New York Philharmonic Announces Weekly Radio Broadcasts

In March 2012 The New York Philharmonic This Week - the weekly radio series of concerts by the New York Philharmonic, hosted by Alec Baldwin - begins with a performance by violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann, The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence, recorded January 26–28. Music Director Alan Gilbert, The Yoko Nagae Ceschina Chair, leads the Orchestra in Beethoven's Violin Concerto, with Mr. Zimmermann as soloist, Stravinsky's Symphony in Three Movements, and Ravel's
Daphnis and Chloé, Suite No. 2. In the second broadcast, Mr. Gilbert conducts Steven Stucky's Son et lumière, a nine-minute work from 1988; Berlioz's song cycle, Les Nuits d'été, with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato as soloist; and Ravel's orchestration of Musorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.

In the third week, conductor David Zinman kicks off The Modern Beethoven: A Philharmonic Festival, an exploration of Beethoven's world from a modern perspective that honors the composer's original vision. In the festival, six Beethoven symphonies are coupled with three 20th-century works, each reflecting a different aspect of Beethoven as heard in the symphonies with which they are paired. The first program with Mr. Zinman comprises Beethoven's Symphony No. 2, Stravinsky's Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra with Peter Serkin, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 7. March broadcasts conclude with the second program from the festival, Beethoven's Symphony No. 8, Barber's Cello
Concerto, with Alisa Weilerstein as soloist, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 4.

The New York Philharmonic This Week airs locally in the New York metropolitan area on WQXR 105.9 FM, Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. Concerts are available on the Philharmonic's Website, nyphil.org, for two weeks following the broadcast. The broadcasts are syndicated to more than 300 outlets nationally and 122 outlets internationally by the WFMT Radio Network. Alec Baldwin is the host of the program, New York Philharmonic Audio Producer Mark Travis is the broadcast producer, and Audio Director Lawrence Rock is the music producer.

The New York Philharmonic's first Live National radio broadcast took place on October 5, 1930, over the CBS radio network. On that Sunday Erich Kleiber was on the podium leading the Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. Since that historic broadcast, the Philharmonic has enjoyed an almost continuous presence on national radio. Advancing its role as a media pioneer, the Philharmonic, since 2002, has shared its radio broadcast with a worldwide audience through its Website, nyphil.org. In 2004 the New York Philharmonic was the first major American orchestra to offer downloadable concerts, recorded live. Following on this innovation, in 2009 the Orchestra announced the first-ever subscription download series: Alan Gilbert: The Inaugural Season, available exclusively on iTunes, produced and distributed by the New York Philharmonic, and comprising more than 50 works performed during the 2009–10 season. Last season the Orchestra released another iTunes pass: Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic: 2010–11 Season. Since 1917 the Philharmonic has made nearly 2,000 recordings, with more than 500 currently available.

Photo: Chris Lee