

Podcast Exclusive: John Harbison "Prolific Composer" - Audio Only

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:39:02 EDT

April 17-18, 2008
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Harbison's Symphony No. 5, a BSO commission, is the third world premiere of the BSO's 2007-08 season. Harbison's four-movement symphony sets texts on the story of Orpheus and Eurydice.
(MP3) Podcast Exclusive: John Harbison "Prolific Composer" - Audio Only

Podcast Exclusive: John Harbison "Stravinsky and Bach"

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:03:49 EDT

Podcast Exclusive: John Harbison "Stravinsky and Bach" - Audio Only

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:40:47 EDT

April 17-18, 2008
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Harbison's Symphony No. 5, a BSO commission, is the third world premiere of the BSO's 2007-08 season. Harbison's four-movement symphony sets texts on the story of Orpheus and Eurydice.
(MP3) Podcast Exclusive: John Harbison "Stravinsky and Bach" - Audio Only

Podcast Exclusive: John Harbison "Sessions and Piston"

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:01:51 EDT

Podcast Exclusive: John Harbison "Sessions and Piston" - Audio Only

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:43:12 EDT

April 17-18, 2008
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Harbison's Symphony No. 5, a BSO commission, is the third world premiere of the BSO's 2007-08 season. Harbison's four-movement symphony sets texts on the story of Orpheus and Eurydice.
(MP3) Podcast Exclusive: John Harbison "Sessions and Piston" - Audio Only

Podcast Exclusive: John Harbison Interview

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:58:15 EDT

Podcast Exclusive: John Harbison Interview - Audio Only

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:44:54 EDT

April 17-18, 2008
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Harbison's Symphony No. 5, a BSO commission, is the third world premiere of the BSO's 2007-08 season. Harbison's four-movement symphony sets texts on the story of Orpheus and Eurydice.
(MP3) Podcast Exclusive: John Harbison Interview - Audio Only

BSO Concert Preview: All-Brahms Program

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:34:30 EST

April 8-12, 2008
Russian-born pianist Evgeny Kissin joins James Levine and the BSO for both of Brahms's piano concertos-the Concerto No. 1 on April 11 and 12 and the Concerto No. 2 on April 8 and 9. The stormy and brooding Concerto No. 1 was in part triggered by the attempted suicide of Brahms's mentor Robert Schumann in 1854 and was brought to fruition only after years of struggle. Finished in 1881, his Piano Concerto No. 2 is a magisterial, far-ranging work of symphonic proportions. The most tightly constructed of his symphonies, the Third Symphony features some of Brahms's loveliest and most poetic moments.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 23

Bernard Haitink with Brian Bell on Schubert

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:55:18 EST

March 27-29, 2008
Schumann famously described Schubert's Symphony in C major, D. 944 for its "heavenly length." In this feature, Chicago Symphony Orchestra conductor Bernard Haitink deconstructs the score of what was to be Schubert's final symphony.
(MP3) WGBH / Bernard Haitink with Brian Bell on Schubert

WGBH / Bernard Haitink with Brian Bell

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:37:48 EST

March 27-29, 2008
Chicago Symphony Orchestra conductor Bernard Haitink often performs with pianist András Schiff. In this interview, Haitink recalls their first meeting - and the joint concert that followed less than 24 hours later.
(MP3) WGBH / Bernard Haitink with Brian Bell

BSO Concert Preview: Bartók and Schubert

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:15:10 EST

March 27-29, 2008
For the second of BSO Conductor Emeritus Bernard Haitink's two programs of the 2007-08 season, he and the orchestra are joined by Hungarian pianist András Schiff for Bartók's scintillating Piano Concerto No. 3. Also on the program is Franz Schubert's triumphant Symphony in C, "The Great", the composer's last and biggest symphony and his greatest achievement in the genre.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 22

