LEONARD BERNSTEIN (1918-1990)
Symphonic Dances from West Side Story (1961)
The thrilling dance episodes of West Side Story underscore the highly charged atmosphere that is Bernstein’s modern take on Romeo and Juliet. The gritty urban setting is the backdrop against which warring gangs play out their inevitable tragedy. Premiered by the Philharmonic, the Symphonic Dances take the familiar melodies and create a vibrant tapestry that recalls the stage action of the iconoclastic musical. Heartbreaking. Breathtaking.

MAURICE RAVEL (1875-1937)
Boléro (1928)
Ravel composed and Nijinsky choreographed the ballet Boléro for the legendary dancer Ida Rubinstein, and its Parisian premiere caused a sensation. Ravel himself once described it as “an experiment…consisting wholly of orchestral tissue without music—one long, very gradual crescendo.” Two short measures repeat over and over to the hypnotic beat of the snare drum—which becomes the focal point of the entire work—starting softly, increasing in intensity and volume, and reaching a powerful climax some 17 minutes later. Ravel’s self-deprecating comment notwithstanding, there is genius in the orchestration—shifting combinations of instruments that are layered over each other to create rich and ever richer sonorities. The result is nothing short of exhilarating. “The ideal is an absolutely steady beat that never wavers—that you lay down for all to follow—a seamless crescendo from the nearly inaudible beginning to the final explosion of sound,” says New York Philharmonic’s Principal Percussionist Christopher Lamb, who will play the snare drum, “but the reality is that Boléro is an ensemble piece requiring compromise between the drum and the rest of the orchestra. We have to listen to each other, especially at the beginning, when the first few solos are played so softly. It’s a combination of locking in the rhythm, while leaving room for some give-and-take.” Boléro’s non-stop drumming also makes it a test of a percussionist’s endurance. “I prepare for that in a number of ways. To remind myself of what 17 minutes feels like I play along with a Boléro recording, and I practice my listening skills by improvising along with jazz recordings.” And then there’s the question of concentration during the performance. “I keep my music in front of me, even though it’s only two measures, and refer to it occasionally to ‘reboot’ … to stay in the ‘zone’.” While Boléro is “a big deal” for some percussionists, Christopher Lamb says “I enjoy it! It’s fun to play!”

GEORGE GERSHWIN (1898 – 1937)
Rhapsody in Blue (1924)
Could there be anything more American than Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue? Starting with the wailing, octave-jumping glissando/scale on the clarinet, the Rhapsody unfurls like an American flag. Commissioned by the renowned jazz band leader Paul Whiteman, this was to be a “serious” piece for piano and jazz band, to be performed at a formal concert—a task the Gershwin found challenging at first. But, he said, “it was on a train…that I suddenly heard—and even saw on paper—the complete construction of the Rhapsody in Blue from beginning to end. I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America—of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our metropolitan madness.” George Gershwin was the soloist at the premiere, featuring Ferde Grofé’s (of Grand Canyon Suite fame) orchestration. In the great tradition of jazz, however, the self-taught Gershwin improvised many sections of the piano score, waiting till after the premiere to put on the finishing touches. The audience responded with wild enthusiasm, propelling this jazz concerto to icon status in the music of America.

ANDREY BOREYKO, conductor, born in 1957 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia
Andrey Boreyko is one of the most exciting and dynamic conductors to emerge from Eastern Europe in recent years. His strong interest in music of the first half of the 20th century, as well as that of more recent years, has led him to collaborations with composers such as Henryk Górecki, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Arvo Pärt, among many others, and his discography includes the music of Ginastera, Takemitsu, and Pärt. Studying new scores, or scores new to him, is an important part of his life. This dedication to music of our time was recognized by the German Music Critics Union while he was chief conductor of the Jenaer Philharmonie between 1998 and 2003: he received the prize for most innovative concert programming in three consecutive seasons—an unprecedented achievement in the history of this award. He is currently Chief Conductor of the Berner Symphonie Orchester as well as Principal Guest Conductor of the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Euskadi, and General Music Director of the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker. He has guest-conducted the great orchestras of Europe and Australia, as well as the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic. His discography includes Arvo Pärt’s Lamentate and Silvestrov’s Symphony No. 6, both recorded with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra. In 2006 Hänssler Classic released a live recording, again with Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 4 and the world premiere recording of his original version of the Suite Op. 29a from the opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. Despite his busy schedule, he finds time for other activities: “I enjoying reading, researching, finding and listening to all types of music that I have not previously encountered. I spend time thinking about new programs and am always keeping in touch with people by e-mail.”

