HECTOR BERLIOZ (1803-1869)
Roman Carnival Overture (1844)
Borrowing is the sincerest form of flattery—especially when you borrow from yourself. Hector Berlioz composed Benevenuto Cellini (1838), his opera based on Vita di Benvenuto Cellini, the probably not-too-reliable autobiography of the outrageously flamboyant goldsmith, medal-and coin maker, sculptor, metal-worker, and libertine who lived in Italy from 1500 to 1571. Though the opera was an unmitigated fiasco at its first outing, Berlioz used some of its music as the basis for the Roman Carnival Overture. He weaves together an energetic saltarello, an Italian dance in triple time, and the gorgeous love theme from Act One. The music transports the listener to Rome’s famed Piazza Colonna, capturing the excitement and revelry of the carnivale that ushers in Ash Wednesday and Lent. This colorful music, conducted by the composer himself at its premiere, has become his most popular overture, but had yet a third incarnation when Berlioz asked Franz Liszt to adapt it as a prelude to Act Two of the opera for its 1852 revival in Weimar. The energy and ebullience of the music make Berlioz’s overture the perfect curtain raiser for the New York Philharmonic’s 165th season.

JACQUES IBERT (1890-1962)
Flute Concerto (1934)
When most music lovers think of Jacques Ibert they’re likely thinking of his wild, wacky, and fun Divertissement or his exquisite, evocative Escales (Ports of Call) . But how many aficionados know that he also composed this wonderful concerto? Sir James Galway, the legendary flute virtuoso and pied piper extraordinaire for classical music, will enchant the opening night audience with the music’s abundant charms and virtuoso qualities. Ibert composed this concerto for the renowned Marcel Moyse (1889-1984), founder of the Marlboro Music Festival and teacher (in fact, Sir James is one of his students), who set the tone for what is thought of as French flute technique—agile, clear, penetrating. Cast in the traditional 3-movement form, the concerto lets the soloist shine, showing off the range and color of the instrument. The first movement fairly dances with excitement, while the lyrical Andante has a dreamy, sensuous quality; and the finale may leave you wondering when the soloist can possibly catch his breath. Ibert was an important part of the Parisian music scene, creating several operas, ballets, a saxophone concerto, and several film scores (e.g., Macbeth, starring Orson Welles in 1951), and other works. In 1919 he was the winner of the coveted Prix de Rome (a prize that supports a composer’s projects for a year in Rome) on his first attempt—a considerable achievement, considering that Ravel tried five times and never won.

PETER ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Symphony No. 4 (1878)
When turmoil engulfed Tchaikovsky in 1878, he poured out his heart in the Fourth Symphony. The composer had arrived at perhaps the lowest point in his life. Hoping to “cure” his homosexuality or to at least give the appearance of “normalcy” and respectability, he had decided “to seriously consider entering into lawful matrimony with any woman.” He chose—as if by default—Antonina Milyukova, an emotionally unstable former student who was infatuated with him, and impetuously married her in 1877. A disastrous decision, the marriage lasted only three weeks and sent him near the brink of insanity. After abandoning his new bride, he again tried to make a go of the marriage; but he had a nervous breakdown and attempted suicide in the Moscow River. It was in this emotional landscape that he completed his Symphony No. 4. Writing to his new benefactress, the mysterious and rich Nadezhda von Meck, about the meaning of his new work he explained: “This is Fate, that inexorable force that prevents our striving for happiness from succeeding…There is not a single bar in this Fourth Symphony which I have not truly felt, and which is not an echo of my most intimate spiritual life…” He dedicated the work to Madame von Meck, often referring to it as “our” symphony. But the detailed, perhaps “retrofitted,” program he created ex post facto for her benefit is regarded today with some skepticism. The first and longest movement is the emotional center of the symphony, announcing the Fate motif with powerful brass and wind fanfares. The melancholy sounds of the second movement send “memories flooding in…There is a sweet sadness in burying oneself in the past.” In the most unusual third movement, marked pizzicato ostinato the strings are plucked throughout, while winds and brass play a rustic dance and “in the distance a military parade goes by.” In the finale, marked Allegro con fuoco (Fast with fire) the Fate motif comes crashing back and Tchaikovsky urges: “Enjoy other people’s happiness. One can live despite everything.”

