Alan Gilbert To Launch the 169th Season of the New York Philharmonic 9/22

Alan Gilbert will begin his second season as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic when he conducts the Orchestra's Opening Night Gala, Wednesday, September 22, 2010, at 7:30 p.m., presented by Breguet. The concert, which ushers in the Philharmonic's 169th season, will feature the U.S. Premiere of Wynton Marsalis's Symphony No. 3, Swing Symphony, a New York Philharmonic Co-Commission with the Berlin Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and The Barbican, performed jointly by the New York Philharmonic and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Also on the
program: R. Strauss's Don Juan and Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber. Actor Alec Baldwin will host Live From Lincoln Center, broadcast nationally on a tape-delayed basis on PBS stations at 9:00 p.m. [Check local listings], and Classical 105.9 FM WQXR will simulcast the broadcast, which will also be available as a live audio webstream at wqxr.org.

In speaking about the program, Alan Gilbert noted that, "Wynton is a genius, an amazing musician on every level, and I think it's particularly appropriate that we're doing this collaboration between two constituent groups of Lincoln Center." He added that, "Strauss's Don Juan for me remains an amazing work. He wrote it when he was 26 years old, and it's an explosion of creative energy - it's one of the most difficult virtuoso pieces for orchestra. I've always loved this piece, and I think it's actually one of my favorite Strauss pieces." He chose to close the program with Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber - "a piece," said Mr. Gilbert, "that was premiered by the New York Philharmonic. It's a transformation of 19th-century music, a piece that exploits the orchestra, and one that uses the brilliance of the New York Philharmonic to great effect."

According to Mr. Marsalis, his Symphony No. 3, Swing Symphony, is "a true jazz symphony, the movements of which are written in all styles of ‘swing' - a song for orchestra on a grand scale in which the jazz band is totally integrated with the orchestra, not the solo element accompanied by orchestra." The Berliner Morgenpost noted that the work, which was premiered in Berlin, "offered 50 minutes of joy and set many toes tapping."

Related Events
• Free Dress Rehearsal
For the fourth consecutive year, the Philharmonic and its Global Sponsor, Credit Suisse, will offer a Free Dress Rehearsal that day at 9:45 a.m., with Mr. Gilbert preparing the Orchestra for the evening's concert. General admission tickets will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis, starting at 8:00 that morning, on Lincoln Center's Josie Robertson Plaza. Additional details about the Free Dress Rehearsal will be announced.

• Opening Night Gala
The black-tie Opening Night Gala will include a pre-concert reception from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., the concert, and a dinner immediately following the concert. Opening Night Gala Chairmen are Judith M. and Russell L. Carson and Carol Sutton Lewis and William M. Lewis, Jr. The executive Vice Chairmen are Paul Calello, Agnes and Gerald L. Hassell, and Mark A. Hayek. The Opening Night Gala is presented by Breguet. The Gala is generously underwritten by BNY Mellon, Judith M. and Russell L. Carson, and Credit Suisse.

• New York Philharmonic Podcast
Elliott Forrest, Peabody Award-winning broadcaster, producer, and weekend host on Classical 105.9 FM WQXR, is the producer for this podcast. These awardwinning previews of upcoming programs - through musical selections as well as interviews with guest artists, conductors, and Orchestra musicians - are available at nyphil.org/podcast or from iTunes.