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WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW (ARCHIVE)
1 FEBRUARY 2012
Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic begin their EUROPE/WINTER 2012 tour this week with a concert on Feb 2 in Cologne, Germany. The tour features 14 concerts in seven cities including Luxembourg (Feb 3, 4), Paris (Feb 6, 7), Frankfurt (Feb 8, 9), Düsseldorf (Feb 11) and Amsterdam (Feb 13, 14). Four concerts in London Feb 16 – 18 inaugurate the New York Philharmonic's International Associates residency at the Barbican Centre. Tour soloists include Philharmonic's 2011–12 Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence Frank Peter Zimmermann, pianist Lang Lang, and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, in programs featuring works by Magnus Lindberg, the Philharmonic's Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence, Thomas Adès – the UK premiere of Polaris – as well as Bartók, Beethoven, Mahler, Prokofiev, Ravel, Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky.
26 JANUARY 2012ALAN GILBERT CONDUCTS BEETHOVEN, STRAVINSKY AND RAVEL
Tonight, Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic present the first of three concerts featuring the music of Beethoven, Stravinsky, and Ravel. Artist-in-Residence Frank Peter Zimmerman is the soloist in Beethoven's Violin Concerto, often described as "the Mount Everest of violin concertos" and "Beethoven's tenth symphony with violin obbligato." Rounding out the program are Stravinsky's Symphony in Three Movements — a piece the Philharmonic premiered, under Stravinsky himself, in 1946 — and Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2. The program will be repeated on January 27 and 28. Tickets and other information are available at the Philharmonic website.
12 JANUARY 2012THERE'S A REASON MAHLER NEVER WROTE FOR MARIMBA....
Alan Gilbert was faced with a surprise marimba solo during a performance of Mahler's 9th Symphony Tuesday night, when an iPhone alarm went on for several minutes — long enough to force him to stop the performance and have the ringtone silenced. This act sparked an online sensation as journalists and bloggers wrote about the experience: apart from dozens of blogs (including Paul Pelkonen's Superconductor), it made Page Six of the New York Post, as well as an ArtsBeat post by the New York Times' Dan Wakin.
5 JANUARY 2012ALAN GILBERT KICKS OFF 2012 WITH MAHLER 9 AND AN ADÈS PREMIERE
Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic kick off 2012 with the New York premiere of Thomas Adès's Polaris, on January 5 at Avery Fisher Hall, almost one year to the day after presenting the New York premiere of Adès's piano concerto In Seven Days. The program also includes Mahler's Symphony No. 9, Gilbert's recording of which with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra was named Best Classical Recording of 2009 by John von Rhein of the Chicago Tribune, who praised its "wonderful balance between desolation and acceptance, with luminous sonics to match." The program will be repeated on January 6 at the Tilles Center for Performing Arts, and January 7 and 10 at Avery Fisher Hall.
29 DECEMBER 2011NEW YEAR'S EVE WITH THE NEW YORK PHIL
Alan Gilbert welcomes 2012 leading the New York Philharmonic in its annual New Year's Eve concert at Avery Fisher Hall. The program features Leonard Bernstein's Overture to Candide and Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, and George Gershwin's Concerto in F and Rhapsody in Blue. Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet joins Gilbert in the Gershwin works. The performance will be broadcast nationally on Live From Lincoln Center on PBS. Details, including a list of local PBS stations and broadcast times, can be found here.
23 DECEMBER 2011ALAN GILBERT WINS 2011 DITSON AWARD
Alan Gilbert was given the 2011 Ditson Conductor's Award for his "exceptional commitment to the performance of works by American composers and to contemporary music" this past Friday by Lee C. Bollinger, the president of Columbia University. The award was presented during the season-opening performance of the New York Philharmonic's CONTACT! series, with a program that included the world premiere of Alexandre Lunsqui's "Fibres, Yarn and Wire," as well as the NY Phil's composer in residence Magnus Lindberg's "Gran Duo" and H. K. Gruber's 'pan-demonium for chansonnier and orchestra,' "Frankenstein!!".
18 DECEMBER 2011MORE END-OF-YEAR ACCLAIM FOR "CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN"
The New York Philharmonic's spring production of Janacek's The Cunning Little Vixen made the "Best of 2011" lists of two New York Times music critics. Vivien Schweitzer praised Alan Gilbert and the orchestra for their "vibrant performance" and Doug Fitch for his "enchanting production," while Anthony Tommasini paid tribute to the "glowing, textured" performances and the "disarming production." The production was earlier named by New York critic Justin Davidson as the top classical music event of 2011.
10 DECEMBER 2011MAKING CONTACT WITH FRANKENSTEIN DEC 16 AND 17
Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic will perform H.K. Gruber's "Frankenstein!!" as part of the orchestra's CONTACT! Series (Friday, December 16 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Saturday, December 17 at Symphony Space). The Austrian composer calls the work a "pan-demonium," a reference to its manic energy, quick-cut cultural references, and unusual scoring (including toy instruments). Allan Kozinn wrote about it in this past Sunday's New York Times. Ticket and other information at the New York Philharmonic website.
6 DECEMBER 2011NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC'S "VIXEN" IS NUMBER ONE
In his end of the year wrap-up, New York critic Justin Davidson picked the New York Philharmonic's spring production of Janacek's "The Cunning Little Vixen" as the Number One Classical Music Event of 2011. The complete Top 10 List is available here. Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic similarly made the magazines top slot a year ago for their production of Ligeti's "Le Grande Macabre."
5 DECEMBER 2011WAGNER'S "RING WITHOUT WORDS" IN PARIS DEC 9 AND 10
Alan Gilbert returns to the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France this week for two concerts December 9 and 10 featuring a synthesis of music from Wagner's epic "Ring" cycle. Gilbert calls this "Ring Without Words," which he constructed from an arrangement by conductor Eric Leinsdorf, "a wonderful way to enjoy the music," noting, "Even though we actually play in a couple of places where ordinarily there are voices, the orchestral texture is so complete that, even without the voices, you can get a very strong picture of the psychology, the humanity, and the expression of the music." Ticket information here.
1 DECEMBER 2011"DOCTOR ATOMIC" DVD NOMINATED FOR BEST OPERA RECORDING GRAMMY
Sony Classical's DVD of the Metropolitan Opera's production of John Adams's "Doctor Atomic" has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Opera Recording category. New York magazine named the performance, which Alan Gilbert conducted in his Metropolitan Opera debut, the number one classical music event of 2008. The DVD is available for purchase from amazon.com.
29 NOVEMBER 2011THREE CONCERTS WITH HAMBURG'S NDR SINFONIEORCHESTER DEC 1 - 3
Alan Gilbert has been Principal Guest Conductor of Hamburg's NDR Symphony Orchestra since 2004, and returns there this week to conduct three concerts – December 1 and 2 in Hamburg, and December 3 in Kiel. The program features Schumann's "Manfred" Overture, Lutosławski's Concerto for Orchestra, and Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 2 with guest soloist Yefim "Fima" Bronfman. Lutosławski's "Concerto," which was given its premiere in Warsaw in 1954, was a breakthrough work for the Polish composer in that it greatly enhanced his visibility in the West.
14 NOVEMBER 2011"A CONCERT FOR NEW YORK" NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD
"A Concert for New York," Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic's performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 2, Resurrection, given in remembrance and renewal on the eve of the tenth anniversary of 9/11, is now available on DVD. The performance, seen on public television, features Dorothea Röschmann, Michelle DeYoung, and the New York Choral Artists, and the DVD includes reflections by audience members and interviews with Alan Gilbert and Zarin Mehta. For further information and to purchase, visit Amazon.com.
7 NOVEMBER 2011THREE CONCERTS WITH THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA NOVEMBER 11 - 13
This week, Alan Gilbert returns to the podium of the Cleveland Orchestra, where he was formerly Assistant Conductor for three seasons. The program for three concerts (Nov 11 – 13) includes Beethoven's Romance No. 2 in F Major, Op. 50 and Bruch's Adagio Appasionata, both with the orchestra's concertmaster, William Preucil, and two lush, late-Romantic works: Webern's Im Sommerwind and Schoenberg's Pelleas und Melisande, Op. 5. Gilbert calls Bill Preucil "a great artist," and Pelleas und Melisande, "one of my favorite Schoenberg pieces." For ticket information visit clevelandorchestra.com.
