Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos Returns to Conduct Philadelphia Orchestra

By: Oct. 18, 2013
Enter Your Email to Unlock This Article

Plus, get the best of BroadwayWorld delivered to your inbox, and unlimited access to our editorial content across the globe.




Existing user? Just click login.

Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos returns to Philadelphia October 17 for a two-week residency with The Philadelphia Orchestra that includes his 150th performance with the ensemble in the city on October 24.

Frühbeck made his debut with the Orchestra February 14-16, 1969. The concerts marked his United States debut on what was his first American tour. In addition to his many concerts in Philadelphia, he has appeared numerous other times with the Orchestra including his performances at the Mann Center, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and as recently as last February on a four-city tour of Florida.

"The Philadelphia Orchestra sound is a very beautiful one, no greater one than that. It's a great pleasure and honor to conduct The Philadelphia Orchestra," Frühbeck said.

At his debut concerts, Frühbeck led the Orchestra in Beethoven's Overture to Fidelio and Symphony No. 6 ("Pastoral"), and Falla's The Three-Cornered Hat.

During his October residency, Frühbeck conducts the Orchestra in Beethoven's Overture to King Stephen and his Symphony No. 8; Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 2 with Lise de la Salle; and Respighi's The Pines of Rome Thursday, October 17, Friday, October 18, and Saturday, October 19.

In his second week on the podium, he leads the Orchestra in Lalo's Symphone espagnole with violinist Augustin Hadelich; Debussy's La Mer; and Ravel's Suite No. 2 from Daphnis and Chloé Thursday, October 24, Friday, October 25, and Saturday, October 26. The concert on the 24th marks Frühbeck's 150th Philadelphia performance with the Orchestra.


The Philadelphia Orchestra

The Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the preeminent orchestras in the world, renowned for its distinctive sound, desired for its keen ability to capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences, and admired for a legacy of innovation in music-making. The Orchestra is inspiring the future and transforming its rich tradition of achievement, sustaining the highest level of artistic quality, but also challenging-and exceeding-that level by creating powerful musical experiences for audiences at home and around the world.

Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin triumphantly opened his inaugural season as the eighth artistic leader of The Philadelphia Orchestra in the fall of 2012. His highly collaborative style, deeply-rooted musical curiosity, and boundless enthusiasm, paired with a fresh approach to orchestral programming, have been heralded by critics and audiences alike. The New York Times has called Nézet-Séguin "phenomenal," adding that under his baton, "the ensemble ... has never sounded better." He is embraced by the musicians of the Orchestra, audiences, and the community itself. His concerts of diverse repertoire attract sold-out houses, and he has established a regular forum for connecting with concert-goers through Post-Concert Conversations.

Under Nézet-Séguin's leadership the Orchestra returns to recording with a newly-released CD on the Deutsche Grammophon label of Stravinsky'sThe Rite of Spring and Leopold Stokowski transcriptions. In his inaugural season the Orchestra has also returned to the radio airwaves, with weekly Sunday afternoon broadcasts on WRTI-FM.

Philadelphia is home and the Orchestra nurtures an important relationship not only with patrons who support the main season at the KimMel Center but also those who enjoy the Orchestra's other area performances at the Mann Center, Penn's Landing, and other venues. The Philadelphia Orchestra Association also continues to own the Academy of Music, a National Historic Landmark.

The Philadelphia Orchestra maintains a strong commitment to collaborations with cultural and community organizations on a regional and national level. Since Orchestra President and CEO Allison Vulgamore's arrival in 2010 the Orchestra has reinvigorated and launched newpartnerships with Opera Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Ballet, Philadelphia Live Arts (Fringe Festival), Philadanco, the Curtis Institute of Music, the Ridge Theater Company, and stage director James Alexander, among others.

Through concerts, tours, residencies, presentations, and recordings, the Orchestra is a global ambassador for Philadelphia and for the United States. Having been the first American orchestra to perform in China, in 1973 at the request of President Nixon, today The Philadelphia Orchestra boasts a new partnership with the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. The ensemble annually performs at Carnegie Hall while also enjoying a three-week residency in Saratoga Springs, New York, and a strong partnership with the Bravo! Vail festival.

The Philadelphia Orchestra continues its decades-long tradition of presenting learning and community engagement opportunities for listeners of all ages across the Delaware Valley. Concerts for families and schoolchildren; eZseatU, which allows full-time college students to attend an unlimited number of Orchestra concerts for a $25 annual membership fee; free Neighborhood Concerts; and PreConcert Conversations before every subscription concert are only a few examples of ways in which the Orchestra introduces orchestral music to a new generation of listeners.Musician-led initiatives, including recent highly-successful Cello and Violin Play-Ins, shine a spotlight on the Orchestra's musicians, as they spread out from the stage into the community, and serve a key role in growing young musician talent and a love of classical music in their own dedicated roles as teachers, coaches, and mentors.

For more information on The Philadelphia Orchestra, please visit www.philorch.org.



Videos