Alan Gilbert Makes First Philadelphia Appearance Leading New York Philharmonic and Joyce DiDonato, 2/24

Alan Gilbert, The Yoko Nagae Ceschina Chair, makes his first Philadelphia appearance leading the New York Philharmonic, one of the most revered and oldest ensembles in the United States, through an orchestral performance of works by composers Stucky, Berlioz and Mussorgsky/Ravel in Verizon Hall on Friday, February 24 at 8 p.m. The performance also includes the enchanting vocals of mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato in Berlioz's song cycle Les nuits d'été.

The evening's program takes on a global flavor with three works from American, French, and Russian composers including: Steven Stucky's Son et lumière, a nine-minute work from 1988; Hector Berlioz's romantic masterpiece Les nuits d'été, based on texts by the poet Théophile Gautier; and, concludes with Ravel's orchestration of Modest Mussorgsky's most famous piano composition, Pictures at an Exhibition.

The concert will also be performed in New York at Avery Fisher Hall February 23, 25, and 28, 2012. This program will be released May 15, 2012, as part of Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic 2011-12 Season recording series.

In discussing the program, Mr. Gilbert noted that "Steven Stucky is a very important American composer. Son et lumière is one of his early works that I particularly love," he said. "As the title would indicate, it's about contrasts-sound and color. And there is a definite connection between this work and the kind of French impressionistic color of Berlioz's Les nuits d'été." He also noted that "It's easy to forget that Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition was originally written for piano because the Ravel version we know is so iconic and compelling. Ravel extracted the essence of the piece and turned it into a kaleidoscopic, wonderful, absolutely convincing orchestral work." Mr. Gilbert described mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato as an "ebullient, effervescent stage personality" who has "natural charisma as well as a gorgeous voice."

Tickets for New York Philharmonic are available at $39 to $113, and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center Box Office located on Broad and Spruce streets, Philadelphia, Pa. (open daily from 10am to 6pm, later on performance evenings).

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