31 OCTOBER 2011TWO NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC CONCERTS IN NEW HALL IN MONTREAL
This week, Alan Gilbert will lead the New York Philharmonic in two concerts at La Maison Symphonique de Montréal, the newly opened home of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. The concert on Friday, November 4 features the Overture and Venusberg music from Wagner's Tannhäuser, and Mahler's Symphony No. 5. A matinee concert on Saturday, November 5 features Schubert's Overture to Rosamunde, Mozart's Concerto for Flute and Harp (with two New York Philharmonic principals: Robert Langevin, flute, and Nancy Allen, harp) and Brahms's Symphony No. 3. For ticket information visit osm.ca.
25 OCTOBER 2011HAYDN, BEETHOVEN AND DUTILLEUX IN S.F.
Alan Gilbert leads three performances with the San Francisco Symphony October 27 – 29. Says Gilbert, "The San Francisco Symphony is one of the orchestras I've enjoyed guest conducting the most. I've always had a good time there and it's an excellent orchestra. I particularly remember doing Mozart's Jupiter Symphony with them a few years ago, so I'm excited to be doing Haydn and Beethoven with them, as well as one of the masterpieces of the 20th century by one of our greatest living composers, Henri Dutilleux. We'll be doing his violin concerto."
19 OCTOBER 2011NEW BLOG POST: RUMINATIONS AND REFLECTIONS, LYONNAIS
In his latest blog post for Musical America, Alan Gilbert takes a break between his performances with the Munich Philharmonic to reflect on various subjects, including the ways that managing a restaurant is similar to running an orchestra. He also apologizes for the long gaps in between his posts! Read the latest here.
11 OCTOBER 2011DEBUT WITH MUNICH PHILHARMONIC
After an extraordinarily busy start to his new season with the New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert hits the road this month for a series of guest conducting engagements with major orchestra in the U.S. and Europe. His first stop will be in Germany where he will make his debut with the Munich Philharmonic (Oct 16, 18, 19) in a program that will include his first performance of Janacek's thrilling Sinfonietta.
3 OCTOBER 2011FOR ALAN GILBERT, IT'S TIME TO TAKE A BOW
A violin bow, that is, when Alan Gilbert joins New York Philharmonic artist-in-residence Frank Peter Zimmermann as one one of the two soloists in Bach's Concerto for Two Violins, Strings and Continuo in D Minor, BWV 1043. The three concerts, Oct 5 – 7, feature a program that includes Zimmermann playing Berg's searing Violin Concerto, "To the memory of an angel," and Gilbert conducting Brahms's elusive yet richly expressive Symphony No. 3 – dubbed "Brahms's 'Eroica'" by conducting legend Hans Richter.
28 SEPTEMBER 2011WORLD PREMIERE OF JOHN CORIGLIANO'S ONE SWEET MORNING
The first world premiere given by Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic this season will be John Corigliano's One Sweet Morning, a 30-minute song cycle for mezzo-soprano and orchestra, composed for Stephanie Blythe, the soloist for the concerts (Sep 30, Oct 1 and 4). Co-commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the work is a perspective on the years following September 11, 2001, featuring meditations on war and peace by Czeslaw Milosz, Homer (from the Iliad), the eighth-century Chinese poet Li Po, and from E. Y. "Yip" Harburg's poem "One Sweet Morning" (program/ticket details here). An additional matinee concert on Sat, Oct 1 will feature Gilbert conducting Dvorak's Symphony No. 7, preceded by a performance of Schubert's "Trout" Quintet with Michelle Kim (violin), Rebecca Young (viola), Carter Brey (cello), Satoshi Okamoto (bass) and Anne-Marie McDermott (piano).
19 SEPTEMBER 2011OPENING NIGHT GALA AND MAHLER'S "RESURRECTION"
Alan Gilbert begins his third season as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic with a gala concert on September 21 featuring guest soprano Deborah Voigt. Gilbert conducts Barber's School for Scandal Overture and Wagner's Overture to Tannhäuser, and Voigt joins him and the orchestra for Barber's Andromache's Farewell, Wagner's "Dich, teure Halle" from Tannhäuser, and the Final Scene from Richard Strauss's Salome. Info about the concert's open rehearsal that morning, and tickets for the opening night gala, is available here. The next night, Gilbert and the orchestra give the first of three performances of Mahler's Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection" (additional performances 9/24 and 9/27).
14 SEPTEMBER 2011WATCH ENTIRE "CONCERT FOR NEW YORK" ONLINE
The text for Alan Gilbert's spoken introduction at the New York Philharmonic's "Concert for New York" is now available on his "Curiously Random" blog for Musical America. You can also watch the entire, unedited "Concert for New York" at the Great Performances website.
12 SEPTEMBER 2011ALAN GILBERT, ANDREA BOCELLI AND CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER
Before the official start of the New York Philharmonic's 2011-12 season on September 21, Alan Gilbert will lead the orchestra in two special concerts. The first is a free concert in Central Park with superstar Andrea Bocelli on Thursday, September 15 (details here). Then, on Saturday, September 17, Gilbert and the orchestra are back at Avery Fisher Hall, where they will perform Sir William Walton's magnificent score for the Laurence Olivier film of Henry V, which will feature legendary actor Christopher Plummer narrating (details here).
22 AUGUST 2011ALAN GILBERT CONDUCTS CONCERT FOR NEW YORK ON SEPTEMBER 10
On Saturday, September 10, Alan Gilbert will conduct the New York Philharmonic in a special performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 2, Resurrection, a concert of "Remembrance and Renewal" commemorating the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11. The concert will take place at Avery Fisher Hall at 7:30PM, broadcast live on 105.9 Classical WQXR, telecast on PBS's Great Performances at 9:00 PM on September 11 (check local listings), and broadcast on WYNC 93.9 FM at 8:00PM on September 11. Tickets are first-come, first-serve, and will be distributed (one pair per person) beginning at 4:00 pm on the Josie Robertson Plaza at Lincoln Center on September 10, the day of the concert. There will be additional seating on the Plaza for the live projection of the concert. Additional information is available at the New York Philharmonic website.
14 JULY 2011FIRST JAPAN, THEN ON TO VAIL
Alan Gilbert heads to Japan for his debut performances with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra (July 17, 18). Soon after, he returns to the US to conduct three performances with the New York Philharmonic at the orchestra’s summer home at the Vail Valley Music Festival in Colorado (Jul 22-24).
28 JUNE 2011POST-VIXEN "AFTERTHOUGHTS" FROM ALAN GILBERT
On his "Curiously Random" blog for Musical America, Alan Gilbert takes a look back at the recent success of the New York Philharmonic's production of Janacek's "The Cunning Little Vixen," and other highlights of the 2010-11 Season – his second as Music Director of the orchestra.
20 JUNE 2011"CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN" OPENS JUNE 22
Alan Gilbert brings his second season as the Music Director of the New York Philharmonic to a thrilling conclusion this week when he conducts Czech composer Leos Janáček's The Cunning Little Vixen at Avery Fisher Hall (June 22 – 25). The fully staged production reunites Gilbert and the orchestra with designer/director Doug Fitch, with whom they collaborated on last season's sold-out, critically acclaimed production of György Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre – described by the New York Times as "an instant Philharmonic milestone." Learn more about the New York Philharmonic's season finale at its website.
13 JUNE 2011WHAT HAVE ALAN GILBERT AND THE NY PHIL BEEN DOING LATELY?
Well, you can find out directly from the Music Director himself in his latest blog post for Musical America. Among the topics he covers: the recent New York Philharmonic tour of Europe, and the upcoming production of Janáček's opera, "The Cunning Little Vixen," which opens on June 22.
10 JUNE 2011ALAN GILBERT AND NY PHIL TO RECORD NIELSEN SYMPHONIES AND CONCERTOS
Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic will, over the next several seasons, perform and record Carl Nielsen's six symphonies and three instrumental concertos. The details of the recordings, to be released on the Dacapo label from 2012 through 2015, were announced today at an event attended by Her Majesty the Queen of Denmark. With this project, Alan Gilbert joins Leonard Bernstein as the only Philharmonic music directors to record Nielsen's music with the orchestra.
6 JUNE 2011"VIXEN" CREATIVE TEAM LIVE FROM WQXR ON JUNE 12
On Sunday June 12 at 4:30 PM, Alan Gilbert will appear live at The Greene Space with the creative team responsible for the New York Philharmonic's upcoming production of Janacek's "Cunning Little Vixen" (Jun 22 – 25). The special "Vixen on Varick" preview will be hosted by WQXR's Jeff Spurgeon and will feature Gilbert along with designer/director Doug Fitch and choreographer Karole Armitage, as well as performances by Alan Opie (The Forester) and Marie Lenormand (The Fox) among others. For ticket and webcast/broadcast information, visit wqxr.org. A special video preview of the production is available here on YouTube.
