Boston Symphony Conductor Emeritus Bernard Haitink
The BSO entered the brave new world of the post-Jimmy era
when it announced the 2011-12 season today. Yes, there are echoes of James
Levine - whose six-season tenure ends in September, after a plague of illnesses
- throughout the calendar. (To no one's surprise, the BSO announced late Friday afternoon that
Levine, on the advice of doctors, had cancelled all of his 2011
Tanglewood appearances.) The orchestra will complete Levine-initiated
two-year cycle of John Harbison symphonies, including the world-premiere of the
Levine/BSO-commissioned Symphony No. 6. Elliott Carter - the subject of an
intensive Levine survey - is present with his Flute Concerto. And BSO conductor
emeritus Bernard
Haitink's performances of Beethoven's first, sixth and ninth symphonies recall
Levine's own illness-thwarted programming of the complete Beethoven symphony
cycle.
Haitink
is among a number of returning, distinguished venerable visiting conductors: Rafael
Frühbeck de Burgos, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Christoph von
Dohnányi, and Kurt Masur. But a lot of us will be casting our ears to a younger
crop of conductors making their Symphony Hall debuts: Jirí Belohlávek, Ricardo Chailly, Juanjo Mena, Andris Nelsons, Juraj Valcuha,
and Jaap van Zweden. Add to this a returning list of Myung-Whun Chung, Ludovic Morlot,
Stephane Denève, Marcelo Lehninger, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Though it's hard to
find a conductor among the bunch who doesn't have extensive commitments over
the next few years, that still makes a great audition pool.
Other
highlights this season include superstar violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter
performing and conducting all five Mozart concertos, soloists Yo-Yo Ma, Leif
Ove Andsnes, Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Gidon Kremer, Garrick
Ohlsson, Peter Serkin, and singers Chrstine Brewer, Michelle DeYoung, and James
Morris.
From the press release, opening weekend through October's 2011-2012 schedule is as follows:
Friday, September 30, 6 p.m.
Opening
Night at Symphony
Anne-Sophie
Mutter, violin and conductor
ALL-MOZART PROGRAM
Violin Concerto No. 3 in G, K.216
Violin Concerto No. 5 in A, K.219
_________________________
Saturday, October 1, 8 p.m.
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin and conductor
ALL-MOZART PROGRAM
Violin Concerto No. 2 in D,
K.211
Violin Concerto No. 1 in B-flat,
K.207
Violin Concerto No. 4 in D,
K.218
_________________________
Thursday, October 6, 8 p.m.
Friday, October 7, 1:30 p.m.
Tuesday, October 11, 8 p.m.
Sean Newhouse, conductor
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano
BRITTEN Four Sea
Interludes from Peter Grimes
PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 2
_________________________
Thursday, October 13, 10:30 a.m. (Open Rehearsal)
Thursday, October 13, 8 p.m.
Friday, October 14, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 15, 8 p.m.
Tuesday, October 18, 8 p.m.
Juanjo
Mena, conductor**
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
DVOŘÁK Cello Concerto
BARTÓK The Wooden
Prince
_________________________
Thursday, October 20, 10:30 a.m. (Open Rehearsal)
Thursday, October 20, 8 p.m.
Friday, October 21, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 22, 8 p.m.
Kurt
Masur, conductor
Yefim
Bronfman, piano
ALL-BRAHMS PROGRAM
Symphony No. 3
Piano Concerto No. 2
_________________________
Wednesday, October 26, 7:30 p.m. (Open Rehearsal)
Thursday, October 27, 8 p.m.
Friday, October 28, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 29, 8 p.m.
Tuesday, November 1, 8 p.m.
Rafael
Frühbeck de Burgos, conductor
Gidon
Kremer, violin
SCHUMANN Violin Concerto
STRAUSS Ein
Heldenleben
________________________
*connotes BSO debut
**connotes BSO subscription debut
For a full schedule visit bso.org.