Awarded three Emmys and hailed by Variety as “a rare moment in the symbiosis of the arts and broadcasting,” Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts left their mark on television history. Aired on CBS from 1958 to 1972, these 52 onehour programs were written and hosted by Leonard Bernstein. With the New York Philharmonic and guest artists providing the live music, these programs brought musical concepts and music history to life for generations of viewers. “Lectures accompanying music might not sound like the formula of a hit kids’ TV program, but Bernstein was the secret ingredient who made it work” (Variety). Balancing scholarship and showmanship, Maestro Bernstein brings the full range of his magnetic personality to play in these programs. And he succeeds in infecting viewers young and old, connoisseurs and the uninitiated, with his overwhelming love of music.
A Concert for New York – 9/11 Memorial Concert
The concert presents Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 featuring soprano Dorothea Röschmann, mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung and the New York Choral Artists. The New York Philharmonic will be conducted by its Music Director Alan Gilbert. Commemorating the tenth anniversary of the events of 9/11, the New York Philharmonic strives to truly give a concert to the city of New York. Programming Mahler’s 2nd the orchestra seeks to set a sign of hope, since this work is often referred to as the ‘Resurrection’ Symphony. ‘Mahler’s Second Symphony, ‘Resurrection’, powerfully and profoundly explores the range of emotions provoked by the memories of 9/11,’ said Music Director Alan Gilbert. ‘This great masterpiece has a very special place in the history and psyche of the New York Philharmonic, but its message of renewal and rebirth is universal. We offer it as a tribute to those lost ten years ago.
Andrea Bocelli – Live in Central Park
The world’s most beloved tenor, Andrea Bocelli, gifts New York City with a once in a lifetime musical event: a free concert with the New York Philharmonic to take place at Central Park’s Great Lawn. As guests: Celine Dion, Tony Bennett and Bryn Terfel, amongst others. The New York Philharmonic’s music director, Alan Gilbert, conducts. On the programme world-famous hits like ‘La donna è mobile’, I pescatori di perle (Duet), ‘E lucevan le stelle’ & Te deum (Tosca), ‘O soave fanciulla’ (La Bohème), ‘Brindisi’ , ‘Funiculi funicular’, ‘O’ Sole Mio’, ‘Volare’, ‘New York, New York’, ‘Amazing Grace’, ‘Time to say Goodby’, ‘Nessun Dorma’, La forza del destino (Ouverture), Candide (Ouverture), and many more.
Anne-Sophie Mutter and NY Philharmonic at Kraftwerk Peenemünde
It is a special place: it was here that the Nazi regime had the rockets developed that were used to bombard London during World War II. Today, the former turbine hall is a place of remembrance and reconciliation. Anne-Sophie Mutter, the four-time Grammy Award winner and formative soloist, mentor and visionary, connects Germany and the USA like no other violinist. Her husband, the American-Jewish pianist, composer and conductor André Previn, who died in 2019, dedicated the violin concerto ‘Anne-Sophie‘ to her. It is one of his most successful works and a profound love letter full of virtuosity for a master of her instrument. Joan Tower is also dedicated to strong women. With “1920/2019” from the New York Philharmonic‘s Project 19, the young composer pays tribute to the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, which guaranteed women the right to vote and which celebrated its centenary in 2020. The New York Philharmonic also finds diversity in equality in Béla Bartók’s most successful work. His concerto for orchestra, premiered in Boston in 1944, demands brilliant solo and virtuoso performances from the orchestra. PROGRAM Previn: Violin Concerto ‘Anne Sophie‘; Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra; Tower: 1920/2019 (European premiere)
Pavarotti: Live in Central Park
When more than 500,000 people gathered in New York’s Central Park on 26 June 1993, they wanted to hear only one thing: The voice of the greatest tenor of the twentieth century: the voice of Luciano Pavarotti. A year earlier, Pavarotti had thrilled the crowds in London’s Hyde Park – here, in New York, he confirmed once again that he is an undisputed world star. He is accompanied by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Leone Magiera. The recording of this concert, without doubt one of Pavarotti’s most celebrated performances, achieved record sales. Arias by Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Eduardo Di Capua, Ernesto De Curtis, including Nessun dorma, E lucevan le stelle, O sole mio … A new digitally remastered version is available now.
Joshua Bell – West Side Story: Live from Central Park
Violinist Joshua Bell pays tribute to Leonard Bernstein‘s West Side Story in New York City‘s Central Park. Under the baton of conductor William Eddins, the New York Philharmonic accompanies Bell in a new suite based on some of the musical theater‘s most enduring melodies. Broadway‘s Kristin Chenoweth duets with Bell on Bernstein‘s „Lonely Town“ from On the Town.