31 MAY 2011ALAN GILBERT TO CONDUCT WORLD PREMIERE
Alan Gilbert will lead the New York Philharmonic in the World Premiere of Sebastian Currier's Time Machines on Thursday, June 2, featuring violin soloist and Philharmonic Artist-in-Residence Anne-Sophie Mutter. The program, which also features Beethoven's Romance No. 2 for Violin and Orchestra and Bruckner's Symphony No. 2, will be repeated on June 3rd and 4th. For more information, visit the New York Philharmonic website.
26 MAY 2011FREE MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT
Following their highly successful European tour, Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic return to New York City to perform a free concert on Memorial Day (Monday, May 30) at 8PM at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. The program features Barber's hauntingly beautiful Adagio for Strings and Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, Eroica. For more information, visit the New York Philharmonic website.
23 MAY 2011NY PHIL CONCERT FROM LEIPZIG STREAMS LIVE ONLINE MONDAY, MAY 23
Alan Gilbert and New York Philharmonic finish their EUROPE/SPRING 2011 tour with concerts in Leipzig (May 23) and Prague (May 24). The Leipzig concert, featuring an all-Mahler program – Symphony No. 5 and "Kindertotenlieder" with baritone Thomas Hampson – will be webcast online live at 2pm EDT on the 23rd and can be viewed at the New York Philharmonic website.
9 MAY 2011ALAN GILBERT AND NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC HEAD TO EUROPE
Alan Gilbert leads the New York Philharmonic on its EUROPE / SPRING 2011 tour, May 12 - 24, 2011. This tour — the fourth with Gilbert as Music Director — will take the Philharmonic to the music capitals of Central Europe, with eleven concerts in nine cities: Basel, Baden-Baden, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig and Prague. Although Gilbert has a long history of conducting concerts across Europe — his most recent performances there were with the Berlin Philharmonic in early April — and has taken the New York Philharmonic on two previous European tours, this excursion marks his first appearances in all nine cities as Music Director of the orchestra.
2 MAY 2011ALAN GILBERT CONDUCTS BEETHOVEN AND MORE THIS WEEK
Beethoven comes in "threes" this week with the New York Philharmonic, with Alan Gilbert conducting the Third Symphony, "Eroica," in an open rehearsal on Tuesday, May 3, and in evening concerts on Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7. Also on the program at Avery Fisher Hall, Lisa Batiashvili is the soloist for Bartók's Violin Concerto No. 2. In between these performances, Gilbert and the orchestra will head to Carnegie Hall on Thursday, May 5 for a concert celebrating the storied venue's 120th Anniversary. Beethoven's "Triple" Concerto, with soloists Yo-Yo Ma, Gil Shaham and Emanuel Ax, is on a festive program that also includes Dvorák's Carnival Overture, and arrangements by Larry Hochman of songs by Duke Ellington, sung by the remarkable soprano Audra McDonald.
29 APRIL 2011ALAN GILBERT CONGRATULATES EMANUEL (MANNY) AX
"I was very moved at the ceremony giving Manny honorary membership in the Philharmonic Symphony Society last night after his 100th performance with the orchestra, because he was so genuinely moved himself and he seemed so truly honored to be inducted into this incredible group of musicians and people who have been important for music. We kept the surprise really well, so he had no idea beforehand. It was such a wonderful New York moment: you could feel how much the crowd was with him, and loved him, and admired him. The audience and the musicians of the orchestra showed such great affection for him. It was a very special moment, and I can't honestly think of anyone who is more deserving." Ax became the 66th Honorary Member, joining the likes of such historic luminaries as Felix Mendelssohn, Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner in the 19th century, and Igor Stravinsky, Leonard Bernstein and Isaac Stern in the 20th. The honor, first introduced in 1843, is the highest given by the New York Philharmonic.
25 APRIL 2011ALAN GILBERT CONDUCTS MESSIAEN AND MAHLER
Mahler's mighty Fifth Symphony is the centerpiece of Alan Gilbert's next programs with the New York Philharmonic. On Wed, Apr 27, Mahler 5 is the solo work on a Rush Hour program beginning at 6:45PM. For the three concerts that follow (Apr 28 – 30), Gilbert adds Messiaen's exuberant Couleurs de la cité céleste to the program, with Emanuel Ax performing the work's hugely demanding part for piano. Ax will also perform selections from Debussy's evocative Estampes for solo piano.
13 APRIL 2011ALAN GILBERT'S BERLIN PHILHARMONIC CONCERT AVAILABLE ONLINE
One of Alan Gilbert's recent concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic is now available for viewing online in the orchestra's Digital Concert Hall. The concert includes a performance of Stravinsky's complete Firebird ballet that prompted one critic to write, "Seldom has the score been heard with such substance, seriousness and class."
11 APRIL 2011ALAN GILBERT CONDUCTS JUILLIARD ORCHESTRA IN MAHLER 9
This Friday, April 15 at 8PM, Alan Gilbert conducts the Juilliard Orchestra in Mahler's Symphony No 9 at Avery Fisher Hall. Tickets are available at the Avery Fisher Hall Box Office, from CenterCharge at (212) 721-6500, or online.
7 APRIL 2011ALAN GILBERT'S LEINSDORF LECTURE NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
On Monday, April 4, 2011, Alan Gilbert became the first New York Philharmonic Music Director to give the annual Erich Leinsdorf Lecture. His remarks, titled "Performance and Interpretation," were webcast live. An excerpt from the lecture is available at his blog for Musical America. The complete lecture can be watched in full on the New York Philharmonic's website.
6 APRIL 2011ALAN GILBERT HONORED AT LOTOS CLUB
Alan Gilbert was honored last night at the Lotos Club, once described by Mark Twain as the "Ace of Clubs." He was thrilled to join Elie Wiesel and Dave Brubeck, both at the event yesterday, as a member of this renowned club, which has celebrated arts and letters since 1870.
4 APRIL 2011ALAN GILBERT TRIUMPHS IN BERLIN
Alan Gilbert and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra received an enthusiastic ovation and rave reviews for their weekend performances at Berlin's Philharmonie. The Berliner Morgenpost called Gilbert and Emanuel Ax a "dream team" in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 22, noting, "Rarely are a conductor and soloist so elegant together... under Gilbert's inspiring direction [this was] a Mozart interpretation full of vibrancy, elegance and sensitive power." The reviewer concluded, "After the final chord [of Stravinsky's Firebird], the hall seemed to almost burst with admiration." A reviewer for Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg observed, "Under Alan Gilbert's leadership, the [Firebird] was substantial and full of tension from the very first note. He did not exaggerate but demonstrated that all effects have their meaning in this piece...A 'Firebird' which did not flutter chaotically but floated gracefully."
29 MARCH 2011APRIL 2011 HIGHLIGHTS
Alan Gilbert Performs with Berlin Philharmonic, Juilliard Orchestra, and New York Philharmonic, and Gives Annual Erich Leinsdorf Lecture in April. Read the complete details in the news release.
24 MARCH 2011TAKEMITSU RECORDING BENEFITS JAPAN RELIEF EFFORTS
On March 17, 2011, Music Director Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic performed Takemitsu's Requiem for String Orchestra, as an expression of support and admiration for the Japanese people. A recording of that performance is now available for download through InstantEncore and other online music stores, with proceeds going to benefit relief efforts for Japan. Click here to purchase the recording and view a video of the performance.
19 MARCH 2011TAKEMITSU'S REQUIEM
Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic performed Takemitsu's Requiem for String Orchestra on Thursday, March 17 before the regularly scheduled concert conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. You can now view this Takemitsu performance, dedicated to the people of Japan, at the New York Philharmonic's website.
17 MARCH 2011A MESSAGE TO THE PEOPLE OF JAPAN
Tonight, before Esa-Pekka Salonen conducted his scheduled program with the New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert dedicated the next three New York Philharmonic concerts to the people of Japan and then conducted a performance of Takemitsu's Requiem for String Orchestra. Earlier today, Gilbert, who has deep family and professional ties to Japan, recorded a video message to the people of that tragedy-stricken nation. He was joined by New York Philharmonic violinist Fiona Simon.
22 FEBRUARY 2011NEW BLOG POST FROM ROME
Michelangelo and Hans Werner Henze make vivid guest appearances in Alan Gilbert's latest blog entry, "Roman Holiday". Read the post at his Musical America blog.