Lorin Maazel, who has led more than 150 orchestras in more than 5,000 opera and concert performances, became Music Director of the New York Philharmonic in September 2002. His appointment came 60 years after his debut with the Orchestra at Lewisohn Stadium, then the Orchestra’s summer venue. As Music Director he has conducted seven World Premiere–NewYork Philharmonic Commissions, including the Pulitzer Prize– and Grammy Award–winning On the Transmigration of Souls by John Adams; Stephen Hartke’s Symphony No. 3; and Melinda Wagner’s Trombone Concerto. He has led cycles of works by Brahms, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky; and he conducted the Orchestra’s inaugural performances in the DG Concerts series — a groundbreaking initiative to offer downloadable New York Philharmonic concerts exclusively on iTunes.

Mr. Maazel has taken the Orchestra on numerous international tours, including the historic visit to Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, in February 2008 — the first performance there by an American orchestra, and an event watched around the world. Other recent tours have included Asia 2008 — to Taipei, Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing; the May 2007 Tour of Europe; the November 2006 visit to Japan and Korea; the Philharmonic Tour of Italy in June 2006, sponsored by Generali; the two-part 75th Anniversary European Tour to thirteen cities in five countries in the fall of 2005; and residencies in Cagliari, Sardinia, and at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival in Colorado.

In addition to the New York Philharmonic, Mr. Maazel is music director of the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, Spain. A frequent conductor on the world’s operatic stages, he returned to The Metropolitan Opera in January 2008 for the first time in 45 years to conduct Wagner’s Die Walküre.

Prior to his tenure as New York Philharmonic Music Director, Mr. Maazel led more than 100 performances of the Orchestra as a guest conductor. He served as music director of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (1993–2002), and has held positions as music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (1988–96); general manager and chief conductor of the Vienna Staatsoper (1982–84); music director of The Cleveland Orchestra (1972–82); and artistic director and chief conductor of the Deutsche Oper Berlin (1965–71). He is an honorary member of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and an honorary member of the Vienna Philharmonic. On February 17, 2009, he will be named a Commander of the Legion of Honor by the government of France.

A second-generation American, born in Paris, Mr. Maazel was raised and educated in the United States. He took his first violin lesson at age five, and first conducting lesson at seven. Between ages 9 and 15 he conducted most of the major American orchestras. In 1953 he made his European conducting debut in Catania, Italy.

Mr. Maazel is also an accomplished composer. His opera, 1984, received its world premiere on May 3, 2005, at London’s Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. It was revived in the 2007–08 season at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, and has been released on DVD by Decca.

Since launching his solo career in 1975, flutist Sir James Galway has performed with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors, with a repertoire that ranges from Bach, Vivaldi, and Mozart to John Corigliano, Howard Shore, and Lowell Lieberman. His 2008-09 season will include extensive U.S. performances, and international appearances that take him from Israel to Spain and Istanbul to Switzerland, Denmark, and Ireland.

Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Sir James began playing with the Sadler’s Wells, Royal Philharmonic, and London Symphony orchestras before taking up the position of solo flutist with the Berlin Philharmonic led by Herbert Von Karajan. He has become one of the most honored classical artists performing today, with more than 30 million albums sold. In his new album, O’Reilly Street, to be released September 16 by RCA Red Seal, Sir James and the Cuban music group Tiempo Libre perform an Afro-Cuban arrangement of music from the jazz suites of Claude Bolling. Other recent albums include My Magic Flute and The Essential James Galway.

Sir James has played for dignitaries around the world, and has been honored twice by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England: in 1979, with an Order of the British Empire, and with a Knighthood, in 2001, for services to music. He was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame in June 2008.