Jaap van Zweden Leads NY Philharmonic Tonight

Jaap van Zweden - music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Hong Kong Philharmonic as well as former concertmaster of Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - will return to the New York Philharmonic for the first time since his debut in April 2012 to conduct two weeks of concerts. In the first program, Mr. van Zweden will conduct Mozart's Sinfonia concertante for Violin and Viola, featuring Acting Concertmaster Sheryl Staples and Principal Viola Cynthia Phelps, and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 8, tonight, November 20, 2014, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, November 21 at 2:00 p.m.; and Saturday, November 22 at 8:00 p.m.

The following week, Mr. van Zweden will lead the Orchestra in Korngold's Violin Concerto, with Hilary Hahn as soloist; Beethoven's Symphony No. 7; and J. Wagenaar's Cyrano de Bergerac Overture, marking the Philharmonic's first time performing the work, Wednesday, November 26, 2014, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, November 28 at 8:00 p.m.; and Saturday, November 29 at 8:00 p.m.

"These are cherished opportunities to be featured with our colleagues, and I consider it a great honor," Sheryl Staples said. "These are the highlights of my musical existence."

"The Sinfonia concertante is a very sweet dialogue, personal and intimate," Cynthia Phelps said. "The beauty of this piece is that it showcases the differences between these two voices and the colors each of them creates."

The Saturday Matinee Concert November 29 at 2:00 p.m. opens with Dvorák's Wind Serenade, with Philharmonic Principal Oboe Liang Wang and oboist Robert Botti; Principal Clarinet Anthony McGill and clarinetist Pascual Marti?nez Forteza; Principal Bassoon Judith LeClair and bassoonist Roger Nye; contrabassoonist Arlen Fast; Principal Horn Philip Myers and hornists R. Allen Spanjer and Howard Wall; Associate Principal Cello Eileen Moon; and Principal Bass Timothy Cobb. The rest of the program features J. Wagenaar's Cyrano de Bergerac Overture and Korngold's Violin Concerto, with Hilary Hahn as soloist. Each of the concerts on this season's Saturday Matinee series features chamber music by Dvor?a?k.

Related Events:

- Pre-Concert Insights:
New York Philharmonic Program Annotator James M. Keller, The Leni and Peter May Chair, will introduce the program November 20-22. Musicologist and professor Elizabeth Seitz will introduce the program November 26 and 28-29. Admission/Tickets to Pre-Concert Insights are $7; discounts are available for multiple talks, students, and groups. These events take place one hour before performances, and are held in the Helen Hull Room, unless otherwise noted. Attendance is limited to 90 people. Information: nyphil.org/preconcert or (212) 875- 5656.

Artists:

Amsterdam-born Jaap van Zweden has been music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra since 2008 and music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra since 2012. Mr. van Zweden received Musical America's Conductor of the Year Award 2012 in recognition of his critically acclaimed work with the Dallas Symphony, as well as his appearances as guest conductor with other U.S. orchestras. Highlights of his 2014-15 season and beyond include tours of major venues in Europe with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, subscription debuts with the Israel and Czech Philharmonic orchestras, German Symphony Orchestra Berlin, and Budapest Festival Orchestra, and return visits to The Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, and the Rotterdam and London Philharmonic orchestras. With the Dallas Symphony, Mr. van Zweden will conduct 12 of 18 programs in the 2014-15 Texas Instruments Classical Series, the inaugural SOLUNA: International Music & Arts Festival in Dallas in May 2015, and return to Colorado's Bravo! Vail festival. Jaap van Zweden has appeared as guest conductor with orchestras including the Chicago and Cologne's WDR symphony orchestras; The Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw orchestras; Munich, Oslo, Rotterdam, and London philharmonic orchestras; and Orchestre National de France. Recent highlights have included acclaimed debuts with the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic orchestras; Zurich's Tonhalle-Orchestra; Chamber Orchestra of Europe; Boston, San Francisco, and London symphony orchestras; and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic in his BBC Proms debut. Among his numerous recordings are Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and Petrushka, Britten's War Requiem, and complete cycles of the Beethoven and Brahms symphonies. For the Dallas Symphony's record label (DSO Live) he has released recordings of Tchaikovsky's Fourth and Fifth Symphonies, Beethoven's Fifth and Seventh Symphonies, Mahler's Sixth Symphony, and the World Premiere recording of Steven Stucky's concert drama August 4, 1964, which garnered a Grammy nomination for its composer. Mr. van Zweden made his New York Philharmonic debut in April 2012, leading Mahler's Symphony No. 1 and Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 with Yuja Wang.