13 FEBRUARY 2011NEW GILBERT/NY PHILHARMONIC RECORDING AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 15
Mendelssohn's Elijah, with baritone Gerald Finley in the title role, will be the fifth release in the 2010-11 Season iTunes Pass from the New York Philharmonic. Recorded in November and available on February 15 , Mendelssohn's biblical oratorio is one of twelve recordings from Alan Gilbert and the Orchestra that will be available for download from iTunes this season, both individually and as part of the season pass.
8 FEBRUARY 2011ALAN GILBERT CONDUCTS BENEFIT CONCERT FEB 9
On Wednesday, February 9 at 7:30pm, Alan Gilbert will conduct the young musicians of the JCC Thurnauer School of Music in its 20th annual Gift of Music Gala. The concert takes place at the Bergen Performing Arts Center; ticket and program information available here.
3 FEBRUARY 20112011/2012 SEASON ANNOUNCED
The New York Philharmonic has announced the details for Alan Gilbert's third season as music director of the orchestra. View the 2011/12 season schedule at the Philharmonic website.
1 FEBRUARY 2011ALAN GILBERT GOES BACK TO SCHOOL
Well, actually the schools are coming to hear Alan and the New York Philharmonic this week at Avery Fisher Hall. Specifically, 10,000 New York area students from grades 3 through 12 will attend three days of School Day Concerts (February 2 – 4), with Alan conducting all six concerts featuring a program entitled "Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony: Man and Nature". Attendees will also hear new works by various young composers including some by participants in the NY Philharmonic's Very Young Composers program (ages 10 – 12!).
24 JANUARY 2011EBULLIENT SYMPHONIES AND A FIERY SOPRANO
Alan Gilbert's next program with the New York Philharmonic features two ebullient symphonies — Beethoven's 8th and Nielsen's 2nd – as well as fiery soprano Karita Mattila singing Beethoven's "Ah, Perfido!" and orchestral songs by Sibelius (Jan 27 – 29, Feb 1).
13 JANUARY 2011ALAN GILBERT NAMED HEAD OF JUILLIARD'S CONDUCTING PROGRAM
The Juilliard School announced today that Alan Gilbert has been named the new director of conducting and orchestral studies at the Juilliard School. Gilbert is an alumnus of the school, and is already the first holder of Juilliard's William Schuman Chair in Musical Studies. A feature story in the New York Times provides details about the new appointment.
10 JANUARY 2011ROAD TRIP TO PHILLY
Alan Gilbert takes time away from his busy schedule in New York for performances later this month with The Philadelphia Orchestra. The three concerts (Jan 20 – 22) feature a program of works by Lindberg (EXPO), Rouse (Oboe Concerto) and Beethoven (Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral"). Gilbert's last performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra were in February 2008.
3 JANUARY 2011GILBERT GIVES NEW YORK PREMIERE OF ADÈS'S WORK THIS WEEK WITH NY PHILHARMONIC
Alan Gilbert's winter concerts with the New York Philharmonic continue with a program featuring the New York premiere of Thomas Adès's In Seven Days, described as a concerto for piano with moving images (Jan 6 – 8). The work is a collaboration between Adès — who is also the piano soloist — with his partner, Israeli video artist Tal Rosner. Rounding out the program is Mahler's Kindertotenlieder, with baritone Thomas Hampson, and Mozart's Symphony No. 40.
22 DECEMBER 2010CRITICS CONTINUE TO LAUD GILBERT/NY PHILHARMONIC PARTNERSHIP IN END-OF-YEAR APPRAISALS
Two New York Times critics picked Alan Gilbert's work with the New York Philharmonic in their summaries of the classical music highlights of 2010. Vivien Schweitzer praised their "vividly realized" production of Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre, and a Carnegie Hall concert that featured Gilbert/NY Phil team performing music by Wagner, Sibelius and Lindberg. Meanwhile, Steve Smith lauded the "Philharmonic Renewed Under a Bold Conductor." Smith noted, "with the arrival of Alan Gilbert as the music director of the New York Philharmonic in 2009 came the promise of youthful vigor and bold initiatives. But who could have anticipated that by the midpoint of Mr. Gilbert's second season the Philharmonic would be a potent, even groundbreaking force for contemporary music?". Read more in News.
20 DECEMBER 2010FINAL WEEK OF 2010: AARON JAY KERNIS WORLD PREMIERE
In the final week of 2010, Alan Gilbert leads the Philharmonic in a program that includes a world premiere and some beloved favorites of the classical repertoire. The concerts feature a world premiere of a Voice, a Messenger by American composer Aaron Jay Kernis and Ravel's hypnotic masterpiece Bolero. Also on the program are Vivaldi's Concerto for Four Violins. Hindemith's Horn Concerto and Christopher Rouse's Oboe Concerto, all featuring members of the orchestra as soloists. Details at the NY Phil website.
13 DECEMBER 2010ALAN GILBERT LEADS RETURN OF CONTACT!
This coming weekend, Alan Gilbert conducts the next installment of the Philharmonic's acclaimed new-music series, CONTACT!, in performances at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Dec 17) and Symphony Space (Dec 18). The CONTACT! concerts feature the world premieres of James Matheson's True South and Jay Alan Yim's neverthesamerivertwice, both New York Philharmonic commissions. Rounding out the program is the U.S. premiere of Julian Anderson's Comedy of Change. Details at the NY Phil website.
6 DECEMBER 2010NEW YORK MAGAZINE NAMES LE GRAND MACABRE NUMBER ONE CLASSICAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE OF 2010
In its annual list of the Top 10 classical music events of the year, New York magazine has selected the New York Philharmonic's performances of György Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre for the top spot in 2010. Critic Justin Davidson writes "Music director Alan Gilbert has been carefully sending up flares to guide a once-stodgy orchestra toward more audacity, and Doug Fitch's exuberantly ghoulish production of György Ligeti's apocalyptic opera from 1978 delivered an avant-garde triumph that took even the Philharmonic by surprise." See the entire list here.
6 DECEMBER 2010ALAN GILBERT CONDUCTS MAHLER 6 IN GERMANY
Returning to a work he performed earlier this season with the New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert conducts Mahler's Symphony No. 6 with Hamburg's NDR-Symphony Orchestra (NDRSO). The three performances take place in Hamburg (Dec 9 and 12) and Lübeck (Dec 10). Gilbert has been principal guest conductor of the NDRSO since 2004. Details at the NDRSO website.
30 NOVEMBER 2010NEW BLOG POSTING ABOUT THE "PARIS PELLEAS PROJECT"
Read Alan's new post about the "Paris Pelleas Project" at his Musical America blog.
29 NOVEMBER 2010WATCH ALAN GILBERT CONDUCT SCHOENBERG AND ZEMLINSKY IN PARIS
Watch Alan Gilbert conduct the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France in Schoenberg's Pelleas und Melisande, featuring visual enhancements by designer/director Doug Fitch, at Arte Live Web. The concert was filmed on November 27 in Paris's Salle Pleyel, and begins with Yvonne Naef singing orchestral songs by Zemlinsky featuring poems by Maurice Maeterlinck — the author of the Symbolist play that inspired this Schoenberg work, and works by other composers.
24 NOVEMBER 2010PERFORMING "PELLEAS" WITH VISUALS IN PARIS
After last season's triumphant production of Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre at the New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert teams up again with designer/director Doug Fitch for a visually-enhanced performance of Arnold Schönberg's "Pelleas und Melisande" with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France on Nov 27: http://bit.ly/eClbuI
17 NOVEMBER 2010GILBERT PRAISES NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC MUSICIANS
In his latest blog entry for MusicalAmerica.com, Alan Gilbert praises the Orchestra for its "uniquely awesome capability" to perform a mammoth amount of music magnificently over the last few weeks during the EUROPE / AUTUMN 2010 tour and the first week back in New York, with back-to-back concerts at Avery Fisher Hall and Carnegie Hall. Click here to read Alan Gilbert's blog.
15 NOVEMBER 2010ALAN GILBERT LAUNCHES SECOND SEASON OF CONTACT!
This week, Alan Gilbert conducts two concerts in the Philharmonic's new-music series, CONTACT!, at Peter Norton Symphony Space (Nov 19) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Nov 20). The CONTACT! concerts feature the world premiere of Magnus Lindberg's Souvenir (in memoriam Gérard Grisey), which was commissioned by the orchestra and is a tribute to Lindberg's late teacher, and Gérard Grisey's own Quatre chants pour franchir le seuil.