BSO Concert Preview: Bach's "St. Matthew" Passion

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:10:12 EST

March 20-22, 2008
Bach wrote the "St. Matthew" Passion for St. Thomas's Church in Leipzig in the late 1720s. The Passion genre retells the story of Jesus Christ's crucifixion and the episodes that precede his death; this version from the New Testament Gospel of Matthew. Bach's great work interweaves the text from the Gospel of Matthew in Martin Luther's translation, presented by soloists in highly expressive recitative and aria, with choral passages whose style is that of church hymns.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 21

WGBH / Daniel Katzen with Brian Bell

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:02:21 EST

March 13-15, 2008
Since joining the Boston Symphony horn section in 1979, Daniel Katzen has been an active teacher and recitalist, as well as one of the great musicians of the Boston Symphony. Brian Bell provided this salute for him as he says farewell to the Boston Symphony in August 2008.
(MP3) WGBH / Daniel Katzen with Brian Bell

BSO Concert Preview: Schumann and Shostakovich

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:10:23 EST

March 13-15, 2008
Italian conductor Daniele Gatti and American pianist Garrick Ohlsson collaborate in Schumann's exciting and lyrical Piano Concerto, a piece that took Schumann several years to bring to its final state. Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony, probably the composer's best-known and most popular work, was a success from the beginning. The Fifth poses questions and evokes struggle in its course, but is ultimately heroic and powerfully optimistic.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 20

WGBH / Dvorák - Symphony No.7 with Brian Bell

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:39:40 EST

March 6-11, 2008
The Dvorák Seventh Symphony is a landmark in the composer's career. Its appearance after his preceding Symphony No. 6 marked the transition from a very good composer to an absolute master. Brian Bell shows why, and presents some quirky aspects of Dvorák's personality.
(MP3) WGBH / Dvorák - Symphony No.7 with Brian Bell

BSO Podcast Exclusive: Beethoven and Dvorák - Video

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:54:46 EST

March 6-11, 2008
This Video examines the history of performers and conductors who have led two of these great works on this program with the Boston Symphony Orchestra; the "Emperor" Piano Concerto by Beethoven and Dvorák's Symphony No. 7.
(Video) BSO Podcast Exclusive: Beethoven and Dvorák

BSO Podcast Exclusive: Beethoven and Dvorák - Audio Only

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:02:48 EST

March 6-11, 2008
This audio only podcast examines the history of performers and conductors who have led two of these great works on this program with the Boston Symphony Orchestra; the "Emperor" Piano Concerto by Beethoven and Dvorák's Symphony No. 7.
(MP3) BSO Podcast Exclusive: Beethoven and Dvorák - Audio Only

BSO Concert Preview: Knussen, Dvorák and Beethoven

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:57:11 EST

March 6-11, 2008
Canadian-born conductor Julian Kuerti, in his first season as an assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, makes his BSO debut in these concerts. He is joined by renowned American pianist Leon Fleisher for Beethoven's magisterial Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor". Also on the program is Dvorák's great, Brahms-influenced Symphony No. 7. The brief and clever "The Way to Castle Yonder" by English composer Oliver Knussen comes from Knussen's children's opera "Higglety Pigglety Pop!"
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 19

WGBH / William Bolcom Interview with Brian Bell

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:17:47 EST

Febraury 28 - March 1, 2008
Just before the first rehearsal on Tuesday February 26th for his Symphony No. 8, William Bolcom spoke with Brian Bell about his latest work written for James Levine.
(MP3) WGBH / William Bolcom Interview with Brian Bell

Podcast Exclusive: William Bolcom Interview - Audio Only

Wed, 14 May 2008 16:30:55 EDT

February 28 - March 1, 2008
This feature is the audio only interview with William Bolcom. Bolcom's Eighth Symphony for Chorus and Orchestra has its premiere at Symphony Hall under James Levine this week.
(MP3) Podcast Exclusive: William Bolcom Interview

(Video) Podcast Exclusive: William Bolcom Interview

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:31:15 EST

February 28 - March 1, 2008
This feature is an interview with William Bolcom. Bolcom's Eighth Symphony for Chorus and Orchestra has its premiere at Symphony Hall under James Levine this week.
(Video) Podcast Exclusive: William Bolcom Interview

