FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 26, 2016 Contact: Katherine E. Johnson (212) 875-5718; [email protected] BERNARD LABADIE TO RETURN TO NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC TO CONDUCT ALL-MOZART PROGRAM Flute Concerto No. 2 with Principal Flute ROBERT LANGEVIN Exsultate, jubilate with Soprano YING FANG in Her Philharmonic Debut Symphony No. 31, Paris Symphony No. 39 December 1–3, 2016 Bernard Labadie will return to the New York Philharmonic to conduct an all-Mozart program: the Flute Concerto No. 2, with Principal Flute Robert Langevin as soloist; Exsultate, jubilate with soprano Ying Fang in her Philharmonic debut; Symphony No. 31, Paris; and Symphony No. 39. The program takes place Thursday, December 1, 2016, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, December 2 at 8:00 p.m.; and Saturday, December 3 at 8:00 p.m. The concerts open with three youthful works written when Mozart was 17, 21, and 22 years old, and close with the darker Symphony No. 39, written three years before his death. A leading specialist in the Baroque and Classical repertoire, Bernard Labadie led Mozart’s Requiem in his most recent appearance with the Philharmonic, in November 2013. The New York Times described this performance as “glowing … one of the most cohesive I have heard.” These concerts will mark Principal Flute Robert Langevin’s first of Mozart’s Flute Concerto No. 2 with the Philharmonic. Soprano Ying Fang has been acclaimed for her performances of Mozart, including her Metropolitan Opera debut in The Marriage of Figaro in September 2014, and Don Giovanni with The Juilliard School in April 2012. About the latter, The New York Times wrote: “Ying Fang proved a standout as Zerlina, singing with a fresh, appealing soprano and acting with coquettish flair.” Related Events Philharmonic Free Fridays The New York Philharmonic is offering 100 free tickets to young people ages 13–26 for the concert Friday, December 2 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. (more) Bernard Labadie / Robert Langevin / Ying Fang / 2 Artists Conductor Bernard Labadie is an internationally recognized expert in Baroque and Classical repertoire. Having founded Les Violons du Roy and La Chapelle de Québec in 1984 and 1985, respectively, he continues to direct their regular seasons in Québec City and Montreal as well as throughout the Americas and Europe on tour. He has made 20 recordings with the ensembles on the Virgin Classics, Dorian, Atma, Hyperion, and Naïve labels. Mr. Labadie regularly guest conducts major North American orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic; the Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, St. Louis, Houston, and Toronto symphony orchestras; The Cleveland Orchestra; and The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. In Europe he has led Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France, and Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. Mr. Labadie also regularly conducts the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in Australia. Increasingly in-demand among period-instrument orchestras, he frequently directs the Academy of Ancient Music and has worked with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, English Concert, and Collegium Vocale Gent Orchestra. As a leading ambassador for music in his native city of Quebec, Bernard Labadie was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2005 and a knight of Ordre national du Québec in 2006. In 2008 he received the Banff Centre’s National Arts Award for his contribution to the development of the arts in Canada, as well as an honorary doctorate from Laval University. Bernard Labadie made his New York Philharmonic debut leading works by J.S. Bach, Corelli, and Handel in December 2006; he most recently led the Orchestra in music by Bach and Handel as well as Mozart’s Requiem in November 2013. Robert Langevin joined the New York Philharmonic as Principal Flute, The Lila Acheson Wallace Chair, at the start of the 2000–01 season. In May 2001 he made his solo debut with the Orchestra in the North American Premiere of Siegfried Matthus’s Concerto for Flute and Harp with Philharmonic Principal Harp Nancy Allen and Music Director Kurt Masur. His October 2012 solo performance in Nielsen’s Flute Concerto, conducted by Music Director Alan Gilbert, was recorded for inclusion in The Nielsen Project, the Orchestra’s multi-season traversal of all of the Danish composer’s symphonies and concertos, to be released by Dacapo Records. Prior to the Philharmonic, Mr. Langevin held the Jackman Pfouts Principal Flute Chair of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and was an adjunct professor at Duquesne University, in Pittsburgh. Mr. Langevin served as associate principal of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra for 13 years, playing on more than 30 recordings. As a member of Musica Camerata Montreal and l’Ensemble de la Société de Musique Contemporaine du Québec, he premiered many works, including the Canadian premiere of