7 NOVEMBER 2010NEXT UP IN NYC: MENDELSSOHN'S "ELIJAH"
After nine-city European tour with New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert's first concerts with the orchestra back in NYC will feature Mendelssohn's "Elijah." Alan calls this biblical oratorio, "a great piece — a very dramatic and vivid telling of the story." Three performances November 10, 11 and 13.
22 OCTOBER 2010ALAN GILBERT HEADING TO EUROPE WITH NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC
On Sunday, October 24 Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic begin a nine-concert, seven-city tour of Europe. The "Europe / Autumn 2010" performances include concerts in Belgrade, Republic of Serbia (10/24), Ljubljana, Republic of Slovenia (10/26), Warsaw, Poland (10/28 and 10/29), Vilnius, Republic of Lithuania (10/30), Hamburg, Germany (11/1), Paris, France (11/2) and Luxembourg, Luxembourg (11/3 and 11/4).
13 OCTOBER 2010ALAN GILBERT, CURRENTLY
Currently reading: "Actually, I'm re-reading Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. It's packed with knowledge, but it's a compelling read because it brings the human side of science to the fore."

Currently cooking: "Enjoying the leftovers of a delicious bœuf bourguignon , which my wife Kajsa and I made for our guests earlier this week."

Currently studying: "Mendelssohn's Elijah. It's a great piece – a very dramatic and a vivid telling of the story."

Currently worrying about: "Packing for a tour — it never seems to get easier."

Currently excited about: "Going to the grand opening tonight of Tom Colicchio's new restaurant, Riverpark."
12 OCTOBER 2010ALAN GILBERT CONDUCTS BRAHMS
The music of Johannes Brahms figures prominently on Alan Gilbert's programs with the New York Philharmonic this month. The composer's Fourth Symphony — described by Gilbert as "emotionally potent and intense" — will be performed in New York from Oct 14 – 16 on a program that also features Pinchas Zukerman playing Brahms's Violin Concerto; on an all-Brahms program, also in New York, on October 19; and in some cities on the orchestra's upcoming tour of Europe (Oct 24 – Nov 4).
8 OCTOBER 2010ALAN GILBERT LAUNCHES BLOG ON MUSICAL AMERICA
Alan Gilbert is now blogging for Musical America. His new blog, "Curiously Radom," offers an up-close, behind-the-scenes view of life as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. You can find the first two installments, and future posts — which are slated to appear on Tuesdays every two or three weeks — at this link.
5 OCTOBER 2010ALAN GILBERT LEADS NEW YORK PREMIERE OF KRAFT
Alan Gilbert returns to the music of Magnus Lindberg this week when he conducts the New York Philharmonic in the New York premiere of the Finnish composer's Kraft (1983-85), a theatrical tour-de-force employing a large orchestra, unusual instruments (including, for this performance, scrap metal from a Staten Island junkyard), electronics, soloists (including the New York Philharmonic debut of Lindberg at the piano) and groups of instruments placed around the hall. The landmark work — which Lindberg calls "my breakthrough piece and my biggest and most complex work" — will be performed on three programs October 7, 8 and 12, along with Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun and Sibelius's Violin Concerto, with Joshua Bell as soloist.
29 SEPTEMBER 2010ALAN GILBERT CONDUCTS MAHLER'S SIXTH SYMPHONY
Alan Gilbert returns to the symphonies of Gustav Mahler this week when he conducts the New York Philharmonic in three concerts at Avery Fisher Hall beginning this evening (additional performances Sep. 30 and Oct. 1). On the program will be a single, powerful work: Mahler's Sixth Symphony, often referred to as the composer's "Tragic" Symphony. Later this fall, Gilbert will conduct the same work in Germany with Hamburg's NDR Symphony Orchestra (Dec 9 - 12).
21 SEPTEMBER 2010ALAN GILBERT OPENS NEW SEASON AT NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC
Alan Gilbert opens his second season as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic with a concert and gala on Wednesday, September 22, 2010. Headlining the concert is the U.S. premiere of Wynton Marsalis's Swing Symphony (Symphony No. 3), featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with its music director, Marsalis himself, on trumpet. The performance, to be broadcast on Live From Lincoln Center on PBS and on Classical 105.9 WQXR, launches a remarkable new season in which Gilbert conducts an extraordinarily wide range of repertoire.
30 JULY 2010ALAN GILBERT ON BIG THINK
Alan Gilbert is on holiday for most of August (his next performances are with Hamburg's NDR Symphony Orchestra on tour in northern Germany and Denmark August 28 – September 1), but you can hear him talk about a number of interesting subjects today as he joins the impressive roster of experts who have contributed to the website BIG THINK. You can listen to the interview in its entirety (it's just over a half-hour long) or in short, topical segments – such as the anatomy of a performance – at bigthink.com/alangilbert
6 JULY 2010ALAN GILBERT TO CONDUCT ALL-VARÈSE CONCERT AT LINCOLN CENTER FESTIVAL
Before heading off for their annual summer residency in Vail, Colorado, the New York Philharmonic will perform an all-Varèse concert at Avery Fisher Hall on Tuesday, July 20, as part of the Lincoln Center Festival. Alan Gilbert will conduct the program, which is Part II of a two-day presentation of the complete works of the French-born composer, Edgard Varèse, whose experiments with new instruments, complex rhythms and electronic sounds made him one of the 20th century's greatest musical pioneers. Additional information about Varèse: (R)evolution can be found at the Lincoln Center website.
21 JUNE 2010ALAN GILBERT'S FINAL CONCERTS OF INAUGURAL SEASON
For the final concerts of his inaugural season as music director of the New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert leads the orchestra, the New York Choral Artists and a quartet of vocal soloists in Beethoven's monumental Missa Solemnis. Also on the program is the world premiere of Al largo, a new work by Magnus Lindberg — the orchestra's Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence — commissioned by the New York Philharmonic (June 23, 24, and 26 at Avery Fisher Hall; June 25 at Newark's NJPAC). Gilbert and others discuss Beethoven's epic choral masterpiece in this New York Times feature.
1 JUNE 2010ALAN GILBERT'S JUNE CONCERTS WITH THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC
Following a trio of triumphant sold-out performances of Ligeti's opera, Le Grand Macabre, Alan Gilbert turns to the final concerts of his inaugural season as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. The first of his three June programs (June 10 – 12 and 15) pairs music by two Finns – Sibelius and Lindberg – along with Brahms's ebullient Symphony No. 2. Lisa Batiashvili will be the soloist in Sibelius's Violin Concerto, and Gilbert will also conduct Lindberg's 1995 work Arena, described by Gilbert as "an amazing tour-de-force for the orchestra."
25 MAY 2010A LANDMARK OCCASION: ALAN GILBERT CONDUCTS THE NEW YORK PREMIERE OF LIGETI'S LE GRAND MACABRE
From the beginning of his first season as music director of the New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert – and many industry observers – has seen his performances with the orchestra of György Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre as a milestone in his collaboration with the Philharmonic. Now, the time for that landmark occasion has come, with a fully-staged production of this strange and strangely moving surrealist opera opening this Thursday (three performances May 27 – 29, with an open rehearsal on May 26). The Philharmonic's production will feature designs and direction by Doug Fitch, who has collaborated with Gilbert in the past at the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Santa Fe Opera and Los Angeles Opera. You can learn more about the production at the Philharmonic's website, and at two recent features in the New York Times available here, and here.
13 MAY 2010ALAN GILBERT TO CONDUCT SCHOOL DAY CONCERTS
In his continuing commitment to education and to encouraging young people to experience music, Alan Gilbert will conduct the New York Philharmonic's six School Day Concerts May 19-21. Gilbert becomes the first Philharmonic Music Director to lead these concerts — exclusively for school children in grades 3 through 12 — in almost 20 years.
5 MAY 2010 ALAN GILBERT FEATURED IN VANITY FAIR
Alan Gilbert is featured in the June 2010 issue of VANITY FAIR, which hits the stands today. Writer Damian Fowler provides a concise, thoughtful review of Alan's first season as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, and Jonas Karlsson provides a beautiful portrait of Alan at home in Stockholm, Sweden.
28 APRIL 2010 NOW AVAILABLE: A VIDEO PREVIEW OF LE GRAND MACABRE
Director Douglas Fitch and Producer Edouard Getaz discuss the New York Philharmonic's fully-staged production of Gyorgy Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre, which Alan Gilbert will conduct in its New York premiere May 27 – 29. The video also provides a glimpse into the fantastical world of Douglas Fitch's studio, where preparations for the "live animation" production are being prepared. View the video on YouTube.
