New York Philharmonic to Release Complete Box Set of THE NIELSEN PROJECT, 6/9

The final recording and complete box set of The Nielsen Project - the New York Philharmonic's acclaimed multi-season survey of the six symphonies and three concertos by Danish composer Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) - will be released June 9, 2015, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth. The final recording features Nielsen's complete concertos: the Flute Concerto with Principal Flute Robert Langevin, Clarinet Concerto with Principal Clarinet Anthony McGill, and Violin Concerto with Danish violinist Nikolaj Znaider.

The recording launch and Nielsen's 150th birthday will be celebrated at an event co-presented by the New York Philharmonic, Dacapo Records, and the Consulate General of Denmark on June 15, 2015, at SubCulture, hosted by WWFM's David Osenberg. Philharmonic Principal Flute Robert Langevin, Principal Oboe Liang Wang, Principal Clarinet Anthony McGill, Principal Bassoon Judith LeClair, and Principal Horn Philip Myers will perform Nielsen's Wind Quintet, Op. 43; Mr. Langevin and Mr. McGill are highlighted as concerto soloists on the latest release. In addition Philharmonic Music Director Alan Gilbert will be interviewed from the stage by David Osenberg; Ambassador Jarl Frijs-Madsen, Consul General of Denmark in New York, will speak about The Nielsen Project; the Nightingale String Quartet will perform Nielsen's String Quartet No. 1; and Copenhagen-based DJ Katrine Ring will mix Nielsen recordings. The evening will also feature a special Nielsen birthday cocktail. Selections from the evening's program will be recorded for future broadcast on WWFM.

The Nielsen Project box set, released by Dacapo and distributed by Naxos, features four CDs of New York Philharmonic performances led by Music Director Alan Gilbert. The first recording - featuring Nielsen's Symphony No. 2, The Four Temperaments, and Symphony No. 3, Sinfonia espansiva, led by Alan Gilbert with baritone Joshua Hopkins and soprano Erin Morley -- was released in September 2012 and subsequently selected by The New York Times as one of the Best Classical Music Recordings of 2012. The second recording -- featuring Nielsen's Symphonies No. 1 and No. 4, The Inextinguishable, led by Alan Gilbert -- was released in September 2014. The third recording -- featuring Nielsen's Symphony No. 5 and Symphony No. 6, Sinfonia semplice -- was released in February 2015.

The fourth recording -- to be released on June 9, along with the complete box set -- features critically acclaimed performances of Nielsen's complete concertos.

A devotee of the Danish composer, Alan Gilbert launched The Nielsen Project in the 2010-11 season. Philharmonic Laureate Conductor Leonard Bernstein famously championed Nielsen's music; before Alan Gilbert, Bernstein was the only Philharmonic conductor ever to record Nielsen with the Orchestra. The current project marks the first time the New York Philharmonic has recorded Nielsen's complete symphonies and concertos. More information on The Nielsen Project is available at nyphil.org/nielsen.

Artists:

Music Director Alan Gilbert began his New York Philharmonic tenure in September 2009, the first native New Yorker in the post. He and the Philharmonic have introduced the positions of The Marie-Jose?e Kravis Composer-in-Residence, The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in- Residence, and the Artist-in-Association; CONTACT!, the new-music series; and the NY PHIL BIENNIAL, an exploration of today's music by a wide range of contemporary and modern composers inaugurated in spring 2014. As New York magazine wrote, "The Philharmonic and its music director Alan Gilbert have turned themselves into a force of permanent revolution."

In the 2014-15 season Alan Gilbert conducts the U.S. Premiere of Unsuk Chin's Clarinet Concerto, a Philharmonic co-commission, alongside Mahler's First Symphony; La Dolce Vita: The Music of Italian Cinema; Verdi's Requiem; a staging of Honegger's Joan of Arc at the Stake, featuring Oscar winner Marion Cotillard; World Premieres; a CONTACT! program; and Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. He concludes The Nielsen Project -- the multi-year initiative to perform and record the Danish composer's symphonies and concertos, the first release of which was named by The New York Times as among the Best Classical Music Recordings of 2012 -- and presides over the EUROPE / SPRING 2015 tour. His Philharmonic- tenure highlights include acclaimed productions of Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre, Jana?c?ek's The Cunning Little Vixen, Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd starring Bryn Terfel and Emma Thompson, and Philharmonic 360 at Park Avenue Armory; World Premieres by Magnus Lindberg, John Corigliano, Christopher Rouse, and others; Bach's B-minor Mass and Ives's Fourth Symphony; the score from 2001: A Space Odyssey alongside the film; Mahler's Second Symphony, Resurrection, on the tenth anniversary of 9/11; and nine tours around the world.

