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Empire State Building To Glow Red for Opening Gala Concert

Empire State Building New York Philharmonic

We'll paint the town red.

On Thursday night, whether you join us for our Opening Gala Concert or not, look up: for yet another year, the Empire State Building will glow Philharmonic Red in honor of our 174th season, which kicks off that evening.

By the way, if you won't be joining us, you can still watch the concert free on Live From Lincoln Center and listen to it on Classical 105.9 WQXR!

(The Empire State Building image® is a registered trademark of ESRT Empire State Building, L.L.C. and is used with permission.)


SLIDESHOW: A Glamorous Opening Gala

The New York Philharmonic launched its 2014–15 season last night! Following a glittering pre-concert reception, the Opening Gala centered on La Dolce Vita: The Music of Italian Cinema, in which Music Director Alan Gilbert and the Orchestra were joined by a starry array of artists — Joshua Bell, Renée Fleming, and Josh Groban plus Martin Scorsese and Alec Baldwin. Afterward, the Gala audience crossed the Lincoln Center Plaza for a post-concert dinner in the David H. Koch Theater. Echoing the festive occasion, the Empire State Building shone Philharmonic red last night in celebration of the new season. Relive the festivities!

VIDEO: Gala Goings-On

The buzz of activity — behind the scenes and onstage, before and during the concert — that made the New York Philharmonic's Opening Gala Concert the place to be on September 25, 2013, included: arrivals, receptions, orchestra and audience standing for the National Anthem, Audra McDonald taping her commentary for the concert's future Live From Lincoln Center telecast, and the rousing conclusion with Ravel's Boléro.

What Does Boléro Look Like?

unravelling bolero

This, according to the late Canadian artist Anne Adams. In 1994, Adams completed “Unravelling Boléro,” a bar-by-bar depiction of Ravel's slinky, Spain-tinged piece. Rich color spectrum: check. One long, slow crescendo: check. Those pinks and oranges (over what looks like New York at night) toward the end are the key change, of course.

Adams had progressive aphasia, which can cause a flowering of activity in a brain area that integrates different senses. The kicker: Ravel had it, too, according to one scientific study. Another symptom is a compulsion toward repetition — could Boléro be an example?

Read the fascinating story and hear Boléro September 25 at the Opening Gala or the Free Dress Rehearsal.

Throwback Thursday

Jackie Kennedy and John D. Rockefeller III

50 years ago, two special guests attended Opening Night of the Philharmonic's 1963–64 season in style: Jackie Kennedy and John D. Rockefeller III.

You, too, can be among the season-opening attendees. The box office opens Sunday at noon, when you can grab tickets to the Opening Gala with Yo-Yo Ma, the subscription season-opening concerts with Artist-in-Residence Yefim Bronfman, and any of this season's other 100+ concerts. If you're a subscriber, you can get your tickets now and take advantage of the One Week Sale, which ends this Sunday at noon.

Photo courtesy of New York Philharmonic Digital Archives

VIDEO: It Takes Yo-Yo To Tango

When Yo-Yo Ma premiered Osvaldo Golijov's Azul, the Los Angeles Times couldn't say enough good things about the collaboration: "Of all the music written for Ma, this one captures him most fully.... Ma and Golijov are artists made for each other.”

Yo-Yo Ma headlines the Philharmonic's Opening Gala with Azul and Piazzolla's La serie del Ángel, and Alan Gilbert can't wait: "It's a dream to have Yo-Yo Ma opening the season."

Hear more of Alan's thoughts on Yo-Yo, Golijov, and Piazzolla in this video.