DEVON MALONEY
USHER HALL , EDINBURGH
ROYAL ALBERT HALL , LONDON
Clockwise from left : Usher Hall , Edinburgh , Scotland ; Edinburgh skyline ; Royal Albert Hall , home of the annual Proms festival ; Palace of Westminster , London .
THE FIRST CONCERT in Edinburgh features pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet , who also performs with the BSO during the 2018 – 19 season , in a program of Gershwin ’ s Concerto in F , Stravinsky ' s Suite from The Firebird and Schumann ’ s Symphony No . 2 . The second performance , on August 25 , takes place on the 100 th anniversary of the birth of Leonard Bernstein , one of Alsop ’ s mentors . Orchestras and festivals around the world are paying homage to the American conductor and composer by celebrating his music this year , so this performance comes at a particularly noteworthy time . That concert includes Scottish
violinist Nicola Benedetti performing Bernstein ’ s Serenade and features selections from his other works like West Side Story and On the Town .
“ It ’ s very special to me that we are performing the music of Leonard Bernstein on what would have been his 100 th birthday ,” notes Alsop . “ The pieces we ’ ve selected for our programs in Edinburgh and London showcase the full spectrum of Bernstein ’ s multi-faceted personality .”
After their second performance in Edinburgh , the musicians travel by train to London on August 26 . London ’ s Royal Albert Hall hosts Alsop and the BSO when they perform for a crowd of over 5,000 at The Proms on August 27 . After performances of Bernstein ’ s Slava ! A Political Overture and Symphony No . 2 , “ The Age of Anxiety ,” with Thibaudet , who recorded the work with Alsop and the BSO for their 2014 Naxos release , the program concludes with Shostakovich ’ s riveting Symphony No . 5 . The BSO is one of only two professional American orchestras performing at this year ’ s Proms .
“ It is an honor for the exceptional musicians of the BSO to perform with Music Director Marin Alsop at the Proms ,” says Kjome . “ We look forward to representing Baltimore and Maryland in our great orchestra ’ s debut at one of the most prestigious music festivals in the world .”
“ Audiences at these festivals and concert venues come from all over the world , so this is a wonderful opportunity and great honor to serve as cultural ambassadors for Maryland .”
Barbara Bozzuto BSO Board Chair
“ Touring is an important part of the performance schedule for a major orchestra like ours ,” adds BSO Board Chair Barbara Bozzuto . “ Audiences at these festivals and concert venues come from all over the world , so this is a wonderful opportunity and great honor to serve as cultural ambassadors for Maryland .”
Alsop and the BSO launch the tour with a celebratory send-off concert on August 14 at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore . The following week , musicians will load their instruments into trunks and flight cases before they are
transported on cargo trucks to the airport . Instruments and equipment will follow the musicians through the duration of the tour on separate flights , trains and trucks .
“ One of the trickiest parts of traveling with musical instruments is working with CITES regulations ,” says the BSO ’ s Director of Operations Rebecca Cain . “ CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora . Many instruments have endangered species such as ivory , Pernambuco wood and rosewood . We ’ ll work with experts to verify that all our instruments are allowed to travel and then submit the paperwork to the U . S . Fish and Wildlife Service . When the process is done , we ’ ll essentially have a passport for every instrument we are traveling with that contains any of the endangered species .”
The musicians ( and their instruments ) return home to Baltimore on August 30 before the 2018 – 19 season kicks into full gear . After a few weeks of rest , the BSO picks right back up with the Gala on September 15 before the new season launches on September 21 with Beethoven ’ s “ Eroica ” Symphony — the perfect selection for the Orchestra ’ s triumphant return to Baltimore .
MAY – JUN 2018 / OVERTURE 9