Podcast Exclusive: William Bolcom Biography

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:27:58 EST

February 28 - March 1, 2008
This feature is an excerpt on William Bolcom's Biography. Bolcom's Eighth Symphony for Chorus and Orchestra has its premiere at Symphony Hall under James Levine this week.
(Video) Podcast Exclusive: William Bolcom Biography

Podcast Exclusive: William Bolcom Biography - Audio Only

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:50:46 EST

February 28 - March 1, 2008
This feature is the audio only excerpt on William Bolcom's Biography. Bolcom's Eighth Symphony for Chorus and Orchestra has its premiere at Symphony Hall under James Levine this week.
(MP3) Podcast Exclusive: William Bolcom Biography

Podcast Exclusive: William Bolcom Historical Context

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:39:19 EST

February 28 - March 1, 2008
This feature is the Video excerpt on William Bolcom's Historical Context. Bolcom's Eighth Symphony for Chorus and Orchestra has its premiere at Symphony Hall under James Levine this week.
(Video) Podcast Exclusive: William Bolcom Historical Context

Podcast Exclusive: William Bolcom Historical Context - Audio Only

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:52:28 EST

February 28 - March 1, 2008
This feature is the audio only excerpt on William Bolcom's Historical Context. Bolcom's Eighth Symphony for Chorus and Orchestra has its premiere at Symphony Hall under James Levine this week.
(MP3) Podcast Exclusive: William Bolcom Historical Context

Podcast Exclusive: William Bolcom Analysis

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:52:07 EST

February 28 - March 1, 2008
This feature is the Video excerpt on William Bolcom's Eight Symphony Analysis. Bolcom's Eighth Symphony for Chorus and Orchestra has its premiere at Symphony Hall under James Levine this week.
(Video) Podcast Exclusive: William Bolcom Analysis

Podcast Exclusive: William Bolcom Analysis - Audio Only

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:55:03 EST

February 28 - March 1, 2008
This feature is the audio only excerpt on William Bolcom's Eight Symphony Analysis. Bolcom's Eighth Symphony for Chorus and Orchestra has its premiere at Symphony Hall under James Levine this week.
(MP3) Podcast Exclusive: William Bolcom Analysis

Podcast Exclusive: William Blake - Audio Only

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:58:24 EST

February 28 - March 1, 2008
This feature is the audio only excerpt on William Blake's Biography. Bolcom's Eighth Symphony is based on texts by William Blake. Bolcom's Eight Symphony for Chorus and Orchestra has its premiere at Symphony Hall under James Levine this week.
(MP3) Podcast Exclusive: William Blake Biography

BSO Concert Preview: Schubert and Bolcom

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:40:50 EST

February 28 - March 1, 2008
The German bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff joins the BSO and James Levine in familiar Schubert Lieder orchestrated by later master composers Anton Webern, Max Reger, and Jacques Offenbach. Schubert's Symphony No. 4 is an earlier work that shows the evolution of his own symphonic style in a genre dominated by his Viennese predecessors Beethoven, Haydn, and Mozart. Closing the program is the premiere of a BSO 125th Anniversary Commission, American composer William Bolcom's Eighth Symphony, a setting of texts by William Blake for chorus and orchestra.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 18

BSO Concert Preview: Mozart, Berg, and Brahms

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:19:12 EST

February 20-26, 2008
James Levine and the BSO are joined by longstanding BSO guest soloist Peter Serkin and, in her BSO debut, German violinist Isabelle Faust for Alban Berg's vibrant, energetic Chamber Concerto. Mozart's delightful Symphony No. 29 opens the program. Brahms's Serenade No. 2 is substantial in length but generally light in mood, like the Classical-era serenades that were his models.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 17

