NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC: Concerts in the Parks
/ / Cunningham Park (June 13) / Prospect Park (June 14)
Music Director Jaap van Zweden leads his orchestra out of doors and into the city鈥檚 parks to partake for his first time in the Philharmonic鈥檚 annual rite of summer. The June al fresco program features Rossini鈥檚 delirious Overture to La gazza ladra (鈥淭he Thieving Magpie鈥�); Copland鈥檚 supreme act of All-American portrait painting, the 鈥淗oe-Down鈥� theme from Rodeo; Rachmaninoff鈥檚 sumptuous Symphony No. 2; and a special treat, compositions by two very young composers in the Philharmonic鈥檚 鈥淰ery Young Composers鈥� afterschool program: Nilomi Weerakkody鈥檚 Soundscape for Orchestra and Mack Scocca-Ho鈥檚 Ociantrose.
THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA / MITSUKO UCHIDA / THE MET ORCHESTRA
Carnegie Hall / /
A scintillating monthlong mix of orchestras, soloists and vocalists commences with the Philadelphia Orchestra and its Music Director Yannick N茅zet-S茅guin in an all-Russian program; Prokofiev鈥檚 spectacularly effervescent Piano Concerto No. 3 performed by the young Italian virtuoso Beatrice Rana, plus two 鈥渓ost鈥� works, Rachmaninoff鈥檚 infamous First Symphony, which crashed and burned at its 1897 premiere, and Stravinsky鈥檚 recently discovered Funeral Song to his mentor Rimsky-Korsakov.
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra then returns for two final concerts led by its Music Director, the ubiquitous Maestro N茅zet-S茅guin. An All-French program featuring Mezzo-Soprano Isabel Leonard, to include Debussy鈥檚 La mer and two by Ravel (厂丑茅丑茅谤补锄补诲别 and Daphnis et Chlo茅 Suite No. 2), is followed by a night of Mahler (R眉ckert Lieder) and Bruckner (Symphony No. 7) with Mezzo-Soprano El墨na Garan膷a.
Finally, pianist Mitsuko Uchida, after postponing last month, performs her all-Schubert Sonata program; the lithe, early E-flat Major (as revised by Schubert and posthumously published); and the later cries of pain in A-Minor and A-Major, written in the wake of the composer鈥檚 mortal diagnosis for venereal disease.
NEW YORK CITY OPERA: Stonewall
City Opera returns with the world premiere of British composer Iain Bell鈥檚 opera Stonewall, commemorating the uprising on its 50th anniversary. Best known for his work with diva Diana Damrau, Bell collaborates here with Pulitzer Prize-winning librettist Mark Campbell.
WHITMAN IN MUSIC & WORDS
An evening of music and spoken word to complement the Morgan鈥檚 current exhibition, Walt Whitman: Bard of Democracy. Curated by composer and conductor Matthew Aucoin, the program will feature works by John Adams, Leonard Bernstein, and excerpts from Aucoin鈥檚 opera Crossing.
BEETHOVEN PIANO & VIOLIN SONATAS: Ursula Oppens
The city鈥檚 finest floating concert hall, a retrofitted former-New York harbor barge berthed in the East River at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, hosts pianist Ursula Oppens performing Beethoven Sonatas No. 5 in F Major and No. 7 in C minor, with Bargemusic鈥檚 Artistic Director, violinist Mark Peskanov.
LEONARD BERNSTEIN CENTENNIAL FINALE CONCERT
This self-styled Centennial finale, presented by The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, will feature new sinfonietta orchestrations of Bernstein鈥檚 ballet scores for Dybbuk and Fancy Free, performed by the Lost Dog New Music Ensemble, conducted by Bernstein aficionado Jayce Ogren.
VINCE GIORDANO & THE NIGHTHAWKS
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Two opportunities to hear (and dance to) the finest classic dance orchestra in jazz today. The Nighthawks bring jazz of the 20s and 30s to the Caramoor Center in Katonah, New York, for a daylong 鈥淗ot Jazz Age Frolic,鈥� with many special guests, before returning to Manhattan to open Lincoln Center鈥檚 beloved outdoor series, 鈥淢idsummer Night Swing,鈥� in and all around Damrosch Park.
