August 30, 2012
BSO OPENS ITS 132ND SEASON ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, AT 7 P.M.,
WITH ALL-BEETHOVEN PROGRAM FEATURING VIOLINIST
AND CONDUCTOR ITZHAK PERLMAN IN HIS FIRST SYMPHONY HALL
APPEARANCE ON THE BSO PODIUM
PROGRAM FEATURES SYMPHONY NO. 7 AS WELL AS
ROMANCES NOS. 1 AND 2 FOR VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRA
GALA OPENING NIGHT CONCERT TO OPEN WITH CELEBRATORY PRE-CONCERT RECEPTION FOR ALL CONCERT ATTENDEES AND ELEGANT POST-CONCERT DINNER FOR BENEFACTORS
Legendary Israeli-born violinist Itzhak Perlman, who has appeared many times with the Boston Symphony Orchestra since his Symphony Hall and Tanglewood debuts in the mid-1960s, now makes his first Symphony Hall appearance on the BSO podium to open the BSO’s 2012–13 season with an all-Beethoven program September 22, at 7 pm. Mr. Perlman leads the orchestra as both soloist and conductor in Beethoven’s lyrical Romances Nos. 1 and 2 for violin and orchestra, then takes up the baton to conclude the program with Beethoven’s perennially popular, dance-infused Seventh Symphony.
For complete programs, ticket information, photos, and artist bios, click here: https://www.box.com/s/bdc46390a330b3d7eba0.
GALA OPENING NIGHT PRE-CONCERT RECEPTION AND POST-CONCERT DINNER
The 2012-13 Opening Night gala has been designed in collaboration by the gala chairs—Trustee Stephen R. Weiner and his wife, Roberta—Rafanelli Events and the BSO. In celebration of the opening of the BSO’s 2012-13 season, the evening begins at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception for all concert attendees, held in the various rooms of Symphony Hall, allowing patrons to explore the historic space. In conjunction with Boston Gourmet, Scampo’s Lydia Shire and Simon Restrepo have created the menu for the Opening Night Gala pre-concert reception and post-concert dinner. The reception will include passed white wine and sparkling water, as well as hors d’oeuvres such as Lydia’s Maple and Rum smoked salmon, roka shrimp, lobster popovers, and goat cheese and fresh fig tartlets with lavender honey. Following the concert, at 8:30 p.m., benefactor gala ticket holders are invited to an elegant dinner that will take place in a festively decorated tent reception space at Symphony Hall. Rafanelli Events has partnered with other local vendors including Be Our Guest, Port Lighting, and Winston Flowers to create an elegant space in the tent. Guest artist Itzhak Perlman will attend the dinner. The event will also feature two performances by small ensembles including members of the BSO, Boston Pops, Tanglewood Music Center, and Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra. For dinner, Ms. Shire and Mr. Restrepo are presenting a first course including over upland cress soft shell lobster tail and beet ravioli and crisp baked corn pudding and a main course featuring rack and saddle of Colorado lamb with parmesan sauce and mostarda Cremona with crisp endive leaves and crisped sage leaves. Trustee Stephen R. Weiner and his wife, Roberta, are serving as the gala chairs of the Benefactor Gala, which is expected to raise over $1,750,000 for the BSO.
The 2012-13 Opening Night at Symphony gala committee includes Alli and Bill Achtmeyer, Helaine B. Allen, George D. and Margo Behrakis, Peter and Anne Brooke, Gregory Bulger and Richard Dix, Katie and Paul Buttenwieser, Katherine Chapman and Thomas Stemberg, John F. Cogan, Jr. and Mary L. Cornille, Carol Cohen, Dr. Lawrence H. and Roberta Cohn, Donna and Don Comstock, Diddy and John Cullinane, Cynthia and Oliver Curme, Julie and Ronald Druker, Darlene and Jerry Jordan, Stephen B. Kay and Lisbeth L. Tarlow, Ted and Debbie Kelly, Cynthia and Robert J. Lepofsky, Joyce Linde, Elizabeth W. and John M. Loder, Richard and Nancy Lubin, Carmine A. and Beth V. Martignetti, Jane and Robert J. Mayer, M.D., Joseph C. McNay, Paul and Sandra Montrone, Sandra Moose and Eric Birch, Megan and Robert O’Block, Susan Paine, Mrs. Irene Pollin, Maureen and Joe Roxe, Arthur I. Segel, Gilda and Alfred Slifka, Stephen and Dorothy Weber, Frank Wisneski and Lynn Dale, and Rhonda and Michael J. Zinner, M.D.
BSO OPENING NIGHT PROGRAM DETAILS
The program begins with Beethoven’s relatively early Romances No. 1 and 2 for violin and orchestra, dating from 1798–1802 when the composer was beginning to be recognized—on the strength of his early piano sonatas and first pairs of symphonies and piano concertos—as a leading composer of the generation following the great masters Mozart and Haydn. The two Romances reflect a transitional style between Beethoven’s early Classical period and the “heroic” middle period.
