FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE UPDATED April 14, 2017 March 22, 2017 Contact: Katherine E. Johnson (212) 875-5700; [email protected] ALAN GILBERT’S FINAL WEEKS SCHOENBERG’S A SURVIVOR FROM WARSAW BEETHOVEN’S SYMPHONY NO. 9 Narrator GABRIEL EBERT Soprano CAMILLA TILLING Mezzo-Soprano DANIELA MACK Tenor JOSEPH KAISER Bass-Baritone ERIC OWENS Westminster Symphonic Choir May 3–6 and 9, 2017 Music Director Alan Gilbert begins his final weeks by leading the New York Philharmonic in Schoenberg’s A Survivor from Warsaw and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. The program juxtaposes the tragedy and optimism of human experience through Schoenberg’s depiction of the horror of the Holocaust and the message of hope, brotherhood, and joy in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Schoenberg’s A Survivor from Warsaw will feature Gabriel Ebert as narrator (in his Philharmonic debut) and the men of the Westminster Symphonic Choir, directed by Joe Miller. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony will feature soprano Camilla Tilling, mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack (debut), tenor Joseph Kaiser (debut), bass-baritone Eric Owens, and the Westminster Symphonic Choir, directed by Joe Miller. The performances will take place Wednesday, May 3, 2017, at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, May 5 at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, May 6 at 8:00 p.m.; and Tuesday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. The program will be presented without intermission. “The message of Beethoven’s Ninth is eternal: it speaks of freedom and the power of the human spirit,” Alan Gilbert said. “Schoenberg’s A Survivor from Warsaw is an incredibly powerful piece that shares a very similar DNA to the Beethoven. They couldn’t be more different in terms of musical language, but the fact that they are about the triumph of faith and the indomitable nature of the human spirit makes them a perfect pairing that I’ve always wanted to do.” The New York Times wrote that Alan Gilbert and the Orchestra’s performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in October 2013 was “a vibrant, lucid and intriguing account that culminated with a fleet, exciting finale” and called Mr. Gilbert an “insightful musician” who “reveals the inner workings and wondrous complexities of the piece.” (more) Alan Gilbert / Schoenberg / Beethoven / 2 This program is the first of Alan Gilbert’s final four programs as Music Director, reflecting signature themes of his tenure and featuring works that hold particular meaning for him and musicians with whom he has formed close relationships. They include a concert highlighting the Philharmonic’s close collaborations, with the New York Premiere of Kravis Emerging Composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Aeriality, the New York Premiere of Composer-in-Residence Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Wing on Wing, and Brahms’s Violin Concerto with Artist-in-Residence Leonidas Kavakos as soloist (May 19–20 and 23); Wagner’s complete Das Rheingold in concert (June 1, 3, and 6); and Alan Gilbert Season Finale: A Concert for Unity, celebrating the power of music to build bridges and unite people across borders (June 8–10). A website celebrating Alan Gilbert and the highlights of his tenure as Music Director through video, audio, and photos launched today at nyphil.org/gilbertfarewell. Related Events Philharmonic Free Fridays The New York Philharmonic is offering 100 free tickets to young people ages 13–26 for the concert Friday, May 5 as part of Philharmonic Free Fridays. Information is available at nyphil.org/freefridays. Philharmonic Free Fridays offers 100 free tickets to 13–26-year-olds to each of the 2016–17 season’s 16 Friday evening subscription concerts. Insights at the Atrium — “From Tragedy to Triumph: A Survivor from Warsaw and the ‘Ode to Joy’” Amy Wlodarski, speaker New York Philharmonic Leonard Bernstein Scholar-in-Residence Michael Beckerman, speaker Abby Anderton, moderator Monday, April 24, 2017, 7:30 p.m. On this Holocaust Remembrance Day, discover how two musical works divided by tonality and 125 years of fateful history share many of the same aspirations. Musicologists Amy Wlodarski, The Leonard Bernstein Scholar-in-Residence Michael Beckerman, and Abby Anderton discuss these powerful musical settings and how the music in Schoenberg’s A Survivor from Warsaw and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 reflects the invincible nature and freedom of the human spirit. David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center (Broadway at 62nd Street) Artists As Music Director of the New York Philharmonic since 2009, Alan Gilbert has introduced the positions of The Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence, The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence, and Artist-in-Association; CONTACT!, the new-music series; the NY PHIL BIENNIAL, an exploration of today’s music; and the New York Philharmonic Global Academy, partnerships with cultural institutions to offer training of pre-professional musicians, often alongside performance residencies. The Financial Times called him “the imaginative maestro- impresario in residence.” Alan Gilbert concludes his final season as Music Director with four programs