“Mr. Boreyko seemed intent on … playing the work for all its breadth and passion. The Philharmonic responded with dazzling and often ferocious brass and woodwind playing, full-throttle percussion and a plangent, flexible string sound that could evoke a howling wind one moment and dark-hued smoldering the next.” The New York Times

“The music seemed to spring from his quivering fingertips in tiny electric arcs.” The Chicago Tribune

“He leads with an easy flair and natural musicianship.” Cincinnati Enquirer

“Maestro Boreyko gave his orchestra the chance to give a brilliant performance in all aspects. Boreyko certainly set a new benchmark. Standing ovations and stamping for him and his absolutely splendid orchestra.” Hamburger Abendblatt

Find additional upcoming performances with Andrey Boreyko

SHANGHAI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Shanghai Symphony Orchestra is the earliest and the most well known ensemble of its kind in Asia, through which the Chinese symphonic music develops. Originally known as the Shanghai Public Band, it developed into an orchestra in 1907, and was renamed the Shanghai Municipal Council Symphony Orchestra in 1922. Notably under the baton of the Italian conductor Mario Paci, the orchestra promoted Western music and trained Chinese young talents very early on in China, and introduced the first Chinese orchestral work to the audience. It is hence reputed as the “the best in the Far East.” The history of Shanghai Symphony Orchestra may be referred as the history of China’s symphonic music development.

Spanning three different centuries, the Shanghai Symphony has now embraced a new era; it has held over ten thousand concerts, including premiere performances of several thousand musical works, and has collaborated with many guest artists (conductors, soloists and vocalists) of world renown. The orchestra has gained a reputation as the most authoritative explainer of Chinese symphonic compositions while promoting them with every possible endeavor. The Shanghai Symphony has become increasingly influential both at home and abroad, after most recently completing the audio and video recordings of such excellent music as: Zhu Jianer’s Symphonies, Tan Dun’s multimedia concerto The Map, and music for the prize-winning film (Oscar and Grammy Awards) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Since the 1970s, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra has toured extensively abroad. In 1990, the orchestra made its debut at Carnegie Hall in New York; in 2003, it performed in 11 cities in the US; in 2004, it toured Europe to celebrate the Sino-French Cultural Year. The Orchestra’s 125th Anniversary Celebration Concert, given at the Berliner Philharmonie (the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra is the first Chinese symphony orchestra to play in this hall), was hailed as a great success. Maestro Long Yu is currently Music Director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.

LONG YU, conductor
Long Yu is the artistic director and principal conductor of the China Philharmonic Orchestra (since 2000), music director of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra (since 2003) and of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra (since 2009), and artistic director of the Beijing Music Festival (since 1998). He has appeared with leading orchestras and opera companies around the world, including the Chicago, National (Washington, D.C.), Bamberg, Sydney, and Singapore symphony orchestras; the Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and Tokyo philharmonic orchestras; the Berlin and Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestras; and The Philadelphia Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Hamburg Staatsoper, and Venice’s Teatro la Fenice. Under Long Yu’s leadership, the Beijing Music Festival has become regarded as one of the world’s most important music festivals. Along with performances by world renowned ensembles and artists, the festival plays an active role in commissioning new works from many of today’s most important composers, including Krzysztof Penderecki, Philip Glass, Guo Wenjing, and Ye Xiaogang. Long Yu, co-founder of the China Philharmonic Orchestra, in 2005, led that ensemble on a 40-day, 22-city international tour throughout North America and Europe in 2008. For the first time in history, he conducted it at the Vatican in the Paul VI Auditorium, a performance that was attended by Pope Benedict XVI. His recordings with the China Philharmonic include Schoenberg’s orchestration of Brahms’s Piano Quartet in G minor and Wagner’s Tannhäuser Overture, highlights of Chinese symphonic music, and Yellow River Concerto with Lang Lang, all on the Deutsche Grammophon label. His recordings on Naxos include Korngold’s Violin Concerto and Ding Shande’s Long March Symphony. Born in 1964 into a family of musicians in Shanghai, Long Yu received his first musical education from his grandfather, composer Ding Shande. He later studied at the Shanghai Conservatory and Berlin’s Hochschule der Kunst. In 1992 he was appointed principal conductor of the Central Opera Theatre in Beijing; in the same year he was involved in the planning of the first Beijing New Year’s Concert, and subsequently served as its conductor for three years. He produced operas for The Urban Council of Hong Kong for five consecutive years. His honors include the 2002 Montblanc Arts Patronage Award from the Montblanc Cultural Foundation; Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the Government of France; and Italy’s L’Onorificenza di Commendatore in 2005.

