Maestro Lorin Maazel Leads the New York Philharmonic in an all-Tchaikovsky Program at the Kimmel Center in his Final Tour as Music Director,
September 5, 2008
"The Philharmonic plays spectacularly these days, better than ever."—Los Angeles Times
New York Philharmonic returns to the Kimmel Center with conductor Lorin Maazel to open the Great Orchestras on Tour series with an all-Tchaikovsky program on Friday, October 3, 2008 at 8pm in Verizon Hall. Maestro Maazel recently sojourned to North Korea with the orchestra in February 2008 for an historic performance, marking the first time an American cultural organization has appeared in the country, as well as the largest number of U.S. citizens to visit North Korea since the Korean War ended in 1953. The orchestra’s 2008-09 season, entitled Lorin Maazel—A Grand Finale, pays tribute to Maazel’s prolific career as a conductor, composer and musician. The program features Tchaikovsky’s Suite No. 3 in G Major, Op. 55 and Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36.
This concert is the first performance in the Great Orchestras on Tour Series scheduled for the Kimmel Center Presents 2008-09 season. The next concert in the series will be the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 8pm.
Tickets for the New York Philharmonic are $33, $59, $67, $82, $100 and $115 and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center box office open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. (Additional fees may apply.) For group sales call 215-790-5883.
A limited number of $10 tickets are available for every Kimmel Center Presents performance at the Kimmel Center. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning 2.5 hours prior to evening curtain time and 11:30am for matinees. Limit one ticket per person.
Founded in 1842, the New York Philharmonic is by far the oldest symphony orchestra in the United States, and one of the oldest in the world. On December 18, 2004, the Philharmonic gave its 14,000th concert — a milestone unmatched by any other orchestra. Since its inception, the orchestra has championed the new music of its time, giving the first performances of many important works, such as Dvorák's Symphony No. 9, "From the New World"; Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3; and Gershwin's Concerto in F. Since 1917 the Philharmonic has recorded nearly 2,000 albums; more than 500 recordings are currently available. In 2006 the Philharmonic became the first major orchestra to produce downloadable concerts on the DG Concerts label. The first recording in the series, released in April 2006, immediately reached number one on the iTunes classical charts and number 36 overall. Members of the Philharmonic also performed on the 45th Annual Grammy® Awards ceremony, televised internationally from New York's Madison Square Garden — the first time that a major symphony orchestra had performed live on the Grammy® Awards.
"[Lorin Maazel] delivered, conducting a lucidly textured, rhythmically incisive and strongly conceived account…" —New York Times
Conductor Lorin Maazel, who has led more than 150 orchestras in more than 5,000 opera and concert performances, became music director of the New York Philharmonic in September 2002. As music director, he has conducted seven World Premiere–New York Philharmonic Commissions, including the Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy® Award-winning On the Transmigration of Souls by John Adams. He has led cycles of works by Brahms and Beethoven, and in 2007 led a Philharmonic festival devoted to Tchaikovsky. Maazel has taken the orchestra on numerous international tours, including the May 2007 Tour of Europe; the November 2006 visit to Japan and Korea; and the Philharmonic Tour of Italy in June 2006. Maazel will also step down from his position as music director of the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, Spain, after the 2008-09 season.
Kimmel Center Presents’ 2008/2009 Season is sponsored by Citi. The Great Orchestra Series is supported by ARCWheeler. Additional support is provided by the University of Pennsylvania Health System, American Express, and Interpark. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. In-kind support is generously provided by Deloitte. NBC-10 is a media partner for Kimmel Center Presents.
Free in the Plaza programming and subsidized tickets offered to the community and social service groups for $10 are made possible through the Wachovia Gateway to the Arts Community Access Program, supported by a generous grant from the Wachovia Foundation.
The Kimmel Center is the recipient of partnership funding through the nationally recognized PNC "Grow Up Great" initiative, a ten-year, $100 million investment in preparing children for success in school and life. Funding gives support to the Kimmel Center’s early childhood program "Bop and Swing," an arts program for children 1-5 years old, designed to promote an appreciation for American culture.
KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS SPONSORED BY CITI
Friday, October 3, 2008 | 8pm
Verizon Hall
Great Orchestras on Tour Series
New York Philharmonic
Lorin Maazel, conductor
TCHAIKOVSKY: Suite No. 3 in G Major, Op. 55
TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36
FREE AT THE KIMMEL:
Friday, October 3, 2008 | 6:30pm
Commonwealth Plaza Stage
Aerial Photograph Quartet
Join us for a free performance by the Aerial Photograph Quartet on Commonwealth Plaza stage prior to the ticketed New York Philharmonic Orchestra performance in Verizon Hall.
Friday, October 3, 2008 | Post-Show
Verizon Hall
Nathan Laube, Organist
A free Organ Postlude with organist Nathan Laube will take place on the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ following the New York Philharmonic Orchestra performance in Verizon Hall.
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