Pierre Boulez’s Le Marteau sans maître. In addition, Mr. Langevin has performed as soloist with Quebec’s most distinguished ensembles and has recorded many recitals and chamber music programs for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He also served on the faculty of the University of Montreal for nine years. Born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Robert Langevin began studying flute at age 12 and joined the local orchestra three years later. While studying with Jean-Paul Major at the Montreal Conservatory of Music, he started working in recording studios, where he accompanied a variety of artists of different styles. He graduated in 1976 with two first prizes, one in flute, the other in chamber music. Not long after, he won the prestigious Prix d’Europe, a national competition open to all instruments with a first prize of a two-year scholarship to study in Europe. This enabled him to work with Aurèle Nicolet at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg, Germany, where he graduated in 1979. He then (more) Bernard Labadie / Robert Langevin / Ying Fang / 3 went on to study with Maxence Larrieu, in Geneva, winning second prize at the Budapest International Competition in 1980. Mr. Langevin is a member of the Philharmonic Quintet of New York with which he has performed concerts on many continents. In addition, he has given recitals and master classes throughout the United States and in countries such as Canada, Spain, Costa Rica, Japan, North Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam. He is currently on the faculties of The Juilliard School, The Manhattan School of Music, and the Orford International Summer Festival. He made his Philharmonic solo debut in May 2001 the North American Premiere of Siegfried Matthus’s Concerto for Flute and Harp with Philharmonic Principal Harp Nancy Allen and Music Director Kurt Masur; he most recently appeared with the Orchestra as soloist in the New York Premiere of Rouse’s Flute Concerto, led by Leonard Slatkin, in October–November 2014. Soprano Ying Fang’s 2016–17 season includes her return to The Metropolitan Opera as Elvira in Rossini’s comic L’Italiana in Algeri, Jano in Janáček’s tragedy Jenůfa, and Ilia in Mozart’s Idomeneo. She portrays Susanna in Opera Philadelphia’s production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, ventures to Chicago for Telemann’s Der Tag des Gerichts, and joins St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble for a Schubertiade in New York. Recent engagements have included appearances at The Metropolitan Opera as Giannetta in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore and the Shepherd in Wagner’s Tannhäuser conducted by James Levine; her debut at the Verbier Festival and role debut singing Nannetta in Verdi’s Falstaff in a cast that included Bryn Terfel led by Carlo Rizzi; and her return to the Aix-en-Provence Festival for its production of Handel’s Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno. On the concert stage, she made her debut at the Ravinia Festival in Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Resurrection, led by James Levine. She also appeared in recital as part of Carnegie Hall’s Neighborhood Concert Series and at the Kennedy Center under the auspices of Vocal Arts DC, both with pianist Ken Noda. A native of Ningbo, China, Ying Fang holds a master’s degree and an artist diploma in opera study from The Juilliard School, and a bachelor’s degree from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. She is a member of The Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. These performances mark her New York Philharmonic debut. Repertoire Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–91) composed his vibrant Symphony No. 31, Paris, at the request of Joseph Le Gros, director of the Concert Spirituels series in Paris. The single rehearsal of the work was a desperate affair, and the composer even considered staying away from the concert — Parisian audiences were particularly rowdy and accustomed to making noise during performances. The work’s premiere, however, was a great success and accolades were showered on the then 22-year-old Mozart, evidence of the composer’s ability to adapt to Parisian musical demands. The Philharmonic first performed the symphony in January 1936, led by Thomas Beecham; the Orchestra’s most recent performance of the work was in April 2010, led by Antonio Pappano. Mozart’s Flute Concerto No. 2 (1777) is a reworking of the successful oboe concerto he wrote the previous year for Salzburg court oboist Giuseppe Ferlendis. Upon receiving the score, Mannheim Orchestra oboist Friedrich Ramm was “crazy with delight over it” and made it a centerpiece of his repertoire. A few months later in Mannheim, the 21-year-old Mozart had been (more) Bernard Labadie / Robert Langevin / Ying Fang / 4 commissioned by wealthy amateur flutist and physician Ferdinand De Jean to write a series of works, but the composer did not deliver the number of agreed-upon pieces, and in turn received only half his fee.