Violinist Sheryl Staples joined the New York Philharmonic as Principal Associate Concertmaster, The Elizabeth G. Beinecke Chair, in September 1998 and currently serves as Acting Concertmaster, The Charles E. Culpeper Chair. She made her solo debut with the Philharmonic in 1999 performing Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, led by then Music Director Kurt Masur, and has since been featured in concertos by Mendelssohn, Mozart, Haydn, Bach, and Vivaldi with conductors including Alan Gilbert, Lorin Maazel, and Colin Davis. She has performed as soloist with more than 40 other orchestras nationwide, including The Cleveland, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego and Richmond Symphony, and Louisiana Philharmonic orchestras. Previously she was the associate concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra and concertmaster of the Pacific Symphony and Santa Barbara Chamber orchestras. Ms. Staples frequently performs chamber music in the New York area in venues including Avery Fisher Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, 92nd Street Y, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has performed chamber music for U.S. Ambassadors in London, Paris, Berlin, Beijing, and Hong Kong, and in 2013 she toured Mexico, Brazil, and Chile. Ms. Staples has participated in the La Jolla, Boston, Salt Bay, Santa Fe, Mainly Mozart, and Aspen chamber music festivals. She appears on three Stereophile compact discs with the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Currently she is on faculty at The Juilliard School working with students aspiring toward orchestral careers. Ms. Staples and her husband, percussionist Barry Centanni, premiered William Kraft's Concerto a Tre for piano, violin, and percussion (written for them, at Martha's Vineyard Chamber Music Society's summer festival and recorded for release on the Albany Records label in 2008) and David Sampson's Black River Concerto (for solo violin, percussion, and orchestra in April 2011 with the Montclair State University Symphony). Ms. Staples performs on the "Kartman" Guarneri del Gesu, c. 1728, previously on loan from private collector Peter Mandell and now in the collection of the New York Philharmonic.

Cynthia Phelps is the New York Philharmonic's Principal Viola, The Mr. and Mrs. Frederick P. Rose Chair. Highlights of her solo appearances with the Orchestra have included performances on the 2006 Tour of Italy, sponsored by Generali, performances of Mozart's Sinfonia concertante in 2010 and 2014, and Sofia Gubaidulina's Two Paths, which the Orchestra commissioned for her and Philharmonic Associate Principal Viola Rebecca Young and which they premiered in 1999 and reprised both in New York and on tour, most recently in Avery Fisher Hall performances in 2011. Other solo engagements have included the Minnesota Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Orquesta Sinfo?nica de Bilbao, and Hong Kong Philharmonic. Ms. Phelps performs with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Jupiter Chamber Players, and the Santa Fe, La Jolla, Seattle, Chamber Music Northwest, and Bridgehampton festivals. She has appeared with the Guarneri, Tokyo, Orion, American, Brentano, and Prague Quartets, and the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio. She has given recitals in the major music capitals of Europe and the U.S. She is also a founding member of the chamber group Les Amies, a flute-harp-viola group recently formed with Philharmonic Principal Harp Nancy Allen and flutist Carol Wincenc. Ms. Phelps is a first-prize winner of both the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition and the Washington International String Competition, and is the recipient of the Pro Musicis International award. Under the auspices of this philanthropic organization, she has appeared as soloist in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Rome, and Paris, as well as in jails, hospitals, and drug rehabilitation centers worldwide. Her most recent recording, Air, for flute, viola, and harp on Arabesque, was nominated for a Grammy Award. Her television and radio credits include Live From Lincoln Center on PBS; St. Paul Sunday Morning on NPR; Radio France; Italy's RAI; and WGBH in Boston. Ms. Phelps has served on the faculties at The Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music. She is married to cellist Ronald Thomas.

Two-time Grammy Award-winning violinist Hilary Hahn took her first lessons shortly before her fourth birthday, made her orchestral debut at 12, completed her university requirements at 16, and received her bachelor's degree at 19, after having delayed her studies to expand her touring career. Since she began recording at 16 Ms. Hahn has released 15 albums on the Deutsche Grammophon and Sony labels, three DVDs, an Oscar-nominated movie sound track, an award-winning children's recording, and various compilations. Her recordings have received every critical prize in the international press. In 2010 she released Jennifer Higdon's Violin Concerto alongside Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto; Higdon's work, written for Ms. Hahn, went on to win the Pulitzer Prize. In 2013 Ms. Hahn released In 27 Pieces: the Hilary Hahn Encores, the culmination of a multiyear project to renew the encore genre. Her next album, slated for spring 2015, references her musical heritage, featuring works by Mozart and Vieuxtemps, and recorded with longtime colleagues Paavo Ja?rvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. An avid writer, she posts journal entries and articles on hilaryhahn.com and produces a YouTube channel on which she frequently interviews guests from around the world. Ms. Hahn has appeared on the covers of most major classical music publications; has been featured in Vogue, Elle, Town & Country, and Marie Claire; was named "America's Best Young Classical Musician" by TIME magazine in 2001; and appeared on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien in 2010. Her projects beyond the classical world include two records by the alt-rock band ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Tom Brosseau's album Grand Forks, and a tour with folk-rock singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. Hilary Hahn made her Philharmonic debut in 1994, performing Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1, conducted by Paavo Berglund; she most recently joined Colin Davis and the Orchestra in December 2010 for Elgar's Violin Concerto.