BSO Concert Preview: Sibelius and Shostakovich

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:01:52 EST

February 14-16, 2008
The English conductor Mark Elder and the Russian violinist Vadim Repin collaborate with the BSO in Sibelius's uniquely beautiful Violin Concerto. Sibelius's deep knowledge of and love for Finnish folk music is evident here, as is his love for the violin, his own instrument. Shostakovich's rarely heard Symphony No. 4, a powerful work long overshadowed by his Fifth Symphony, received its only previous BSO performances under the direction of Gennady Rozhdestvensky in spring 1978.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 16

BSO Podcast Exclusive: Shostakovich Symphony No. 4 - Video

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:22:43 EST

February 14-16, 2008
Shostakovich's rarely heard Symphony No. 4, a powerful work long overshadowed by his Fifth Symphony, received its only previous BSO performances under the direction of Gennady Rozhdestvensky in spring 1978. Watch and listen to Matt Heck's commentary on this massive and underplayed symphony.
(Video) BSO Podcast Exclusive: Shostakovich Symphony No. 4

BSO Podcast Exclusive: Shostakovich Symphony No. 4 - Audio Only

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:18:47 EST

February 14-16, 2008
Shostakovich's rarely heard Symphony No. 4, a powerful work long overshadowed by his Fifth Symphony, received its only previous BSO performances under the direction of Gennady Rozhdestvensky in spring 1978. Listen to Matt Heck's commentary on this massive and underplayed symphony.
(MP3) BSO Podcast Exclusive: Shostakovich Symphony No. 4 - Audio Only

BSO Symphony Hall Organ - Video

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:08:33 EST

BSO Symphony Hall Organ Video - Audio Only

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:47:56 EST

WGBH / Brian Bell on the Symphony Hall Organ

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:14:17 EST

February 6-12, 2008
In October 2004, James Levine began his very successful term as Music Director of the Boston Symphony. That month also marked the first restoration in over a half a century of the Symphony Hall Organ. On that occasion Brian Bell of WGBH Radio produced the following feature detailing the event. It also includes the first-ever recording of the organ intended for the public.
(MP3) WGBH / Brian Bell on the Symphony Hall Organ

BSO Concert Preview: Martin, Prokofiev, and Saint-Seans

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 11:36:21 EST

February 6-12, 2008
Young German violinist Viviane Hagner makes her BSO debut in these concerts, performing Prokofiev's light and lyrical Violin Concerto No. 1. Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit opens the program with a work by his countryman Frank Martin, his neoclassical "Petite symphonie" concertante for harp, harpsichord, and piano. To close the program, organist James David Christie gives the recently refurbished Symphony Hall organ the spotlight in the familiar and uplifting "Organ" Symphony of Camille Saint-Saens.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 15

Elgar, "The Dream of Gerontius" - Feature by Matt Heck - Audio Only

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:08:39 EST

BSO Concert Preview: Elgar

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:55:50 EST

January 24-26, 2008
Sir Colin Davis, who led the only previous Boston Symphony Orchestra performances of Sir Edward Elgar's masterwork "The Dream of Gerontius" in 1982, brings this great English choral work back to Symphony Hall. Gerontius, completed in 1899, was the result of a commission from the choral festival in Birmingham. The moving text for this powerfully spiritual statement, by the English Catholic Cardinal Newman, describes the passage of a man's soul from his body on earth to Purgatory.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 14

BSO Concert Preview: Mozart and Schubert

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:47:58 EST

January 16-22, 2008
Mitsuko Uchida, one of the world's great Mozart pianists, joins Sir Colin Davis in the first of his two programs this season for Mozart's graceful Piano Concerto No. 23. Opening the program is Mozart's vivacious Symphony No. 36, written in Linz, Austria, in the space of about four days. Schubert's charming but dynamic Symphony No. 2 is the amazingly self-assured work an eighteen-year-old steeped in the symphonies of Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 13

WGBH / Brian Bell with Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 13:26:07 EST

January 10-12, 2008
Last week, Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos spoke to Brian Bell about Strauss' "Alpine Symphony". This week's BSO conductor is a passionate supporter of this work, and any doubters should listen to him.
(MP3) WGBH / Brian Bell with Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos

