Franz Welser-Möst will Return to the New York Philharmonic to Conduct BABYLON SUITE and SYMPHONIA DOMESTICA

Franz Welser-Möst will return to the New York Philharmonic for the first time since 2000 to conduct the US Premiere of Jörg Widmann's Babylon Suite and Richard Strauss's Symphonia domestica, Thursday, February 27, 2020, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, February 28 at 2:00 p.m.; and Saturday, February 29 at 8:00 p.m.

The two works on the program depict two spheres of vastly different proportions: the biblical -Jörg Widmann's reinterpretation of the origin myth of multiple languages (derived from his opera) - and the domestic - Strauss's portrayal of his home life.

Jörg Widmann - who was the composer fellow of The Cleveland Orchestra, 2009-11, where Franz Welser-Möst has served as music director since 2002 - writes: "You can hear a linguistic confusion in the music, which could only be heard in Babylon and which can be heard today. I don't know that Babylon sounded so much different." In its review of the Babylon Suite at the 2019 BBC Proms, The Guardian called the work "archly anarchic and infectiously fun, the work of a virtuoso composer clearly enjoying himself."

Mr. Welser-Möst conducted The Cleveland Orchestra in Strauss's Symphonia domestica at the Lincoln Center Festival in 2015, a performance The New York Times applauded for its "abundant color, character and turmoil aplenty.... that piece took us indoors, into the composer's home, a great place to be thanks to the astonishing performance."

The New York Philharmonic will offer an allotment of free tickets to young people ages 13-26 for the concert on February 28 as part of Philharmonic Free Fridays.

Single tickets start at $32 (ticket prices subject to change). A limited number of $18 tickets for select concerts may be available to students within 10 days of the performance at nyphil.org/rush, or in person the day of (valid identification required). Tickets for Open Rehearsals are $22. The New York Philharmonic will offer an allotment of free tickets to young people ages 13-26 for the concert on February 28 as part of Philharmonic Free Fridays; learn more at nyphil.org/freefridays.

Tickets to New York Philharmonic performances may be purchased online at nyphil.org or by calling (212) 875-5656, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday; 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 5:00 p.m. Sunday. Tickets may also be purchased at the David Geffen Hall Box Office. The Box Office opens at 10:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and at noon on Sunday. On performance evenings, the Box Office closes one-half hour after performance time; other evenings it closes at 6:00 p.m.

Photo Credit: Julia Wesely