The monthly Superconductor guide to classical happenings.
compiled by Paul J. Pelkonen
October is upon us, and concert venues across New York are throwing open their doors to eager throngs of listeners. Carnegie Hall opens. The Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera are in full swing, and the city resounds as leaves get ready to turn brown.
Here's the slate:
The Metropolitan Opera has three shows opening this month:
compiled by Paul J. Pelkonen
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| October is a time for Halloween and horrified looks from our favorite family. Image from The Simpsons Movie © 2008 20th Century Fox. |
Here's the slate:
The Metropolitan Opera has three shows opening this month:
- Oct. 9: Otello with Renée Fleming and Johan Botha.
- Oct. 23: Thomas Adès' The Tempest with Simon Keenlyside. A new production by Robert Lepage.
- Oct. 27: Le Nozze di Figaro with Ildar Abdrazakov in the title role.
Also this month: the opening of the Met Live in HD series with broadcasts of L'Elisir d'Amore (Oct. 13) and Otello (Oct 27).
Carnegie Hall:
Notable orchestras come to Carnegie Hall in October. Opening Night features Riccardo Muti leading the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. Later shows on the schedule include:
- Oct. 3-5: Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
- Oct. 15: The MET Orchestra playing Strauss' Ein Alpensinfonie.
- Oct. 23: Yannick Nézet-Séguin makes his first New York appearance as music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He conducts the Verdi Requiem.
- Oct. 27: Valery Gergiev conducts the Mariinsky Orchestra in their annual visit. The concert features Shostakovich's Sixth Symphony.
New York Philharmonic:
The Phil has a busy October planned with concerts conducted by Alan Gilbert and Rafäel Fruhbeck de Burgos.
Oct. 4-6: The orchestra's new artist-in-residence Emanuel Ax brings his interpretation of concertos by Bach and Schoenberg.
Oct. 10: The Nielsen Project continues with Alan Gilbert conducting the Danish composer's wind concertos.
Later in the month, Rafaël Frühbeck de Burgos arrives to conduct two major works: Berlioz' Symphonie-fantastique (Oct. 18-23) and Mahler's First Symphony (Oct. 25-30.)
Also at Lincoln Center this month: the London Symphony Orchestra, which offers two evenings of Brahms symphonies under the baton of Valery Gergiev. (Oct. 23-24.)
On Oct. 18 the third annual White Light Festival, a multi-discipline celebration of spirituality, art and music, gets under way with a performance by Punjabi/Indian singer Kiran Ahluwalia. The slate this year includes more traditional classical fare including motets performed by Les Art Florissants and a Bach organ concert featuring Cameron Carpenter.
Finally, the month ends with the opening of the 92nd Street Y, which kicks off a year-long celebration of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. The first concert of the season feature a complete performance of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier played by pianist Andràs Schiff.
