Andris Nelsons “From the New World”

It isn’t often that a young conductor excites audiences and stirs up critics to the extent that Andris Nelsons does. In this case, the young Latvian headed the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the orchestra of his mentor and fellow countryman Mariss Jansons, in a high-profile programme that calls for utmost virtuosity as much as it does for poetic zest: “From the New World” was the motto of this sweeping concert that received rave reviews and cemented Nelsons’ status as the “real deal” among up-and-coming conductors. Pairing Dvorák’s New World Symphony with other salient works from the 20th and 21st centuries that were also conceived on US soil, the event proved to be a triumphant showcase for all involved. “One rarely exper iences such a na tural connect ion between conductor and orchestra … Andris Nelsons and the Bavarian Radio Orchestra are a sensation!“ Stuttgarter Zeitung

El Nino

“Shake the heavens….” On the brink of the 21st century, John Adams and Peter Sellars reimagined the birth of Christ, weaving sacred texts around modern Hispanic poetry and charging them with the energy and directness of contemporary dance and film. The result was El Niño, a “Nativity Oratorio” that quickly established itself as one of most talked-about (and moving) artworks of the new Millennium. This film documents the actual moment of its creation: the historic world-premiere production in Paris, with the creators’ choice of performers (including the late, and unforgettable, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson). An unmissable record of the birth of a masterpiece.

RCO: John Adams conducts John Adams

European premiere of his new “dramatic symphony for violin and orchestra”, Scheherazade.2, with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Leila Josefowicz as soloist. Composer–conductor John Adams is known the world over as a pioneering composer of operas based on current and recent historical events. Adams has distilled a turbulent symphony from his opera Doctor Atomic, in which Robert Oppenheimer, the ‘father of the atomic bomb’, filled with excitement and doubt, anticipates the very first atomic bomb test in 1945. He also draws inspiration from current events in his instrumental works, as in his new violin concerto Scheherazade.2, written for Leila Josefowicz. Moved by TV footage of oppressed and abused women, Adams juxtaposes the masculine power of the orchestra with a strong woman, an empowered Scheherazade: ‘This one hits back!’ Tromba Lontana is a short, gentle fanfare marking the 150th anniversary of the declaration of independence with which Texas seceded from Mexico in 1836.

BPO: Dudamel conducts Dvorak & Adams

City Noir, John Adams’s work for orchestra, is a conglomeration of sophisticated solos, that pays homage to film noir with its title but also with its sinister and sensual sound language. Gustavo Dudamel leads the Berliner Philharmoniker “with lots of humour and real swing through the brilliantly instrumented urban jungle.” (Berliner Morgenpost). In an exciting juxtaposition, the Venezuelan conductor also performs Dvorák’s 9th symphony. Premiered in New York, the colourful work with the nickname “From the New World” brilliantly fuses American impressions and symphonic music. While the Largo can “hardly be imagined in a more noble way”, the Scherzo bursts with great energy, making the endless expanses of the Midwest “almost physically tangible in the swirling stream of sounds” (Tagesspiegel). PROGRAM Dvorak: Symphony No.9; Adams: City Noir

Andris Nelsons: From the new World

“Andris Nelsons and the BR-Symphonieorchester are a sensation”, raved the press. It isn’t often that a young conductor excites audiences and stirs up critics to the extent that Andris Nelsons does. As can be seen in this concert “From the New World”, he communicates his passion with a vocabulary of gestures that sweep the audience off their feet. The concert with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks is devoted to the “New World”. The main work of the evening is Antonín Dvorák’s Ninth Symphony, “From the New World”. The first half features compositions of the 20th and 21st-century by American composers Charles Ives and John Adams, along with a work by Igor Stravinsky, who spent several decades in the U.S.

BPO: Rattle conducts John Adams: The Gospel According to the Other Mary

Sir Simon Rattle, the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Rundfunkchor Berlin give an impeccable performance of the powerful biblical oratorio “The Gospel According to the Other Mary” by John Adams, one of the most renowned contemporary composers. The sophisticated score with a libretto by acclaimed theatre director Peter Sellars comes to life thanks to the Berliner Philharmoniker, whose intimate knowledge of Adams’s music stems from the composer himself: He attended the orchestra’s rehearsals. In the role of the Evangelist, the “flawless” (Bachtrack) Bubeck, Cummings and Medley lead through the narrative. A stunning highlight is Lazarus’s aria, sung by tenor Peter Hoare – “grand!” (Berliner Zeitung). But at the heart of the piece are Mary Magdalene and her sister Martha during the last days before Jesus’s death, impressively performed by mezzo-sopranos Kelley O’Connor and Tamara Mumford.

BBC Proms 2017: First Night of the Proms

The BBC Symphony Orchestra and Igor Levit, conducted by Edward Gardner, follow the tried formula for the First Night of the Proms at London’s Royal Albert Hall, combining an exciting new work by a British artist, Tom Coult’s St John’s Dance, with a repertoire classic – Beethoven’s 3rd Piano Concerto – and a topical piece such as John Adams’s Harmonium, marking the composer’s 70th birthday. Igor Levit performs Beethoven “with rare grace and intimacy” (The Independent). For the grand finale, John Adams’s armonium receives “a glowing performance” (The Daily Telegraph) by ist gargantuan chorus: alongside the BBC SO under Edward Gardner, seven choirs, among them the

BBC Symphony Chorus and the BBC Proms Youth Choir, make up the choral forces, doing “a formidable job” in “this stratospherically high, rhythmically difficult, super-exposed

job.” (The Observer) PROGRAM Adams: Harmonium; Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3; Coult: St John’s Dance

Dudamel & LA Phil: Inaugural Concert

Gustavo Dudamel, just twenty-seven years old, designated music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, is acknowledged to be one of the most

important conductors of his generation. At October 2009 he will conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at the Disney Concert Hall. On the programme: Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No 1 in D major (“Titan”) and the world premier of the latest work by Pulitzer Prize for Music winner John Adams, “City Noir”. The Los Angeles Philharmonic is widely regarded as the most contemporary minded, forward thinking, talked about and innovative, venturesome and admired orchestra in America. Dudamel made his U.S. conducting debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl on September 13, 2005. In April 2007, during a guest conducting engagement with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Dudamel was named the LAP’s next music director as of the 2009-2010 season, succeeding Esa-Pekka Salonen.

RCO Opening Night 2022: Alain Altinoglu & Vikingur Olafsson and Martin Fröst

The Concertgebouw Orchestra celebrates the new concert season in Westerpark with conductor Alain Altinoglu, clarinettist Martin Fröst, pianist Víkingur Ólafsson and music by Adams, Grieg and Bernstein. The evening gets off to an energetic start with John Adams’s Short Ride in a Fast Machine. The programme continues with Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto, followed by a selection of dances for clarinet and orchestra, in which clarinet virtuoso Martin Fröst can truly shine. The evening concludes with Bernstein’s popular Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.