Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin Curates Nine-Concert Perspectives Series At Carnegie Hall

By: A.A. Cristi Sep. 30, 2019

Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin curates a nine-concert Perspectives series during the 2019-2020 season, including performances with three orchestras with whom he has built his remarkable career-The Philadelphia Orchestra, Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, and The MET Orchestra-as well as a rare recital appearance with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato.

When asked about the curation of this Perspectives series, Mr. Nézet-Séguin said, "When I was asked to become a Perspectives artist, I was excited and honored. I reflected on the word 'perspectives' immediately. What I want is to give a perspective to the audience on who I am-as a conductor and as a pianist. I also thought this would be an incredible opportunity for me to reflect on a more personal level about where I am at this time, in a city like New York, where I am surrounded by wonderful partners. Through this series at Carnegie Hall, these ideas will all come together in a way that, I hope, speaks to future generations. It will also give me new perspectives on where I come from, where I am now, and where I want to go-hopefully with Carnegie Hall as a partner for many years to come. Every time I step on this stage, I am blessed and grateful to feel the spirit of everyone who has performed in this hall."

Mr. Nézet-Séguin kicks off his Perspectives series on Tuesday, October 15 at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage leading The Philadelphia Orchestra in the New York premiere of Valerie Coleman's Umoja, R. Strauss's Eine Alpensinfonie, and Bartók's Piano Concerto No. 3, with Hélène Grimaud.

He returns the following month on Friday, November 22 at 8:00 p.m. with Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal in their first US tour and thereby Carnegie Hall debut performing Bruckner's Symphony No. 4, "Romantic" alongside Mozart arias sung by mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, a fellow Perspectives artist at Carnegie Hall this season. Ms. DiDonato then returns with Yannick Nézet-Séguin at the piano on Sunday, December 15 at 2:00 p.m. performing Schubert's Winterreise.

In March and April, he leads The Philadelphia Orchestra in four concerts devoted to a great cornerstone of the orchestral repertoire-the complete symphonies of Beethoven-as a central part of Carnegie Hall's season-long celebration of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth. The cycle begins on Friday, March 13 at 8:00 p.m. with symphonies nos. 5 and 6, "Pastoral," and continues the following Friday, March 20 at 8:00 p.m. with symphonies nos. 2 and 3, "Eroica." They return for symphonies nos. 8, 4, and 7 on Thursday, March 26 at 8:00 p.m. The cycle is completed on Friday, April 3 at 8:00 p.m. featuring symphonies nos. 1 and 9 with soprano Angel Blue, mezzo-soprano Mihoko Fujimura, tenor Rolando Villazón, baritone Quinn Kelsey, and the Westminster Symphonic Choir under the direction of Joe Miller.

Mr. Nézet-Séguin returns for two final concerts in June with The MET Orchestra. The first, on Friday, June 12 at 8:00 p.m., features violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter in Beethoven's Violin Concerto and Romance in F Major, as well as Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5. For his final Perspectives performance on Tuesday, June 16 at 8:00 p.m., he conducts Carnegie Hall Debs Composer's Chair Jörg Widmann's sonorous Lied, paired with R. Strauss's Four Last Songs with soprano Elza van den Heever and Ein Heldenleben.

For more information on Yannick Nézet-Séguin's Perspectives series visit: carnegiehall.org/yannick.

About Yannick Nézet-Séguin
From his appointment as artistic director and principal conductor of the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal in 2000 to being named music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2010 (leading the orchestra since 2012), and onward to his most recent appointment starting in 2018 as the third music director in the history of the Metropolitan Opera, Yannick Nézet-Séguin's meteoric rise can be measured in his string of dazzling achievements. He is widely recognized for his musicianship, dedication, and charisma, establishing himself as a musical leader of the highest caliber and one of the most thrilling talents of his generation.

Mr. Nézet-Séguin made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2012, leading The Philadelphia Orchestra in his inaugural season as music director. He is also honorary conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, where he was chief conductor from 2008 to 2018, and an honorary member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

A native of Montreal, Mr. Nézet-Séguin studied piano, conducting, composition, and chamber music at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec and continued his studies with renowned conductor Carlo Maria Giulini; he also studied choral conducting with Joseph Flummerfelt at Westminster Choir College. Among his honors are an appointment as Companion of the Order of Canada; Musical America's 2016 Artist of the Year; and honorary doctorates from the Université du Québec, Curtis Institute of Music, Westminster Choir College, McGill University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Carnegie Hall's Perspectives Series
Now in its 21st season, Carnegie Hall's Perspectives series is an artistic initiative in which select musicians are invited to explore their own musical individuality and create their own personal concert series through collaborations with other musicians and ensembles. In the 2019-2020 season, Perspectives series will be curated by four acclaimed artists: conductors Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, and singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo.

Previous Perspectives artists have included Senegalese vocalist Youssou NDOUR; Brazilian singer-songwriter Caetano Veloso; Indian classical tabla player Zakir Hussain; experimental rocker David Byrne; singer-songwriters Rosanne Cash and James Taylor; as well as conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim; conductors Pierre Boulez, James Levine, Sir Simon Rattle, David Robertson, and Michael Tilson Thomas; violinists Janine Jansen, Gidon Kremer, Anne-Sophie Mutter, and Christian Tetzlaff; cellist Yo-Yo Ma; pianists Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Leif Ove Andsnes, Martha Argerich, Emanuel Ax, Evgeny Kissin, Maurizio Pollini, Sir András Schiff, Peter Serkin, Daniil Trifonov, Mitsuko Uchida, and Yuja Wang; sopranos Renée Fleming and Dawn Upshaw; mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato; bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff; the Emerson String Quartet; the Kronos Quartet; and early music ensemble L'Arpeggiata.

Program Information
Tuesday, October 15, 2019 at 8:00 PM
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Music Director and Conductor
Hélène Grimaud, Piano

VALERIE COLEMAN Umoja (arr. for orchestra; NY Premiere)
BELA BARTÓK Piano Concerto No. 3

Richard Strauss Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64

Tickets: $41-$135
_________________________________

Friday, November 22, 2019 at 8:00 PM
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
ORCHESTRE METROPOLITAIN DE MONTREAL
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor
Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo-Soprano

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART "Ch'io mi scordi di te ... Non temer, amato bene," K. 505
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART "Parto, ma tu ben mio" from La clemenza di Tito
ANTON BRUCKNER Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major, "Romantic"

Perspectives: Joyce DiDonato

Tickets: $24-$80
_________________________________

Sunday, December 15, 2019 at 2:00 PM
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo-Soprano
Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Piano

Franz Schubert Winterreise, D. 911

Perspectives: Joyce DiDonato

Tickets: $29-$96
___________________________________

Friday, March 13, 2020 at 8:00 PM
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Music Director and Conductor

ALL-BEETHOVEN PROGRAM
Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67
Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68, "Pastoral"

Pre-concert talk at 7 PM with Matthew Guerrieri, author of The First Four Notes: Beethoven's Fifth and the Human Imagination.