26 APRIL 2010 ALAN GILBERT PREPARES FOR LIGETI'S LE GRAND MACABRE
The New York Philharmonic's performances of Ligeti's surrealist opera, Le Grand Macabre, will be a milestone for a number of reasons. A major highlight of Alan Gilbert's first season as the orchestra's music director, the performances May 27 – 29 (with an open rehearsal on May 26) will mark the first time Ligeti's landmark opera will be performed in New York City. The Philharmonic's production will feature designs and direction by Douglas Fitch, who has collaborated with Gilbert in the past at the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Santa Fe Opera and Los Angeles Opera. Gilbert discusses this remarkable work in the May issue of Opera News. "There is something disturbing about the humor," Gilbert tells writer William R. Bruan. "There's a bit of violence in a lot of comedy — slapstick, like watching the Three Stooges hit each other, or Buster Keaton. Is it funny, or is it horrible? I think that's a tradition." The complete article is available here.
19 APRIL 2010 CONTACT! CONCERT GETS INTERNET RADIO WEBCASTS THIS WEEK
The New York Times reported today, "The New York Philharmonic's sold-out concert in its new-music series 'Contact!' at Symphony Space on Friday evening had an air of excitement and a refreshing informality." Reviewer Vivien Schweitzer had good things to say about each of the the three works that received their world premieres: Sean Shepherd's These Particular Circumstances, Nico Muhly's Detailed Instructions and Matthias Pintscher's songs from Solomon's garden, the last of these Philharmonic-commissioned works with the orchestra's artist-in-residence, Thomas Hampson. If you missed the concert, or were there and want to hear it again, you can listen to it on-line at WQXR's Q2 channel on Thursday, April 22 at 7 p.m. or Saturday, April 24 at 4 p.m
5 APRIL 2010 ALAN GILBERT LEADS JUILLIARD ORCHESTRA AND CONTACT! SERIES
Alan Gilbert returns to New York City this month to conduct a concert with the Juilliard Orchestra (April 12 at Alice Tully Hall) and two concerts with the New York Philharmonic that will feature three world-premiere works – all Philharmonic commissions – by composers Sean Shepherd, Nico Muhly and Matthias Pintscher. The Philharmonic concerts at Symphony Space (April 16) and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (April 17) are part of the orchestra's inaugural season of CONTACT!, The New Music Series, and will feature guest soloist Thomas Hampson in Pintscher's songs from Solomon's garden.
15 MARCH 2010 ALAN GILBERT IN GERMANY
Alan Gilbert spends the remainder of March in Germany, where he will lead Hamburg's NDR Symphony in two programs that feature works he has performed earlier this season with the New York Philharmonic (including Webern's Im Sommerwind and Schoenberg's Pelléas et Mélisande), as well as works by Mendelssohn, Beethoven and Nielsen. Next month, he will be back in New York to lead the Juilliard Orchestra in a program of Ligeti, Beethoven, Mozart and Schoenberg (April 12).
1 MARCH 2010 RUSH HOUR CONCERT MARCH 3
Before heading to Germany this month for performances with the NDR Symphony Orchestra, Hamburg, Alan Gilbert conducts a Rush Hour concert on Wednesday, March 3 with the New York Philharmonic that will encore two Mozart works he recently conducted with the orchestra: Symphony No. 41, "Jupiter," and the Sinfonia concertante for Winds featuring Philharmonic principals Liang Wang (oboe), Mark Nuccio (clarinet), Judith LeClair (bassoon) and Philip Myers (horn).
17 February 2010 THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC'S 2010-11 SEASON IS ANNOUNCED
Yesterday, the New York Philharmonic announced its 2010-2011 season, Alan Gilbert's second season as Music Director, in a press conference held in the glass-walled lobby of Alice Tully Hall. Highlights discussed included an opening night gala performance of a new work by Wynton Marsalis, multiple programs from the Philharmonic's new Artist-in-Residence, Anne Sophie Mutter, a festival of Hungarian (and Hungarian-inspired) music conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, and a staged production of Janácek's fairy-tale opera, The Cunning Little Vixen, conducted by Gilbert and directed by Douglas Fitch. Details can be found at the Philharmonic's website.
11 February 2010 CARNEGIE CONCERT AND NEW SEASON ANNOUNCEMENT
This Saturday's New York Philharmonic concert will take place at Carnegie Hall, where Alan Gilbert will lead the orchestra in a program featuring Sibelius's Symphony No. 2, Wagner's Overture to Rienzi and the U.S. premiere of Magnus Lindberg's Clarinet Concerto. Then, on Tuesday, February 16, the New York Philharmonic will host a press conference to announce its 2010/2011 season, Alan Gilbert's second as Music Director.
1 February 2010ALAN GILBERT AND NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC ENTHUSIASTICALLY RECEIVED IN EUROPE
This week, Alan Gilbert leads the New York Philharmonic in the final two concerts of their first tour of Europe together with back-to-back performances at London's Barbican on Wednesday, February 3 and Thursday, February 4. The Philharmonic's EUROPE/WINTER 2010 tour, which spans 13 performances in nine cities, has been enthusiastically received by critics and audiences alike. Following performances in Germany, the DPA (German Newswire) described their performance of Sibelius's Second Symphony as "powerful in sound, but elegant, young and fresh." The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung added, "Not since Bernstein's times has the New York Philharmonic sounded that brilliant, virtuoso, powerful and well-balanced."
12 January 2010ALAN GILBERT AND NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC PREPARE FOR FIRST TOUR OF EUROPE TOGETHER
From January 14 - 16, Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic give their last subscription concerts at Avery Fisher Hall before heading to Europe for a tour that will feature 13 concerts in nine cities. EUROPE/WINTER 2010 is Gilbert's first tour of Europe with the New York Philharmonic, and the repertoire featured on this week's new program, including artist-in-residence Thomas Hampson singing John Adams's The Wound-Dresser, will figure prominently on the tour, which includes concerts in Spain, Switzerland, Germany, France and England.
17 December 2009ALAN GILBERT FEATURED IN TIME OUT NEW YORK'S BEST (AND WORST) OPERA AND CLASSICAL MUSIC
In its annual year-end wrap up of classical music in New York City, Time Out New York music editor Steve Smith and contributing editor Olivia Giovetti give tribute to several performances and recordings featuring Alan Gilbert. His arrival as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic was lauded as one of the year's best performances and Steve Smith proclaimed that "the Phil's new music director has created a welcome buzz with his vitality, openness to fresh ideas and earnest intent to reassert the orchestra's prime position in New York's artistic conversation." In "Best Albums" Alan Gilbert and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic's recording for BIS of music by Christopher Rouse was included in Steve Smith's top ten of 2009. Lastly, in the final report card of the great year that was in classical music, they cleverly end it with a simple proclamation: "Oh—and Alan Motherflipping Gilbert. We rest our case." The entire article can be found at the Time Out website.
13 December 2009ALAN GILBERT'S MAHLER 9 RECORDING TOPS CHICAGO TRIBUNE'S "BEST OF 2009" LIST
Veteran critic John von Rhein chose Alan Gilbert's Mahler 9 recording with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra as the top classical music recording of the year. Von Rhein writes in the Chicago Tribune that his ten picks "testify to the fact that certain segments of the industry haven't broken faith with a thing called artistic integrity," and describes his choice for number one this way: "With Gilbert at the helm, the New York Philharmonic could be in for an exciting new era. His final concerts as chief conductor of the Stockholm orchestra inspired a studio recording of Mahler's sublime valedictory that strikes a wonderful balance between desolation and acceptance, with luminous sonics to match." The full list can be seen here.
2 December 2009ALAN GILBERT'S PHILHARMONIC OPENING NAMED ONE OF "TEN MEMORABLE PERFORMANCES OF 2009"
The opening concert of Alan Gilbert's tenure as the new Music Director of the New York Philharmonic was named one of the Ten Memorable Performances of 2009 by Alex Ross in his music blog for the New Yorker. About that concert on September 16, Ross observes, "Alan Gilbert sets a smart new tone at the New York Philharmonic, accompanying Renée Fleming through the exotic landscape of Messiaen's 'Poèmes pour Mi.'" Ross's complete review of the opening weeks of Gilbert's tenure was featured in the October 19 issue of the magazine and can be read here.
