{"id":2696,"date":"2009-10-16T08:38:55","date_gmt":"2009-10-16T12:38:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.berkshirelinks.com\/?p=2696"},"modified":"2009-10-16T08:38:55","modified_gmt":"2009-10-16T12:38:55","slug":"bso-schedules-james-levines-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/idealpoetry.com\/rwc\/bso-schedules-james-levines-return\/","title":{"rendered":"BSO schedules James Levine\u2019s return"},"content":{"rendered":"

Boston Symphony Orchestra’s<\/strong> schedule of the complete cycle of Beethoven Symphonies<\/strong> at Symphony Hall has been updated to reflect conductor changes resulting from BSO Music Director James Levine’s<\/strong> recent surgery. <\/p>\n

\"James<\/a>Maestro Levine will return to the BSO podium to lead the orchestra in a program of Beethoven\u2019s Sixth and Seventh symphonies<\/em>, October 30 and 31, 2009<\/strong>, followed by performances of Beethoven\u2019s Eighth and Ninth symphonies<\/em>, November 5-7, 2009. Mr. Levine, who was previously scheduled to lead the BSO in the complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies, October 22 – November 7, will be unable to lead the orchestra in the first two programs of the cycle due to the recuperation time needed following his surgery earlier this month for a herniated disc. <\/p>\n

Filling in during Mr. Levine\u2019s absence, Rafael Fr\u00fchbeck de Burgos<\/strong> will lead the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the first program of the cycle, Oct. 22-24, 2009, which includes Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2<\/em> along with the ever-popular Symphony No. 5<\/em>. BSO Assistant Conductor Julian Kuerti<\/strong> will lead the orchestra in the second program, Oct. 27 and 29, 2009, which includes the Symphony No. 3, Eroica, and Symphony No. 4<\/em>. Music Director James Levine will also lead the orchestra in performances of Beethoven\u2019s Sixth and Seventh symphonies<\/em> at Carnegie Hall<\/strong> on Monday, November 2, 2009, as originally scheduled, repeating his Symphony Hall program of October 30 and 31, 2009.<\/p>\n

With the Symphony Hall programs, October 22-November 7, the Boston Symphony Orchestra embarks on a history-making endeavor performing a concentrated cycle of the complete symphonies of Beethoven. This marks the first time the orchestra has scheduled such a project in back-to-back Symphony Hall subscription programs and offers Boston audiences a rare opportunity to experience the composer\u2019s symphonic development.<\/p>\n

Program 1 (Oct. 27 and 29) opens with Beethoven\u2019s First Symphony, which seems to sum up the Classical symphonic style he learned from the music of Haydn and Mozart. Symphony No. 2, written just two years later, is one of the composer\u2019s warmest and brightest works, and it departs from the earlier Classical style in a number of intriguing ways. The composer\u2019s powerful Symphony No. 5, written over the space of four years and premiered in 1808, is deservedly one of the most recognizable works in all of classical music. From its unmistakable opening four-note motif, often attributed as \u201cFate knocking at the door,\u201d the work reflects not only Beethoven\u2019s torments and triumphs, but his indisputable genius.<\/p>\n

Program 2 (Oct. 27 and 29) features Beethoven\u2019s ground-breaking Symphony No. 3, Eroica, which marks the beginning of the composer\u2019s \u201cheroic\u201d period as well as a turning point in music history. Inspired by Napoleon\u2019s rise to power, it was originally titled \u201cBonaparte,\u201d but Beethoven reportedly tore the title page in half and retitled the work upon learning Napoleon had arrogantly declared himself Emperor. In contrast to the dramatic tension of the Eroica, the Symphony No. 4 unfurls with a graceful exuberance.<\/p>\n

Program 3 (Oct. 30 and 31) pairs two of the composer\u2019s most lyrical symphonies. Nowhere is Beethoven\u2019s abiding love of nature more vivid than in his Symphony No. 6, Pastoral, completed in 1808 around the same time he completed the tempestuous Symphony No. 5. One of the composer\u2019s most popular works, unusually structured in five movements, the Pastoral remains enduringly fresh, with its vivid evocation of a day in the countryside. By the time Beethoven finished his popular Symphony No. 7 in 1812, he was in ill health and growing increasingly hard of hearing.
\nYet according to reports, the work\u2019s premiere under his baton in 1813 was one of his greatest triumphs. An audience favorite, the work evokes both stately elegance and sweeping exuberance. Wagner called it “the apotheosis of the dance.” James Levine and the BSO repeat this program at Carnegie Hall on November 2, 2009.<\/p>\n

The final program of this historic overview features Beethoven\u2019s final two symphonies, though written more than ten years apart. Program 4 (Nov. 5, 6, and 7) opens with the composer\u2019s jovial, superbly crafted Symphony No. 8. Though Beethoven\u2019s shortest symphony, the composer considered it one of his finest, and it was premiered in 1814. The titanic Symphony No. 9, one of the last pieces Beethoven wrote, was his longest and most ambitious work in the genre. It premiered in 1824, featuring a boldly unprecedented and imaginative use of chorus and vocal soloists in the work\u2019s final movement, a thrilling setting of Schiller\u2019s “Ode to Joy.” These performances feature the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver, conductor, and soloists soprano Christine Brewer, contralto Meredith Arwady, tenor Matthew Polenzani, and bass-baritone Eike Wilm Schulte.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Boston Symphony Orchestra’s schedule of the complete cycle of Beethoven Symphonies at Symphony Hall has been updated to reflect conductor changes resulting from BSO Music Director James Levine’s recent surgery. Maestro Levine will return to the BSO podium to lead the orchestra in a program of Beethoven\u2019s Sixth and Seventh symphonies, October 30 and 31, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-uncategorized","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/idealpoetry.com\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/idealpoetry.com\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/idealpoetry.com\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idealpoetry.com\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idealpoetry.com\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/idealpoetry.com\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2696\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/idealpoetry.com\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idealpoetry.com\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idealpoetry.com\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}