Manfred Honeck Makes NY Philharmonic Debut; Jean-Yves Thibaudet Performs Grieg's Piano Concerto, Now thru 1/5

Mr. Thibaudet is a recording artist for Decca. His recordings have earned the Schallplattenpreis, the Diapason d'Or, the Choc du Monde de la Musique, a Gramophone Award, two Echo Awards, and the Edison Prize. In the spring of 2010 he released Gershwin, a collection of the composer's works performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, led by Marin Alsop. His most recent album is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

Jean-Yves Thibaudet was born in Lyon, France, where he began his piano studies at age five and made his first public appearance at age seven. At age 12 he entered the Paris Conservatoire to study with Aldo Ciccolini and Lucette Descaves, a friend and collaborator of Ravel. At age 15 Mr. Thibaudet won the Premier Prix du Conservatoire and three years later won The Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York City. In 2001 the Republic of France awarded him the Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and in 2010 the Hollywood Bowl inducted him into its Hall of Fame. Known for his style and elegance, Mr. Thibaudet wears a concert wardrobe designed by Vivienne Westwood.

REPERTOIRE

Walter Braunfels (1882-1954) was an educator, pianist, composer, and The Head of the Cologne (Germany) Staatliche Hochschule für Musik. Interest in him and his work has grown recently, and one of his champions is Manfred Honeck, who performed the Suite from Fantastic Apparitions on a Theme by Berlioz on a European tour in 2010 with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Braunfels was a German contemporary of Richard Strauss. He completed this virtuosic showpiece for orchestra in 1917 and later became one of the most popular opera composers of the 1920s, one who owed an artistic debt to Wagner. The full 50-minute work consists of 12 "apparitions" of the theme (derived from "The Song of the Flea," a sardonic tune sung by Mephistopheles in Berlioz's The Damnation of Faust), plus an introduction and a finale; the Suite presents several sections from the score. These concerts mark the Philharmonic's premiere of the Suite, but the New York Symphony (which would merge with the New York Philharmonic in 1928) performed the complete work at Carnegie Hall in 1925, with Bruno Walter conducting.

Edvard Grieg was 25 years old when he composed his Piano Concerto. He wrote it as a vehicle for himself, a fine pianist who often performed both as a soloist and as an accompanist for his wife, a soprano. The concerto earned him an international reputation as well as the admiration of such masters as Tchaikovsky and Liszt. It was composed while Grieg was influenced by the musical nationalism of the 19th century, and its third movement explores the rhythms of two Norwegian folk dances: the duple-meter lalling and the triple-meter springdans. The composer revised the concerto - his only completed effort in the genre and one of his best-known compositions - in 1906-07, shortly before his death. The New York Symphony (which later merged with the New York Philharmonic) first performed it in 1879, with Leopold Damrosch conducting and Franz Rummel as soloist. Its most recent performance was in May 2012, with Alan Gilbert conducting and Evgeny Kissin as soloist.

Ludwig van Beethoven conducted the first performance of his Symphony No. 7 on December 8, 1813, in Vienna, at a charity concert for soldiers wounded during the defense of the city against Napoleon's invading forces. The premiere was so successful that popular demand called for a repeat performance of the symphony four nights later. The work was completed in 1812, an eventful year for the composer: he met the German philosopher Goethe, penned the mysterious "immortal beloved" letter, interfered in his estranged brother's personal affairs, composed the last of his piano sonatas, and completed two symphonies. While Weber stated that the Seventh Symphony suggested that Beethoven was "ripe for the madhouse," Wagner praised its Dionysian spirit and termed it the "apotheosis of the dance." The New York Philharmonic performed the symphony's U.S. premiere on November 18, 1843, led by the Orchestra's founder, Ureli Corelli Hill. Most recently it was performed in March 2012 as part of The Modern Beethoven: A Philharmonic Festival, led by David Zinman.

TICKETS

Tickets for these concerts start at $41. Tickets for Open Rehearsals are $18. Pre-Concert Talks are $7; discounts are available for multiple concerts, students, and groups (visit nyphil.org/preconcert for more information). All other tickets may be purchased online at nyphil.org or by calling (212) 875-5656, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets may also be purchased at the Avery Fisher Hall Box Office. The Box Office opens at 10:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and at noon on Sunday. On performance evenings, The Box Office closes one-half hour after performance time; other evenings it closes at 6:00 p.m. A limited number of $13.50 tickets for select concerts may be available through The Internet for students within 10 days of the performance, or in person the day of. Valid identification is required. To determine ticket availability, call the Philharmonic's Customer Relations Department at (212) 875-5656. [Ticket prices subject to change.]

Photo Credit: Jason Cohn