BSO Concert Preview: Rachmaninoff and Strauss

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 12:10:45 EST

January 10-12, 2008
Returning for the second of his two Symphony Hall programs with the BSO this season, Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos is joined by acclaimed Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes for Rachmaninoff;s gorgeously virtuosic Concerto No. 2. The narrative thread of Strauss's "An Alpine Symphony" (1915) - the ascent and descent of a mountain - fired the composer's imagination for a huge range of wonderful orchestral and compositional effects.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 12

WGBH / Strauss - "An Alpine Symphony" with Brian Bell

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 16:48:32 EST

January 10-12, 2008
The narrative thread of Strauss's An Alpine Symphony (1915) - the ascent and descent of a mountain-fired the composer's imagination for a huge range of wonderful orchestral and compositional effects. Listen in with WGBH's Brian Bell.
(MP3) WGBH / Strauss - "An Alpine Symphony" with Brian Bell

BSO Concert Preview: Strauss and Mussorgsky

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 12:47:02 EST

January 3-8, 2008
Two Strauss tone poems anchor this virtuosic orchestral program led by Spanish conductor Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, a frequent guest on the BSO podium. Strauss's heroic and romantic tone poem 'Don Juan' has as its subject the legendary lover, while the musical adventures of the folk hero Till Eulenspiegel are of a more mischievous and humorous nature. Mussorgsky's 'Pictures at an Exhibition', originally written for piano in 1874, is best known in this Ravel orchestration from 1922.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 11

BSO Concert Preview: Golijov and Dvorak

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 14:05:59 EST

December 6 - 8, 2007
Miguel Harth-Bedoya makes his Boston Symphony Orchestra subscription concert debut leading the BSO and cellist Yo-Yo Ma in two works by Argentine-born American composer Osvaldo Golijov: Ausencia, for cello and strings, and Azul, for cello and orchestra. The program closes with Dvorak's masterful Symphony No. 8.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 10

BSO Concert Preview: Berlioz, Dutilleux, Duparc and Debussy

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:48:32 EST

November 29-30, December 1, 2007
BSO Music Director James Levine leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Debussy's lush masterpiece La Mer and orchestral excerpts from Berlioz's Shakespeare-inspired Romeo et Juliette. Renee Fleming is featured in the American premiere of Henri Dutilleux's Le Temps l'Horloge.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 9

Podcast Exclusive: Henri Dutilleux Biography Part 1

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 22:12:05 EST

November 29 - December 1, 2007
BSO Music Director James Levine leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra and soprano Renee Fleming in the American premiere of Henri Dutilleux's "Le Temps l'Horloge", a BSO 125th Anniversary Co-commission.
(MP3) Podcast Exclusive: Henri Dutilleux Biography Part 1

Podcast Exclusive: Henri Dutilleux Biography Part 2

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 22:17:18 EST

November 29 - December 1, 2007
BSO Music Director James Levine leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra and soprano Renee Fleming in the American premiere of Henri Dutilleux's Le Temps l'Horloge, a BSO 125th Anniversary Co-commission.
(MP3) Podcast Exclusive: Henri Dutilleux Biography Part 2

Podcast Exclusive: Henri Dutilleux Historical Context Part 1

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 22:21:53 EST

Podcast Exclusive: Henri Dutilleux Historical Context Part 2

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 22:24:28 EST

Podcast Exclusive: Henri Dutilleux Analysis

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 22:27:07 EST

BSO Concert Preview: Smetana

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:38:51 EST

November 23-27, 2007
James Levine and the Boston Symphony Orchestra bring a rarity to Symphony Hall: performances of Czech composer Bedrich Smetana's complete "Ma Vlast" ("My Country"). Smetana (1824-84) wrote these six symphonic poems celebrating his homeland, including the famous The Moldau, in the 1870s.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 8