that reflect themes, works, and musicians that hold particular meaning for him, including Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony alongside Schoenberg’s A Survivor from Warsaw, Wagner’s complete Das Rheingold in concert, and an exploration of how music can effect positive change in the world. Other highlights include (more) Alan Gilbert / Schoenberg / Beethoven / 3 three World Premieres, Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, Ligeti’s Mysteries of the Macabre, and Manhattan, performed live to film. He also leads the Orchestra on the EUROPE / SPRING 2017 tour and in performance residencies in Shanghai and Santa Barbara. Past highlights include acclaimed stagings of Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre, Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen, Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd starring Bryn Terfel and Emma Thompson (2015 Emmy nomination), and Honegger’s Joan of Arc at the Stake starring Marion Cotillard; 28 World Premieres; a tribute to Boulez and Stucky during the 2016 NY PHIL BIENNIAL; The Nielsen Project; the Verdi Requiem and Bach’s B-minor Mass; the score from 2001: A Space Odyssey, performed live to film; Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony on the tenth anniversary of 9/11; performing violin in Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time; and ten tours around the world. Conductor laureate of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and former principal guest conductor of Hamburg’s NDR Symphony Orchestra, Alan Gilbert regularly conducts leading orchestras around the world. This season he returns to the foremost European orchestras, including the Leipzig Gewandhaus, Munich Philharmonic, Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw, and Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. He will record Beethoven’s complete piano concertos with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and Inon Barnatan, and conduct Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, his first time leading a staged opera there. He made his acclaimed Metropolitan Opera debut conducting John Adams’s Doctor Atomic in 2008, the DVD of which received a Grammy Award, and he conducted Messiaen’s Des Canyons aux étoiles on a recent album recorded live at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Mr. Gilbert is Director of Conducting and Orchestral Studies at The Juilliard School, where he holds the William Schuman Chair in Musical Studies. His honors include Honorary Doctor of Music degrees from The Curtis Institute of Music (2010) and Westminster Choir College (2016), Columbia University’s Ditson Conductor’s Award (2011), election to The American Academy of Arts & Sciences (2014), a Foreign Policy Association Medal for his commitment to cultural diplomacy (2015), Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2015), and New York University’s Lewis Rudin Award for Exemplary Service to New York City (2016). Gabriel Ebert is a Tony and Obie Award–winning actor. A native of Colorado, he is a graduate of the Drama Division of The Juilliard School. He has appeared at Lincoln Center Theater, starring in Amy Herzog’s 4,000 Miles (for which he received the Obie Award for Best Actor) and most recently Dave Malloy’s Preludes at LCT3. Mr. Ebert’s Broadway credits include Harvey Fierstein’s Casa Valentina, Tim Minchin’s Matilda the Musical (2013 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical), Noël Coward’s Brief Encounter with the Kneehigh Theatre Company, Helen Edmundson’s adaptation of Therese Raquin, and John Logan’s Red. Off-Broadway he has appeared in Peer Gynt at Classic Stage Company, The Heart of Robin Hood, Suicide Incorporated, Prometheus Bound, and a site-specific production of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull. He is currently starring in Martin Sherman’s new play Gently Down the Stream with Harvey Fierstein. As a vocalist, Mr. Ebert has performed at Carnegie Hall and London’s Royal Albert Hall. Last spring he appeared as part of a benefit performance for The Juilliard School alongside fellow alumnus Alan Gilbert. These performances mark his New York Philharmonic debut. Soprano Camilla Tilling’s early debut at New York City Opera launched her two-decades-long career that has since seen performances on the world’s major opera, concert, and recital stages while (more) Alan Gilbert / Schoenberg / Beethoven / 4 simultaneously building an impressive discography. A highly regarded concert performer, Camilla Tilling is a regular guest with many of the world’s leading orchestras. Recent concert highlights include J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the Berlin Philharmonic and Simon Rattle, Schumann’s Faustszenen with NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and Thomas Hengelbrock, Brahms’s A German Requiem with both the New York Philharmonic under Christoph von Dohnányi and with the Zurich’s Tonhalle Orchestra under Bernard Haitink, Dutilleux’s Correspondances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Esa-Pekka Salonen, J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and Philippe Jordan, and Berg’s Seven Early Songs with Sydney Symphony Orchestra under Christoph von Dohnányi, Orchestre National de France under Daniele Gatti, and the London Symphony Orchestra under François-Xavier Roth.