1 December 2009ALAN GILBERT, THE INAUGURAL SEASON, RELEASED AS EXCLUSIVE ITUNES PASS
In celebration of Alan Gilbert's first season as Music Director, the New York Philharmonic has announced the world's first subscription series of live orchestral recordings for download, available exclusively from iTunes. Alan Gilbert, The Inaugural Season will feature more than 50 works performed and recorded live during the New York Philharmonic's 2009-10 season, delivered directly to pass subscribers' iTunes accounts throughout the season. The iTunes Pass subscription also features bonus content including Alan Gilbert's onstage commentaries, additional performances, lectures, and liner notes. More information from the New York Philharmonic is available here.
10 November 2009ALAN GILBERT'S MAHLER 9 RECORDING IS GRAMOPHONE "EDITOR'S CHOICE"
Alan Gilbert's recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 9 with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is an "Editor's Choice" selection in the November 2009 issue of Gramophone. "On a technical level," writes reviewer Peter Quantrill, "this must, I think, be the finest recording the work has received. Every note is audible – and the achievement of the orchestra (still more extraordinary than that of the engineers) is to play them and show how they all matter...It is as exhausting and purifying an experience as any 80 minutes spent in your listening room has the right to be."
28 October 2009ALAN GILBERT AND NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC RETURN TO AVERY FISHER HALL
Just back from his enormously successful Asia Horizons tour with the New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert will lead the orchestra in three weekend performances at Avery Fisher Hall. On Friday and Saturday night, (October 30 and October 31), Alan will conduct a program of Bernstein (Symphonic Dances from West Side Story), Beethoven (Egmont Overture; Piano Concerto No. 3 with Emanuel Ax, piano) and de Falla (Suite No. 2 from The Three-Cornered Hat). And on Saturday afternoon at 2pm, Alan will both conduct (the two Beethoven works on the evening programs) and perform chamber music – the second violin part in Schumann's Piano Quintet in E-flat major. For the Schumann masterpiece, Alan will be joined by Emanuel Ax (piano), Glenn Dicterow (violin), Cynthia Phelps (viola) and Carter Brey (cello).
20 October 2009ALAN GILBERT'S NEW MAHLER 9 RECORDING TO BE BROADCAST ON WQXR'S "SYMPHONY HALL"
Alan Gilbert's new recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 9 with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra will be broadcast in its entirety on Friday, October 23 at 8 PM as part of 105.9 WQXR's "Symphony Hall" series. Listeners worldwide can hear the broadcast online at the station's website, wqxr.org. The album has just received a top rating, 10/10 for Artistic/Sound Quality, from the website ClassicsToday, which calls it "a stunning recording... a prime choice among available Ninths." The complete review is available here.
28 September 2009NEXT PHILHARMONIC PROGRAM IS LAST BEFORE GILBERT AND ORCHESTRA HEAD TO ASIA
On the fourth program of Alan Gilbert's tenure as the new Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, the season-opening new work by Magnus Lindberg, EXPO, returns to open a program that brings together works by Ives and Beethoven. Along with Ives's exuberant and quintessentially American Second Symphony, Gilbert conducts the composer's "Unanswered Question," which Gilbert calls, "One of the greatest masterpieces of the 20th Century – mystical and inexplicable." Emanuel Ax, one of Gilbert's favorite collaborators, plays Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, which will begin, without pause, as the last notes of the "Unanswered Question" fade away. (Wed, Sep 30, Thu, Oct 1 and Sat, Oct 3; Avery Fisher Hall).
17 September 2009ALAN GILBERT FEATURED ON NPR'S "MORNING EDITION"
As critics begin chiming in about Alan Gilbert's debut concert as Music Director last night, NPR's "Morning Edition" looked ahead to the upcoming season with a feature today that includes excerpts of composer-in-residence Magnus Lindberg's EXPO, the new work that opened last night's program. Listen at npr.org.
9 September 2009BUZZ BUILDS AS ALAN GILBERT TAKES THE REIGNS AT THE PHILHARMONIC
As Alan Gilbert gets ready to open his tenure as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, the buzz continues to build inside and outside the media. TIME magazine has recently picked Alan's season-opening concert on September 16 as one of the Top 50 Things To See, Hear and Do this Fall, and on Sunday, September 13 he will lead members of the Philharmonic brass section in the national anthem at Yankee Stadium.
1 September 2009ALAN GILBERT'S RECORDING OF MAHLER 9 WITH THE ROYAL STOCKHOLM PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA RELEASED
For his farewell concerts as Chief Conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Alan Gilbert chose Mahler's monumental Ninth Symphony. Those performances, which received glowing reviews, have been captured on a recording released by Swedish label BIS. The disc, a Hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both standard and SACD players, is available for purchase from ArkivMusic beginning September 1 and elsewhere later this month.
25 August 2009"ALAN GILBERT'S FIRST DOWNBEAT" from NEW YORK MAGAZINE'S FALL PREVIEW '09 CULTURE PICKS
The Philharmonic's homegrown leader will launch his tenure as music director by challenging traditionalists and making nice at the same time. Yes, we'll get Berlioz's familiar Symphonie fantastique, and, yes, Renée Fleming will provide some gala glitter—but instead of performing the usual set piece, she'll sing the reverent, iridescent Poèmes Pour Mi, by the twentieth-century Frenchman Olivier Messiaen. Could be the start of something interesting. Sept. 16 at Avery Fisher Hall, and on WNET.
13 July 2009TUNE IN FOR ALAN GILBERT'S "ONE ON 1" INTERVIEW WITH BUDD MISHKIN
New Yorkers with Time Warner Cable service should tune in this evening at 8:30 PM for a ten-minute interview that will air on NY-1 (Channel 1). In a far-ranging conversation, "One on 1" host Budd Mishkin asks Alan Gilbert about his musical inspirations, his life growing up in New York City, his upcoming plans as the new Music Director of the New York Philharmonic and more. People who do not have Time Warner Cable can watch the interview online soon after it airs at the following link: http://ny1.com/content/features/one_on_1/
9 July 2009SUMMER CONCERTS WITH THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC
Alan Gilbert will give ten concerts this month with the New York Philharmonic both at home and at the orchestra's summer home in Vail, Colorado. The summer fun starts with free concerts in New York City, beginning on Tuesday, July 14 in Manhattan's Central Park with a program featuring two unstoppably energetic works: Mozart's "Jupiter" Symphony and Beethoven's Seventh Symphony (the program repeats in Prospect Park, Brooklyn on July 15). Additional concerts follow in the Bronx's Van Cortlandt Park (July 16), a second program in Manhattan's Central Park (July 17), the College of Staten Island (July 18) and Queens College (July 20). Gilbert and the orchestra head west after that for four concerts in Vail, Colorado (July 24, 25, 30 and 31). Program details available in the calendar section.
1 June 2009ENTER ALAN GILBERT
"Alan Gilbert Takes New York" is the headline for the cover story of the North American edition of Gramophone magazine's July 2009 issue, which hits the stands in Europe this week and will be published in the States next week. The four-page feature by Gramophone's editor James Inverne covers a wide range of topics. Among the highlights: Gilbert reminisces about his childhood experiences with the orchestra; he suggests that orchestras might learn from the success museums have had in engaging the public; and he looks ahead to some of the key initiatives he will undertake in his first season as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. "The challenge for orchestras," Gilbert explains to Inverne, "is to be flexible in adapting to new ways of presenting and even of conceiving what art is, while remaining true to the idea of what an orchestra is."
11 May 2009PRECISION AND DARING
New York Times critic Anthony Tommasini seemed to enjoy Alan Gilbert's performance of Mahler's First Symphony with the New York Philharmonic as much as the enthusiastic audience on opening night did. "It was a thrill," writes Tommasini, "to hear the work performed with such precision and daring by the Philharmonic under Mr. Gilbert, conducting from memory. During the blazing episodes in the finale, he drove the orchestra to frenzied outbursts, all the more terrifying for being executed with such cool command. The tremendous ovation bodes well for his coming tenure as the orchestra's music director."

Mahler fans should be happy to note that there's more Mahler in Gilbert's near future. This summer, BIS will release a new recording of Mahler's Ninth, which was recorded as Gilbert ended his eight-season tenure as Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. In September, Mahler's Third Symphony will be the program for Gilbert's first subscription week with the New York Philharmonic as its new Music Director (9/17, 18 and 22).
5 May 2009ALAN GILBERT IN NEW YORK
Soon after he conducted Martinu's Fourth Symphony with the Berlin Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert conducted the same work to equally strong acclaim with the New York Philharmonic. Critic Anthony Tommasini concluded his New York Times review with the observation that "Mr. Gilbert seemed determined to overcome any reservations among listeners to the symphony through his impassioned, committed and commanding performance."