BSO Concert Preview: Hadyn, Carter and Mahler

Wed, 07 May 2008 11:34:11 EDT

November 15-20, 2007
Venerable American composer Elliott Carter's new Horn Concerto, the first of three BSO world premieres this season,was commissioned by the BSO for principal horn James Sommerville. Haydn's "London" Symphony, No. 104, was one of a dozen final symphonies he wrote for adoring London audiences in the early 1790s. Mahler's Symphony No. 1, completed in 1888, is the first of his great challenges to the symphonic convention.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 7

Podcast Exclusive: Elliott Carter's Horn Concerto Analysis - Video

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 13:13:25 EST

November 15-20, 2007
Analysis of Carter's Horn Concerto written for James Sommerville. BSO Music Director James Levine leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra and BSO Principal Horn James Sommerville in the world premiere of Elliott Carter's Horn Concerto, a BSO commission and the first of three BSO world premieres this season. Carter wrote the solo part for Mr. Sommerville, whom he has heard perform with the BSO many times in recent years.
(Video) Podcast Exclusive: Elliott Carter's Horn Concerto Analysis

Podcast Exclusive: Elliott Carter and the BSO - Video

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 13:10:28 EST

November 15-20, 2007
Quicktime Video focusing on Elliott Carter and his work with the BSO. BSO Music Director James Levine leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra and BSO Principal Horn James Sommerville in the world premiere of Elliott Carter's Horn Concerto, a BSO commission and the first of three BSO world premieres this season. Carter wrote the solo part for Mr. Sommerville, whom he has heard perform with the BSO many times in recent years.
(Video) Podcast Exclusive: Elliott Carter and the BSO

BSO Concert Preview: Berg and Mahler

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 15:26:58 EST

November 8-10, 2007
BSO Music Director James Levine leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra and violinist Christian Tetzlaff in Berg's incredibly moving Violin Concerto on a program that closes with Mahler's powerful Symphony No. 9.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 6

Mahler Symphony No. 1 Analysis with Brian Bell

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 15:30:09 EST

November 15-20, 2007
Here is an introduction by Brian Bell to Mahler's Symphony No. 1, originally prepared for the live Boston Symphony broadcasts on WGBH Radio. Come hear Mahler's Symphony No. 1 with James Levine conducting November 15-20 in Symphony Hall.
(MP3) WGBH / BSO Mahler Symphony No. 1 Analysis with Brian Bell

BSO Concert Preview: Mozart, Dean, and Schumann

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 13:17:35 EST

November 1-3,2007
German violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann performs two works on this program: Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 2, and the American premiere of a work written for him, "The Lost Art of Letter Writing", by the Australian-born composer Brett Dean. German conductor Markus Stenz makes his BSO debut in these concerts, which open with a rare performance of Mozart's Symphony No. 1, written when he was only eight years old. Schumann's joyous and lyrical Symphony No. 2 closes the program.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 5

BSO Concert Preview: Shostakovich and Bruckner

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 16:40:35 EDT

October 24-30
Dmitri Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 2, written for Mstislav Rostropovich, dates from 1966, and like many of Shostakovich's later works has an austere, introspective quality that lends it an almost otherworldly emotional power. The Norwegian cellist Truls Mork joins the Polish-born German conductor Marek Janowski for this piece. Janowski also leads Bruckner's monumental Symphony No. 9, left nearly complete at the composer's death in October 1896.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 4

BSO Concert Preview: Lutoslawski and Beethoven

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 17:06:46 EDT

October 18-20, 2007
Christoph von Christoph von Dohnanyi leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra in two major works by Beethoven, the Third Piano Concerto with Lars Vogt as soloist, and the Fifth Symphony, arguably the most popular symphony of all time, Thursday, October 18 and Saturday, October 20 at 8 p.m. and Friday, October 19, at 1:30 p.m. at Symphony Hall.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 3

