All material found in the Press Releases section is provided by parties entirely independent of Musical America, which is not responsible for content.
Press Releases
Boston Philharmonic’s Winter & Spring 2025 Concerts: A Monumental Journey Through Three of Mahler’s Masterpieces
The Boston Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) and Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (BPYO), under the direction of Conductor Benjamin Zander, will perform some of the most challenging works in the orchestral repertoire during their combined four concerts at Symphony Hall in Boston this coming winter and spring. The season’s ambitious programs, featuring Mahler's Symphonies No. 2 and No. 4 performed by the BPO and accompanied by several world-renowned soloists and Symphony No. 6 performed by the BPYO, underscores Zander's enduring passion and unflagging energy. All concerts will also be livestreamed for free on the Boston Philharmonic’s YouTube channel.
On Sunday, February 16, at 3:00 PM the astonishingly versatile British soprano Claire Booth does double duty as soloist for Strauss’s Four Last Songs, a poignant meditation on life's transience that calls for a soprano with rich tones and autumnal sensibility, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, in which the soprano must sing with the crystalline lightness of a child to conjure the final movement’s innocent vision of paradise. It’s her first time in Boston since her appearance with the BSO in 2013. Zander first conducted Mahler’s Fourth 52 years ago, which led him to a lifetime passion for the composer and gained him a world-wide reputation as one of the leading Mahler interpreters of the era; in 2023, the Gustav Mahler Society of New York’s awarded him their very first Titan Award. Newcomers and seasoned concertgoers alike can also enjoy Zander’s popular “Guide to the Music” at 1:45 PM, a talk that provides a more vivid experience of the music.
On Sunday, March 2, at 3:00 PM the BPYO presents Mahler’s Symphony No. 6, often called the “Tragic” symphony for its powerful depiction of human struggle and resilience. The difficulties performing the work—technical, interpretive, emotional, and even logistical—are legendary, but after performing his Symphony No. 5 last season in several major European concert halls to great critical and public acclaim, this year’s BPYO musicians are prepared to tackle Mahler’s even more emotional Sixth.
The BPO finishes its 2024-25 season on Friday, April 18, at 8:00 PM with Mahler’s vast and apocalyptic Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection"), a deeply resonant work for Good Friday that strives to be a spiritually uplifting conclusion to the BPO’s 46th season. The awe-inspiring work, which never fails to stir the emotions of every concertgoer, reunites Swedish soprano Miah Persson and British mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly for the first time since they performed on Zander’s Grammy-nominated, Linn Records recording with the Philharmonia Orchestra. Connolly, a Commander and Dame of the British Empire in the UK, also memorably performed Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with the BPO in 2022. Zander’s “Guide to the Music” precedes the concert at 6:45 PM.
The BPYO concludes its 13th season on Thursday, May 1, at 8:00 PM with one of the most delicate and demanding pieces in the orchestral repertoire, Debussy's Prelude à l'après-midi d'un faune. In a continuation of the Boston Philharmonic’s tradition of presenting Important soloists of the next generation, 25-year-old Boston cellist Leland Ko will be the soloist for Walton's Cello Concerto. He was not only the first prize winner of the recent International Competition of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (OSM) and the co-winner of the 2024 Naumberg Competition, but he’s also a former BPYO member who remarkably held the first cellist position at the early age of 14. The concert concludes with Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2, which Zander says, “…overflows with love…from its first notes, emotion-drenched themes well up in an unstoppable flood, all clothed in Rachmaninoff's most gorgeous orchestration.”
Tickets, Subscriptions & Live Streams
BPO individual tickets range from $32 to $125; BPYO individual tickets range from $20-75. Student tickets are $12 with code STU-DIS or with ID at the Symphony Hall box office. Subscription packages are also available. Order at www.bostonphil.org or by calling 617-236-0999. Free live streams are available on YouTube; edited recordings will be available later. Ticket policies are at www.bostonphil.org/concerts/ticket-policies.
About the Boston Philharmonic
The Boston Philharmonic is an internationally recognized organization founded in 1979 and still led by Conductor Benjamin Zander. Composed of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (BPYO), the organization is dedicated to creating transformative experiences through live performances of great music. With its roster of exceptional musicians, the organization continues to inspire and educate audiences of all ages, fostering a love for classical music and its power to uplift the human spirit. As one of Boston’s premier orchestras, the BPO features professional, student, and amateur musicians who perform inspiring renditions of celebrated masterworks. The BPYO offers year-long, tuition-free orchestral and leadership training at the highest level for talented musicians from age 12-21, as well as the opportunity to go on tours and cultural exchanges each June.
About Benjamin Zander
For more than 50 years, Benjamin Zander has occupied a unique place as a master teacher, a deeply insightful and probing interpreter, and a profound source of inspiration for audiences, students, professional musicians, corporate leaders, politicians, and more. He has persistently engaged some of the most well-informed musical and public intellectuals in a quest for insight and understanding into the Western musical canon and the underlying religious, social, and political issues that inspired its creation.
For more than 25 years, Zander had a unique relationship with the Philharmonia Orchestra, recording a series of Beethoven and Mahler symphonies. High Fidelity named the recording of Mahler’s 6th as Best Classical Recording of 2002; the 3rd was awarded Critic’s Choice by the German Record Critics; and Mahler’s 9th and 2nd and Bruckner’s 5th recordings were both nominated for Grammy Awards.
Zander enjoys an international career as a leadership speaker, with several keynote speeches at the World Economic Forum in Davos and at TED Talks. His best-selling book, The Art of Possibility, co-authored with the late psychotherapist Rosamund Zander, has been translated into 26 languages.
FEATURED JOBS
RENT A PHOTO
