New York Philharmonic to Stage CAROUSEL in 2013; PBS to Televise Concert

The New York Phiharmonic has just announced the 2012-13 season, which is set to include a staged production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Broadway hit Carousel, February 27–March 2, 2013, directed by James Brennan and conducted by Rob Fisher - the same team behind the Philharmonic's acclaimed 2007 production of My Fair Lady. Mr. Brennan, who is also an actor and choreographer, has directed performances on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theater. Mr. Fisher is the founding director of New York City Center's Encores! series, and has been a part of numerous productions and projects.

Carousel, the second work from the acclaimed Rodgers & Hammerstein partnership, premiered in 1945, two years after Oklahoma!, and is based on Ferenec Molnár's 1909 play, Liliom. Transferring the story to the Maine coastline, Carousel revolves around the tragic romance between carousel barker Billy Bigelow and mill worker Julie Jordan, and includes some landmark numbers, including "If I Loved You" and "You'll Never Walk Alone." The cast will be announced at a later date. The production will be televised nationally on Live From Lincoln Center on PBS stations.

The 2012–13 season is infused by the revitalization and energy that has become a hallmark of the New York Philharmonic since Alan Gilbert became Music Director, with each program reflecting his determination to make every concert an event.

New partnerships with Christopher Rouse and Emanuel Ax demonstrate the Orchestra's strong and continuing relationships with conductors and soloists who bring not only mastery to their art, but also a passionate point of view. The Bach Variations: A Philharmonic Festival expands the Orchestra's festival concept, this time taking a multidimensional approach to a single composer through a variety of conductors' and artists' interpretations, with performances in Avery Fisher Hall and related events in collaboration with 92nd Street Y. A spring tour to Europe - the Orchestra's fifth there with Alan Gilbert - advances the Philharmonic's role as musical envoy to the world, and features Magnus Lindberg's raucous Kraft in the Volkswagen Transparent Factory in Dresden, Germany; the new work that Christopher Rouse is composing for the Philharmonic; and a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Vienna's Konzerthaus.

The Music Director's final four weeks in the season - June Journey: Gilbert's Playlist - will feature a variety of programs, presented in a condensed time frame, which showcase themes and ideas that Alan Gilbert has introduced. The concerts will combine works to reveal new perspectives, include collaborations with close associates such as Lincoln Center neighbors, feature a rarely 3 performed opera, and conclude with a fresh take on a classic theatrical work, with director/designer Doug Fitch animating Stravinsky's Petrushka.

Click here to view the full scheule.

The upcoming season is as follows: 

Alan Gilbert OPENS THE SEASON with The Rite of Spring,
Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes Performs Kurtág and Beethoven, September 19–22
THE OPENING GALA: Respighi, and Itzhak Perlman Performs Tchaikovsky, September 27

THE BACH VARIATIONS: A Philharmonic Festival
Perspectives on Bach by Masaaki Suzuki, Alan Gilbert, András Schiff, Bernard Labadie
Mass in B Minor, Orchestral Suites, Mendelssohn, and Schumann
A Collaboration with 92nd Street Y

THE JAZZ EFFECT: Stravinsky, Shostakovich, COPLAND's Clarinet Concerto with
Principal Clarinet RICARDO MORALES, Wynton Marsalis's Swing Symphony with
THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA, May 31–June 1

GERALD FINLEY as DALLAPICCOLA's IL PRIGIONIERO
LISA BATIASHVILI Plays Prokofiev, June 6–11

A RING JOURNEY, Alan Gilbert's Arrangement of Wagner's Ring Cycle
ROUSE's Seeing with EMANUEL AX, June 20–22

STRAVINSKY ON STAGE
Director/Designer DOUG FITCH and Giants Are Small Animate PETRUSHKA
with THE FAIRY'S KISS, June 27–29

TRISTAN MURAIL's Piano Concerto, U.S. Premiere with PIERRE-LAURENT AIMARD,
Conducted by David Robertson

Rodgers & Hammerstein's CAROUSEL, Directed by James Brennan, Conducted by Rob Fisher
To Be Broadcast Nationally on Live From Lincoln Center
EUROPE / SPRING 2013

Magnus Lindberg'S KRAFT at VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPARENT FACTORY in DRESDEN
Tour Highlights: Rouse Premiere, 100th Anniversary of Vienna's Konzerthaus, Istanbul, Zurich,
With Soloists Emanuel Ax and Joshua Bell