Monday, January 11, 2010
Breaking News Nashville Symphony Announces 2010/11 Schedule
Posted by Jack Silverman on Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 2:46 PM
Yesterday, The Nashville Symphony announced what has to be its most ambitious season to date. The 2010/11 concert schedule encompasses old favorites and world premieres, and a long list of guest artists features great pianist André Watts, conductor and NSO ally Leonard Slatkin, and the conductorless Orpheus Chamber Orchestra as well as numerous younger virtuosos. The wide-ranging repertoire includes familiar concertos by Beethoven, Brahms and Rachmaninoff, modern landmarks like Stravinsky's Rite of Spring and Berg's Lyric Suite, well-tested contemporary composers like John Adams and Joan Tower, and newly commissioned works from more recent arrivals like Daniel Bernard Roumain. Trust us, that's a just small sample--we haven't even mentioned any of the intriguing lesser-known works on offer. Two colossal works by Mahler neatly flank the schedule. September's gala opening will assemble a cast of hundreds to play and sing his all-embracing Symphony No. 8, and the season closes with the early Symphony No. 2. Mahler's broad, expressive scope and crystalline orchestration perfectly suit the NSO's spacious and transparent sound. Is it too much to hope for a full Mahler cycle from Maestro Guerrero over seasons to come?
Comments (6)
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Wasn't the John Adams piece specifically tailored to the talents of Tracy Silverman, a Nashville electric violinist? That's pretty cool.
Er, the Stravinsky, the Berg, and the Mahlers are warhorses? The NSO may be pulling back a bit from the new-music agenda, but, judging from the schedule listing, it's hard to tell just how much. That said, I must say I find next season a bit less exciting than the current one.
Once again, it's the pop and jazz schedules I find completely underwhelming. A Billy Joel cover night? Peter Cetera? David Sanborn? At least I could nap without disturbing anyone. Why don't they just run a microphone to the elevator?
We've got a world-class concert hall; those are the kinds of artists we should be trying to attract. For jazz, howzabout Brad Mehldau, Jason Moran, Allen Toussaint, James Carter or Sonny Rollins? And while I suppose it's financially unrealistic to hope for something in the pop series like a night of Stephin Merritt songs (which would adapt beautifully for the NSO), surely there's somebody interesting in the yawning gulf between Merritt and Peter Cetera. Has anybody tried putting out feelers to Jack White?
The Belcourt just announced Allen Toussaint for a solo show in April-
http://www.belcourt.org/events?id=68410
