Music Director Emeritus Kurt Masur Returns to the New York Philharmonic, 10/27-29

Music Director Emeritus Kurt Masur will conduct the New York Philharmonic in Schubert's Symphony in B minor, Unfinished, and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 13, Babi Yar, with baritone Serge Leiferkus, and the Men of the New York Choral Artists, Joseph Flummerfelt, director, on Thursday, October 27, 2011, 7:30 p.m., Friday, October 28, at 8:00 p.m., and Saturday, October 29, at 8:00 p.m.

Mr. Masur first conducted the dramatic Shostakovich symphony - set to fierce poetry protesting Russian anti-Semitism by Yevgeny Yevtushenko- with Mr. Leiferkus and the Men of the New York Choral Artists in January 1993 and again in November 2001. "The performance was a triumph for the Philharmonic, all the way down to the poetic tuba," wrote The New York Times after the first performance, adding that, "it was a triumph, too, for the superbly disciplined and full-throated men of the chorus, while Mr. Leiferkus made the soloist an incisive and humane witness." The recording of the work was named "Record of the Year" by Stereo Review.

Mr. Masur is the second former Philharmonic Music Director to lead the Orchestra this season; Lorin Maazel returns for two weeks in mid-October, and Zubin Mehta will take the podium on January 12-14, 2012.

Photo Credit: Chris Lee