A time when public concerts were becoming more and more popular, the late 18th century gave rise to the Sinfonia concertante, a rather short-lived genre that is a combination of concerto and symphony that supported the public's desire to see and hear instrumental soloists in combination. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1891) composed five of these works in 1778-79. The last, Sinfonia concertante for Violin and Viola, was probably completed in the summer and fall of 1779 after Mozart's return to Salzburg from his travels to Mannheim and Paris, during which he had had no success in finding a new patron. It was not only a financially desperate period for Mozart: he was also dealing with the sudden death of his mother and the rejection of a marriage proposal. This work is considered by many to be his finest achievement in the genre, and marks a sort of musical coming-of-age for the young composer. The Philharmonic first performed it in February 1917, when Walter Damrosch led the New York Symphony (which later merged with the New York Philharmonic to form today's Philharmonic) with violinist Alexander Saslavsky and violist Samuel Lifschey. The most recent Philharmonic performances were given in December 2009, led by Christoph von Dohnya?nyi, with then Concertmaster Glenn Dicterow and Principal Viola Cynthia Phelps as the soloists.

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-75) began work on his Symphony No. 8 in 1943 on the heels of the success of his Seventh Symphony, Leningrad (which landed him on the cover of Time magazine in July 1942), and the turning tide of World War II. The Eighth is one of Shostakovich's largest works and was written in only two months. Completed in September, it was premiered in Moscow in November 1943, but in spite of the enthusiasm of conductor (and dedicatee) Evgeny Mravinsky, it was savaged by the critics who, expecting a celebratory work, reacted harshly to its sonic bleakness, which Shostakovich used to reflect the tragedy of war. The symphony was ultimately used against the composer, singled out for attack by Soviet Minister of Culture Andrei Zhdanov, and officially censored in 1948 for its "unrelieved gloom." It was revived in Moscow in 1956, and today, it is considered one of Shostakovich's finest works. Artur Rodzin?ski led the Philharmonic in the Eighth Symphony's U.S. Premiere in April 1944 at Carnegie Hall; Richard Westerfield conducted its most recent presentation in November 1997, at Avery Fisher Hall.

Repertoire, November 26 and 28-29:

Dutch composer Johan Wagenaar (1862-1941) began his musical career in Utrecht, studied in Berlin with composer/conductor Heinrich von Herzogenberg, gained recognition as the organist for Utrecht Cathedral, and eventually became a teacher as well, serving a considerable term as the director of the Royal Conservatory at The Hague. His music is Romantic in style, and he favored overtures and symphonic poems (he was a fan of Richard Strauss's tone poems, for example). He composed his best-known work, Cyrano de Bergerac Overture, in 1905. Focusing on the title character of Edmond Rostand's popular play of the same name, the musical themes reflect the myriad traits of the protagonist's personality, including "Valor," "Love, Poetry," "Faithfulness," "Strength of Character," "Humor," and "Satire." This is the Philharmonic's first performance of the work.

While the expressively lush 1945 Violin Concerto of Czech composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957) recalls some of the Academy Award-winning Austrian-American composer's Hollywood film scores (among them Anthony Adverse, Another Dawn, Juarez, and The Prince and the Pauper), it also reflects his post-World War II desire to focus on more serious music (Mahler, for example, had called Korngold "a genius" early in his career). The Violin Concerto represents the synthesis of his two professional lives. Originally composed for Polish violinist Bronislaw Huberman (who, like Korngold, escaped Europe because of the War), the Violin Concerto finally received its World Premiere in 1947 by the St. Louis Symphony and violinist Jascha Heifetz, who later that year reprised his performance with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Efrem Kurtz. It was most recently performed in June 2012, with Leonidas Kavakos as soloist, conducted by Music Director Alan Gilbert.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) conducted the first performance of his Symphony No. 7 on December 8, 1813, in Vienna, at a charity concert for soldiers wounded during the defense of the city against the invading forces of Napoleon. The premiere was so successful that popular demand called for a repeat performance of the symphony four nights later. The work had been completed in the eventful year of 1812, during which the composer - by that time almost completely deaf - met the German philosopher Goethe, penned the mysterious "immortal beloved" letter, interfered in his estranged brother's personal affairs, composed the last of his piano sonatas, and finished two symphonies. While Weber stated that the Seventh Symphony suggested that Beethoven was "ripe for the madhouse," Wagner praised its Dionysian spirit and termed it the "apotheosis of the dance." The New York Philharmonic performed the symphony's U.S. Premiere on November 18, 1843, led by the Orchestra's founder, Ureli Corelli Hill. It was presented most recently in January 2013, led by Manfred Honeck.

Tickets for these performances start at $30. Tickets for Open Rehearsals are $20. Pre-Concert Insights are $7; discounts are available for multiple talks, students, and groups (visit nyphil.org/preconcert for more information). Tickets 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 Aver Fisher 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. A limited number of $16 tickets for select concerts may be available through the Internet for students within 10 days of the performance, or in person the day of. Valid identification is required. To determine ticket availability, call the Philharmonic's Customer Relations Department at (212) 875-5656. [Ticket prices subject to change.]

Pictured: Jaap van Zweden conducting the New York Philharmonic. Photo by Chris Lee.