The Opening Night at Symphony program concludes with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, which was composed about a decade after the Romances, by which time Beethoven was firmly established as the greatest composer of his day despite having to end his performing career as a pianist and improviser due to his increasing deafness. Enshrined among the greatest of all symphonies, Beethoven’s Seventh—which the composer himself acknowledged as one of his finest pieces—whirls and leaps, saunters and skips through its four raucous, rhythmically charged movements like some sort of crazed dancer, hovering in a space between playful and furious that is unique to Beethoven’s monumental middle-period works.
ITZHAK PERLMAN
Undeniably the reigning virtuoso of the violin, Itzhak Perlman enjoys superstar status rarely afforded a classical musician. Beloved for his charm and humanity as well as his talent, he is treasured by audiences throughout the world who respond not only to his remarkable artistry, but also to the irrepressible joy of making music, which he communicates. In January 2009, Mr. Perlman was honored to take part in the Inauguration of President Barack Obama, premiering a piece written for the occasion by John Williams and performing with clarinetist Anthony McGill, pianist Gabriela Montero, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. In December 2003 the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts granted Mr. Perlman a Kennedy Center Honor celebrating his distinguished achievements and contributions to the cultural and educational life of our nation. In May 2007, he performed at the State Dinner for Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, hosted by President George W. Bush and Mrs. Bush at the White House. In addition to his many orchestral and recital appearances throughout the world, Mr. Perlman performs as conductor with leading orchestras. He was Music Advisor of the St. Louis Symphony from 2002 to 2004, and he was Principal Guest Conductor of the Detroit Symphony from 2001 to 2005. He has performed as conductor with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony, National Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the symphony orchestras of San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Montreal, Atlanta and Toronto, as well as at the Ravinia and OK Mozart festivals. Internationally, Mr. Perlman has conducted the Berlin Philharmonic, Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Philharmonic, the English Chamber Orchestra, and the Israel Philharmonic. He proudly possesses four Emmy Awards and fifteen Grammy awards. He performed at the 2006 Academy Awards and at the Juilliard School Centennial gala, broadcast nationally on “Live from Lincoln Center.” One of Mr. Perlman’s proudest achievements is his collaboration with film score composer John Williams in Steven Spielberg’s Academy Award winning film Schindler’s List, in which he performed the violin solos.
TICKET INFORMATION
Patron tickets for Opening Night at Symphony are priced from $75 to $250 and include the pre-concert reception at Symphony Hall and the concert. Tickets may be purchased by phone through SymphonyCharge (617-266-1200 or 888-266-1200), online through the BSO’s website (www.bso.org), or in person at the Symphony Hall Box Office (301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston).
Subscriptions for the BSO’s 2012-2013 season are available by calling the BSO Subscription Office at 888-266-7575 or online through the BSO’s website (www.bso.org). Single tickets are priced from $30 to $123. Regular-season Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts on Tuesday and Thursday evenings are priced from $31 to $113; Friday afternoons are priced from $30 to $108; concerts on Friday and Saturday evenings are priced from $33 to $123. Tickets may be purchased by phone through SymphonyCharge (617-266-1200 or 888-266-1200), online through the BSO’s website (www.bso.org), or in person at the Symphony Hall Box Office (301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston). There is a $6.25 service fee for all tickets purchased online or by phone through SymphonyCharge.
A limited number of Rush Tickets for Boston Symphony Orchestra subscription concerts on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Friday afternoons are set aside to be sold on the day of a performance. These tickets are sold at $9 each, one to a customer, at the Symphony Hall Box Office on Fridays beginning at 10 a.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning at 5 p.m.
The BSO’s <40=$20 program allows patrons under the age of 40 to purchase tickets for $20. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis on both the orchestra and balcony levels. There is a limit of one pair per performance, but patrons may attend as many performances as desired.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra offers groups advanced ticket reservations and flexible payment options for BSO concerts at Symphony Hall. Groups of 20 or more may take advantage of ticket discounts, backstage tours, clinics, and master classes. Pre- and post-concert dining options and private function space are available. More information is available through the group sales office at groupsales@bso.org
The BSO College Card and High School Card are the best way for students and aspiring young musicians to experience the BSO on a regular basis. For only $25 (College Card) or $10 (High School Card) students can attend most BSO concerts at no additional cost by registering the card online to receive text and email notifications of real-time ticket availability.
American Express, MasterCard, Visa, Diners Club, and Discover (in person or by mail) and cash (in person only) are all accepted at the Symphony Hall Box Office. Gift certificates are available in any amount and may be used toward the purchase of tickets (subject to availability) to any Boston Symphony Orchestra or Boston Pops performance at Symphony Hall or Tanglewood. Gift certificates may also be used at the Symphony Shop to purchase merchandise.
Patrons with disabilities can access Symphony Hall through the Massachusetts Avenue lobby or the Cohen Wing on Huntington Avenue. An access service center, accessible restrooms, and elevators are available inside the Cohen Wing entrance. For ticket information, call the Access Services Administrator at 617-638-9431 or TDD/TTY 617-638-9289.
SPONSORSHIPS
Bank of America and EMC Corporation are proud to be the Season Sponsors of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s 2012-13 season. The Fairmont Copley Plaza Boston, celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2012, together with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, is the Official Hotel of the BSO. Commonwealth Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation is the Official Chauffeured Transportation Provider of the BSO.