Alan Gilbert to Lead NY Philharmonic's Season Opener, 10/14-16

Music Director Alan Gilbert will lead the New York Philharmonic in Webern's Passacaglia, Op. 1, Brahms's Violin Concerto with Pinchas Zukerman as soloist, and Brahms's Symphony No. 4, Thursday, October 14, 2010, at 7:30 p.m., Friday, October 15, at 2:00 p.m., and Saturday, October 16, at 8:00 p.m. The program opens and closes with works that feature a passacaglia - a musical form that was popular in the 17th and 18th centuries.

"We have two passacaglias book-ending the program," explains Mr. Gilbert. "The last movement of Brahms's Fourth Symphony is based on a ground bass passacaglia - a kind of a repetitive pattern, a theme and variations. We thought it would be interesting to show how two composers dealt with the passacaglia."

Speaking about Brahms's Fourth Symphony, Mr. Gilbert notes: "This symphony, to me, is a culmination of Brahms's music. It's emotionally so potent and so intense, but at the same time so rigorously composed. What makes this piece endlessly fascinating is that it's so intellectually sophisticated and complex; you never get to the end of the techniques he employed. Webern is a composer who had a kind of conflict between the intellectual rigor of his composition and the emotional impact, and as such, I think is very much a kindred spirit to Brahms."

Mr. Gilbert, who has played chamber music with Pinchas Zukerman, says that the violinist "is a consummate musician. To hear him play the Brahms Violin Concerto is something that I think we can all really look forward to."

Single tickets for these performances start at $40. Tickets for Open Rehearsals are $18. Pre-Concert Talks are $7.00, effective September 13, at the box office, online, or by phone. All tickets may be purchased online at nyphil.org or by calling (212) 875-5656, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 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 or the Alice Tully Hall Box Office at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 65th Street. 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 $12.50 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.]