LANG LANG, piano, born in 1982 in Shenyang, China
Lang Lang recalls that when he was just two years old he watched a “Tom & Jerry” cartoon in which Tom plays Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody” on the piano. “From that moment on, there was only one thing I wanted: to play the piano.” His father was his first piano teacher, and his mother taught him how to read music. They made great sacrifices to provide the best for their only child (Lang Lang was born when China’s one-child-policy was in force). Among the highpoints of his amazing career his 1999 breakthrough stands out—when he made a dramatic last-minute substitution for an ailing André Watts at the Ravinia Festival in Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto. Since then, he has appeared across the globe to great audience and critical acclaim. In an interview for Deutsche Grammophon, Lang Lang recalls: “When I was very little I heard Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto and was really touched by the beautiful melodies and all the exciting passages. And so, since my childhood it’s been a life dream to perform this concerto….When I was nine years old I started to practice it. And then when I was 13, I played it for the first time, in Beijing with the China Youth Orchestra.” He acknowledges that there are special challenges playing such a well-known work: “First, you must respect everything that’s written in the score. Then you need to play not only with your heart, but with your soul, because this piece has real emotional power—it’s like somebody who’s had tremendous life experiences—some are super exciting but some are deeply tragic. At the beginning of the second movement, everything is reborn, you have the most beautiful flute solo, and when the piano comes in, it’s like waterfalls—so beautiful and so pure. When I play that movement I just enjoy myself. I’m not on earth—I’m in some heavenly place.”

“Yes, there’s gold in them fingers.” The Times (London)

“This young pianist, barely into his twenties, has captured wide public attention with the brilliance and energy of his playing.” Washington Post

Find additional upcoming performances with Lang Lang

YING HUANG, soprano
Chinese soprano Ying Huang made a critically acclaimed debut as Cio-Cio San in French director Frederic Mitterand’s 1995 feature film, Madama Butterfly. Her performances this season include the title role in a new production of Handel’s Semele with Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels, directed by Zhang Huan; Opera Hong Kong as Pamina in Mozart’s The Magic Flute in Hong Kong and Beijing; and her Boston Opera debut in the world premiere of Zhou Long’s Madame White Snake. In New York she will be featured in recital by the Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York. Ms. Huang is sought after throughout the world for her portrayals of soprano roles in Mozart arias, which have included Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro, Despina in Così fan tutte, as well as Pamina. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in the 2006–07 season as Pamina in the new English language version of The Magic Flute and starred in The Met’s first high-definition simulcast into movie theaters across North America and the United Kingdom. She also created the role of Du Liniang in Tan Dun’s Peony Pavilion, directed by Peter Sellars, which opened at the Vienna Festival and went on to London, Paris, and California. In the concert hall, Ms. Huang has performed many works by Mahler, including the Symphony No. 2 with the Houston Symphony Orchestra under Christoph Eschenbach; the Fourth, with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Neeme Järvi and with the New World Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas; and the Eighth, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, led by Christoph Eschenbach. With the Cologne Philharmonic and James Conlon she has performed Poulenc’s Stabat Mater, Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate, Debussy’s La Damoiselle élue, and concerts of Mozart and Rossini. Other engagements have included Orff’s Carmina burana with the San Francisco and Houston Symphony Orchestras; Mozart’s Coronation Mass with the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York and Tokyo; Handel’s Messiah with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra; and Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas Brasilieras with the Houston Symphony Orchestra and with cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic. Ms. Huang’s recordings include the sound track of Madama Butterfly; her first solo disc, Operatic Arias with James Conlon and the London Symphony Orchestra; and Bitter Love, a collection of songs composed and conducted by Tan Dun. She is a graduate of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

CHANGYONG LIAO, baritone
Baritone Changyong Liao was born in Sichuan Province in 1968, and in 1995 graduated with a master’s degree from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where he now director of the vocal performance department. He has performed across the globe, and is the winner of many international competitions, including three first prizes in one year (1996–97) at the Plácido Domingo International Opera Competition, Queen Sonja International Music Competition, and the 41st French International Toulouse Singing Competition, respectively. He has worked with numerous orchestras, including the BBC Broadcasting and London Symphony Orchestras; San Francisco Opera and France Toulouse National Symphony Orchestras; Japan Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra; and the Norwegian National Opera House and Norwegian National Symphony Orchestra. Changyong Liao’s various operatic roles have included Valentin in Gounod’s Faust with the Opéra Comique; Morales in Bizet’s Carmen with the London Symphony Orchestra; Toreador in Carmen at Shanghai Opera House and Nancy Opera House; Germond in Verdi’s La Traviata with the Taipei National Symphony Orchestra; the title role in Verdi’s Rigoletto; Rinaldo in Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera and as Marcello in Puccini’s La bohème at ZHOU Xiaoyan Opera Centre; Danilo in Léhar’s The Merry Widow at Shanghai Opera House; and Alfio in Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana at Shanghai Grand Theatre. Mr. Liao is currently director of the Chinese Musicians Association and vice-chairman of the Shanghai Musicians Association.