The scene from a fascinating Brazilian commission at the new York Phil, to marin alsop and an epic organ symphony in cleveland, Gramophone’s pick of musical happenings across north america

The Metropolitan’s nightmarish take on Gounod’s Faust

NEW YORK New York Philharmonic Daniel Harding Mahler Tenth (December 1-3) Joshua Bell plays Tchaikovsky (December 7-10) Alan Gilbert CONTACT! (December 16, 17) Following his much-anticipated debut with the New York Philharmonic last season, the dynamic 36-year-old British maestro Daniel Harding again leads America’s oldest symphony orchestra, and is building a reputation as a serious Mahlerian. Last time, he led the Phil in Mahler’s Fourth Symphony; this time it’s the Tenth, Mahler’s grand and gorgeous farewell to his none-too-faithful wife, Alma. The composer didn’t live to complete the work, but left sketches that mapped out its transcendental destination. Harding then switches gear for several concerts featuring star violinist Joshua Bell who’ll play the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D. And although December may feel like the bleak midwinter, the programme concludes with the pagan abandon of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Mid-month, the orchestra returns in a more informal setting, continuing its CONTACT! Series, in which it presents contemporary fare.

Two concerts, with maestro Alan Gilbert at the helm will feature the world premiere of a new commission from rising Brazilian composer, Alexandre Lunsqui, titled Fibers, Yarn, Wire and also the ‘mad monster mash’ of HK Gruber’s Frankenstein!! a pandemonium for chansonnier and orchestra after children’s rhymes. nyphil.org

NEW YORK Metropolitan Opera Faust (November 29 – January 19) The Tony Award-winning director Des McAnuff makes his Metropolitan Opera debut with this new production of Gounod’s Faust – a co-production of the Met and English National Opera. McAnuff, the award-winning director of Jersey Boys brings a fresh sensibility to the opera, setting it in the early 20th century. In this conception of Goethe’s pact-with-the devil romance, Faust is an ageing nuclear physicist responsible for creating the atomic bomb and filled with remorse for the destruction it has wrought. The singing promises to be devilishly good, with star tenor Jonas Kaufmann singing his first title role at the Met, opposite Marina Poplavskaya as the innocent Marguerite, and

IV GRAMOPHONE NOVEMBER 2011

bass René Pape as Mephistopheles. Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts. metoperafamily.org

PHILADELPHIA Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Legacy (December 8-11) The financially beleaguered orchestra looks back on some of its significant world premieres, golden moments from its storied past, including Rachmaninov’s ever-popular Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. When the piece was premiered on November 7 1934, the composer played the piano part, with Leopold Stokowski conducting. Later that season, the pair recorded the piece and it soon became a classical hit, especially the lyrical Variation 18. This new presentation promises to dazzle, too, and will most likely be a high-energy affair with virtuoso Yuja Wang at the piano, and the Philly’s dynamic new maestro, Yannick Nézet-Séguin at the helm. Apart from this 20th-century masterpiece, the orchestra will present Jennifer Higdon’s flamboyant Concerto for Orchestra. By December, we should see what Nézet-Séguin and his band can really achieve. philorch.org

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