For his next program with the New York Philharmonic (three concerts, May 7–9), Gilbert conducts works by Gustav Mahler and Peter Lieberson. Mahler's First will be the first of the composer's symphonies that he has led with the orchestra, and as a bonus he will also conduct Mahler's dreamy "Blumine" (flowers), a movement originally written for the First Symphony but ultimately removed from it. Gilbert will also lead the world premiere of Lieberson's cantata The World in Flower – a New York Philharmonic commission – with Joyce DiDonato, Russell Braun, and the New York Choral Artists. Lieberson was Gilbert's composition and theory teacher at Harvard, but this will be the first time that Gilbert has conducted his music.
23 April 2009ALAN GILBERT TRIUMPHS IN BERLIN
Berlin's Morgenpost called Alan Gilbert's return last week to the Berlin Philharmonic, "a triumph." Klaus Geitel, the dean of Germany's music critics, gave special praise to Gilbert for his revelatory performance of Martinu's Fourth Symphony, reporting that Gilbert "ripped Bohuslav Martinu from the perpetual twilight that has been so negligently inflicted upon him, and with an enlightened performance of the Fourth Symphony demonstrated the gravitas, greatness and originality of this master."

Luckily, music lovers around the world will – for the price of a ticket to a movie – be able to hear the performance on-line, where it is available in the Berlin Philharmonic's new Digital Concert Hall. A trailer is available now and the full concert – including a pre-recorded intermission segment featuring Gilbert discussing the program with BPO flutist Emmanuel Pahud – will be posted shortly.
5 February 2009ALAN GILBERT CONDUCTS MAHLER'S THIRD SYMPHONY
Over the past few weeks, Alan Gilbert has led performances of Mahler's massive and transcendent Third Symphony with both the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Hamburg's NDR Symphony Orchestra. The Stockholm performances were the first subscription concerts Gilbert led there since June 2008, when he finished his eight-season tenure as Chief Conductor and Artistic Adviser of the orchestra. Both audiences and critics alike treated Gilbert to a hero's welcome on his return. Thomas Anderberg reported for the Dagens Nyheter, "Alan Gilbert made on Thursday a grand triumphal return before a packed concert hall. And it strikes you, that his initially quite discrete period with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in the long term might look like a golden era." Anderberg continued at length:

"In most orchestras there exists shadows of the past that determines the assessment of future efforts. In the case of the New York Philharmonic, the orchestra that Gilbert is now to take over, it is mainly two. One is Gustav Mahler, whose controversial actions as an orchestra leader in New York is depicted in the recent - 1700 pages long! - final part of Henry-Louis de La Grange's Mahler biography. The other is Leonard Bernstein, who during his sojourn with the orchestra in the sixties, not least made himself famous for his Mahler interpretations. It is against these the RSPO's former Chief Conductor Alan Gilbert is to be measured. Recently he conducted in New York a program of Bernstein works, and later this spring he will lead a performance of Mahler's First Symphony. Against this background it is reassuring that Alan Gilbert has proven to be a great Mahler interpreter."

Stefan Forsberg, Executive and Artistic Director of the Stockholm Concert Hall Foundation and RSPO, commented on the occasion: "Alan's return to Stockholm as Conductor Laureate was one of the most memorable moments in the history of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. With this unforgettable performance of Mahler's Third Symphony, Alan's interpretative brilliance and artistry once again totally amazed us all."

Thankfully, New Yorkers eager to hear Gilbert's take on Mahler's Third can look forward to his plans to conduct the work in his first subscription week as the new Music Director of the New York Philharmonic (September 17, 18 and 22).
13 January 2009LEARN MORE ABOUT ALAN GILBERT'S FIRST SEASON AS MUSIC DIRECTOR OF THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC
More than 100 journalists, music industry luminaries and cultural tastemakers attended a press conference yesterday, held on the stage of Avery Fisher Hall, where the New York Philharmonic gave a multimedia presentation detailing the plans for Alan Gilbert's first season as the orchestra's new Music Director. A webcast video of the entire press conference is available for viewing on the New York Philharmonic's website, as is a special section with slide shows and additional videos. Detailed information about programs, and bios for some of the key new players who will be special partners in Gilbert's first season, can be found in the Philharmonic newsroom.

A concise summary of the press conference—including news that actor Alec Baldwin of "30 Rock" fame will be the new voice of the weekly Philharmonic radio broadcasts—can be found in Daniel J. Wakin's latest report for the New York Times.
12 January 2009ANNOUNCEMENT OF DETAILS FOR ALAN GILBERT'S FIRST SEASON WITH THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC
Today the New York Philharmonic held a press conference at Avery Fisher Hall to announce the complete details for Alan Gilbert's first season as the orchestra's music director. Gilbert and senior executives of the New York Philharmonic gave a preview of his first season in a luncheon for a select group of writers and editors in October, covering topics such as Magnus Lindberg's appointment as composer in residence, Thomas Hampson's appointment as artist in residence, and the creation of a special contemporary music ensemble from members of the orchestra. Daniel J. Wakin of The New York Times reported on the luncheon. When Gilbert begins his tenure as music director in fall 2009—the beginning of his first season under a five-year agreement with the orchestra—he will be among the youngest, as well as the only native New Yorker, to have held the post.
2 January 2009ALAN GILBERT ADDS TO THE "BEASTLY" BUZZ
Alan Gilbert is one of many cultural luminaries who are contributing regularly to the "Buzz Board" at the hot new news and opinion website, The Daily Beast. The website is the creation of Tina Brown, the former editor of the New Yorker and Vanity Fair, and Gilbert will be chiming in monthly with recommendations and opinions on a wide variety of events and happenings. Gilbert has contributed two entries to date, most recently expressing his enthusiasm for comments made by Barack Obama on NBC's Meet The Press: "Barack Obama's appearance on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, December 7 was especially heartening for anyone who works in or simply enjoys the arts. He told Tom Brokaw that he aimed to have artists, including classical musicians, come regularly to the White House to perform. He went on to ask how else young people would know what was possible in life, and what the benefit of curiosity and discovery were, if they didn't hear great performing artists doing their thing. Cool."
15 December 2008ALAN GILBERT'S MET DEBUT NAMED TOP CLASSICAL EVENT OF 2008
In its annual survey of "best of the year" achievements, New York magazine named Alan Gilbert twice in its "classical and dance" recap for 2008. The first, under the headline "The Big Entrance", finds critic Justin Davidson calling Gilbert a "conductor with strong tastes and a talent for bringing clarity to sprawling, complex scores." Then, Davidson ranks John Adams's Dr. Atomic, which Gilbert conducted in his Metropolitan Opera debut, as the number one classical music event of 2008. Davidson writes, "The Metropolitan Opera detonated John Adams's imperfect but moving work set during the vigil before the Trinity test. With periods of hectic waiting and lengths of sublime nothingness, Adams's score overwhelmed the weaknesses in Peter Sellars's quilted-together libretto. The real star was the Met orchestra, which under Alan Gilbert sounded like one great inhaling—the upbeat to the nuclear age."
9 December 2008TWO HOT RECORDINGS – INCLUDING A GRAMMY NOMINATION
In October, the BIS label issued the first of two recordings of music by Christopher Rouse (b. 1949) featuring Alan Gilbert conducting the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. The program comprises Rouse's Iscariot for chamber orchestra, the Clarinet Concerto with soloist Martin Fröst, and the powerful First Symphony. Gilbert calls Rouses's music, "deeply heartfelt and absolutely sincere," noting, "This recording is a strong representation of important music by this composer, especially his work as a symphonist. BIS does terrific work and I'm very happy with the sound quality on this release."

After hearing the new disc, Christopher Rouse sent this note to his colleagues at BIS: "I've just had a chance to listen to the new CD, and I'm very much overwhelmed. The sound is gorgeous, and Alan's interpretations are so on the mark and so full of musical understanding that I can only marvel. If there's one piece whose performance I'm especially grateful for, it's the Clarinet Concerto. Alan and the RSPO have found the music in the piece, and Mr. Fröst's performance is beyond superhuman! It's still a work of musical lunacy, but Messrs. Gilbert and Fröst have played it the way I meant it to be played. I can't thank you all enough!"

ClassicsToday has given the album its highest rating, 10/10 for Artistic Quality/Sound Quality, calling the First Symphony "wholly gripping" and giving the BIS engineers special credit for capturing "the work's volcanic climaxes with aplomb."

In December, Gilbert received a Grammy nomination for one of his first recordings – Prokofiev's Scythian Suite with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on the CSO's own label. Winners will be announced at The 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards, which will be held on Sunday February 8 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast live on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).