WGBH/BSO Bruckner - Podcast Exclusive

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 13:33:46 EDT

October 24-30, 2007
Marek Janowski has a true affinity for Bruckner, one only needs to listen to his recordings with the National Orchestra of Radio France to hear that. After his first day of rehearsals with the Boston Symphony, Brian Bell asked the BSO guest conductor why Bruckner encounters such resistance with some listeners, and what, if anything, should be done about it.
(MP3) WGBH/BSO Bruckner Exclusive

Beethoven Symphony No. 5 Analysis with Brian Bell

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 13:13:43 EDT

October 18-20, 2007
For many years this Symphony has been listed as the "Symphony No. 5 in C minor". This program listing announces where the Symphony begins, but does little to reveal where Beethoven takes the listener-a journey from struggle to triumph. Brian Bell explains.
(MP3) WGBH / BSO Beethoven Symphony No. 5 Analysis with Brian Bell

Podcast Exclusive: Beethoven, Historical Context - Video

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:27:29 EDT

October 18-20, 2007
Podcast Exclusive - Beethoven Historical Content. Christoph von Dohnanyi returns to the BSO podium and is joined by the German pianist Lars Vogt, who makes his Symphony Hall debut performing Beethoven's stormy Piano Concerto No. 3. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is probably the most familiar and popular symphony of all time.
(Video) Beethoven: Historical Context

Podcast Exclusive: Beethoven Biography

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:41:32 EDT

October 18-20, 2007
Quicktime Beethoven Biography video. Christoph von Dohnanyi returns to the BSO podium and is joined by the German pianist Lars Vogt, who makes his Symphony Hall debut performing Beethoven's stormy Piano Concerto No. 3. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is probably the most familiar and popular symphony of all time.
(Video) Podcast Exclusive: Beethoven Biography - Video

Shostakovich - WGBH Exclusive on Shostakovich's Death

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 16:29:39 EDT

October 24-30, 2007
In this audio excerpt taken from an interview with Mstislav Rostropovich in 2002 and Seiji Ozawa in 1996, we learn how the news of Shostakovich's death affected Rostropovich, for whom the Cello Concerto No. 2 was written. Also we learn why Rostropovich and Ozawa made the announcement from Tanglewood that the great composer had passed away. Rostropovich's audio was taken from an interview with NPR's Fred Child in 2002. Seiji Ozawa spoke with WGBH's Brian Bell in 1996.
(MP3) Shostakovich - WGBH Exclusive on Shostakovich's Death

Podcast Exclusive: Shostakovich Historical Context Video

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:27:54 EDT

October 24-30, 2007
Shostakovich Exclusive Biography Video. Dmitri Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 2, written for Mstislav Rostropovich, dates from 1966, and like many of Shostakovich's later works has an austere, introspective quality that lends it an almost otherworldly emotional power. The Norwegian cellist Truls Mork joins the Polish-born German conductor Marek Janowski for this piece.
(Video) Podcast Exclusive: Shostakovich Historical Context Video

BSO Concert Preview: Gandolfi, Poulenc and Tchaikovsky

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:39:30 EST

October 11-16,2007
American composer Michael Gandolfi's The Garden of Cosmic Speculation, commissioned by the BSO, takes its title from a book by architect Charles Jencks, a photo essay about a Scottish garden Jencks designed. Also on the program is the French composer Francis Poulenc's Concerto for Organ, Timpani, and Strings, a 1938 score here featuring the great English organist Simon Preston. Tchaikovsky's emotionally intense Symphony No. 6 is a cornerstone of the late Romantic orchestral repertoire.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 2

BSO Concert Preview: All-Ravel Program

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:17:20 EST

October 4-6, 2007
James Levine leads this all-Ravel program to start the Boston Symphony Orchestra's 2007-08 season, with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet performing the sparkling, jazz-tinged Piano Concerto in G in these concerts. The program opens with two brief tone poems of contrasting character: the whimsical "Alborada del gracioso" and the solemnly elegant "Pavane for a Dead Princess". Closing the program is the Suite No. 2 from Ravel's popular ballet score Daphnis et Chloé.
(MP3) BSO Concert Preview 2007/08 Episode 1