NY orchestra Europe tour begins in Turkey

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

The NY Philharmonic orchestra will be traveling to nine cities. Under the leadership of Music Director Alan Gilbert, the tour commenced in İzmir. DHA photo

The New York Philharmonic Orchestra started its European tour in İzmir on May 2 before moving north for dates in Istanbul on May 3 and 4 at the Haliç Congress Center.

The orchestra will be traveling to nine cities in 16 days. Under the leadership of Music Director Alan Gilbert, the tour commenced with the philharmonic’s debut appearance in İzmir and will take in Zurich, Munich, Essen, Dortmund, Berlin and Dresden before culminating with a concert at the centennial celebration of the Vienna Konzerthaus in Austria on May 17.

Sixth tour of theNew York Philharmonic

Europe/Spring 2013 will mark the sixth tour by the orchestra under the aegis of Credit Suisse, the global sponsor of the New York Philharmonic.

The repertoire for the tour in Europe offers a blend of Austrian classics, American masters, innovative contemporary music, and two landmarks of the Russian Romantic era. Guest soloists performing on the tour include Violinist Joshua Bell, who will perform Bernstein’s “Serenade” while cellist Jan Vogler will perform Bloch’s “Schelomo.” The philharmonic’s Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence, pianist Emanuel Ax, will perform Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 25,” while the orchestra will also perform Mozart’s “Symphony No. 36” and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 3. All three works will also be heard in Vienna as part of the philharmonic’s celebration of the Konzerthaus’s centenary, further reinforcing the American-Austrian dialogue that has long played a role in the orchestra’s history.

The work “Kraft” by composer and pianist Magnus Lindberg will be performed at the Volkswagen factory in Dresden on May 14. It is in keeping with the composer’s original intent and gives a taste of the unusual and adventurous repertoire for which the philharmonic has become renowned for under Gilbert’s direction. The concert will use repurposed locally sourced metal provided by Volkswagen specifically just for the concert.