Conductor laureate of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and principal guest conductor of Hamburg's NDR Symphony Orchestra, Alan Gilbert regularly conducts leading orchestras around the world. His 2014-15 appearances include the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, The Metropolitan Opera, and The Philadelphia Orchestra. He made his acclaimed Metropolitan Opera debut conducting John Adams's Doctor Atomic in 2008, the DVD of which received a Grammy Award. Rene?e Fleming's recent Decca recording Poe?mes, on which he conducted, received a 2013 Grammy Award. His recordings have received top honors from the Chicago Tribune and Gramophone magazine. Mr. Gilbert is Director of Conducting and Orchestral Studies at The Juilliard School, where he holds the William Schuman Chair in Musical Studies. In May 2010 Mr. Gilbert received an Honorary Doctor of Music degree from The Curtis Institute of Music and in December 2011, Columbia University's Ditson Conductor's Award for his "exceptional commitment to the performance of works by American composers and to contemporary music." In 2014 he was elected to The American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Robert Langevin joined the New York Philharmonic in the 2000-01 season as Principal Flute, The Lila Acheson Wallace Chair, and made his solo debut with the Orchestra that season. His October 2012 solo performance in Nielsen's Flute Concerto, conducted by Music Director Alan Gilbert, was recorded for The Nielsen Project. He was the Jackman Pfouts Principal Flute Chair of the Pittsburgh Symphony and associate principal of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and, as a member of Musica Camerata Montreal and l'Ensemble de la Socie?te? de Musique Contemporaine du Que?bec, he assisted in many premieres. He has performed as soloist with Quebec's most distinguished ensembles and has recorded many recitals and chamber music programs for the CBC. Mr. Langevin's honors include first prizes in flute and chamber music from the Montreal Conservatory of Music; the Prix d'Europe; and second prize at the Budapest International Competition. He is currently on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, and Orford International Summer Festival.

Liang Wang, The Alice Tully Chair, joined the Philharmonic as Principal Oboe in 2006, and has since performed numerous solos with the Orchestra. Previously, he was principal oboe of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Opera, and San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, and was guest principal oboe at the Chicago and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras. Born in Qing Dao, China, he studied at the Beijing Central Conservatory and at California's Idyllwild Arts Academy, received his bachelor's degree from Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music, and was a fellowship recipient at the Aspen Music Festival and School and at the Music Academy of the West. Mr. Wang has won awards at the Spotlight Competition of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Pasadena Instrumental, Fernard Gillet International Oboe, and Tilden Prize competitions, and he has twice received the Los Angeles Philharmonic Fellowship. He has performed chamber music at the Santa Fe and Angel Fire Festivals; has given master classes at the Cincinnati Conservatory; serves on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music and New York University; and is an honorary professor at Beijing's Central Conservatory of Music and the Shanghai Conservatory.

Anthony McGill joined the New York Philharmonic as Principal Clarinet, The Edna and W. Van Alan Clark Chair, in September 2014. His performances of Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto marked his Philharmonic solo debut. Previously principal clarinet of The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, he has appeared as soloist at Carnegie Hall with the MET, American Symphony, and New York String orchestras. As a chamber musician Mr. McGill has performed with the Guarneri, Tokyo, Brentano, Pacifica, Shanghai, Miro?, and Daedalus quartets, and with Musicians from Marlboro, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and University of Chicago Presents. His festival appearances have included Tanglewood, Marlboro, Mainly Mozart, Music@Menlo, and Santa Fe Chamber Music. He has collaborated with Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Mitsuko Uchida, Lang Lang, Gil Shaham, and Midori. He performed with Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, and Gabriela Montero at the inauguration of President Barack Obama. He has appeared on Performance Today, Saint Paul Sunday, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and NBC Nightly News. Mr. McGill serves on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, Bard College Conservatory of Music, and Manhattan School of Music.

Judith LeClair joined the Philharmonic as Principal Bassoon, The Pels Family Chair, in 1981, at the age of 23, and has since made more than 50 solo appearances with the Orchestra, most recently in January 2013, performing Mozart's Bassoon Concerto. Previously she was principal bassoon of the San Diego Symphony and San Diego Opera. She has performed chamber music with leading artists and participated in festivals around the country. Every August she gives a solo recital and weeklong master class at the Hidden Valley Music Seminar in Carmel Valley, California. In April 1995 Ms. LeClair premiered John Williams's The Five Sacred Trees, a concerto commissioned by the New York Philharmonic as part of its 150th Anniversary celebration. She reprised the concerto with the San Francisco Symphony, London's Royal Academy Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra. Her recording of this last performance and her solo New York Legends CD for Cala Records were released in 1997. Ms. LeClair made her professional debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra at age 15. She is on the faculty of The Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music.

Philip Myers joined the Philharmonic as Principal French Horn, The Ruth F. and Alan J. Broder Chair, in January 1980, and made his solo debut with the Orchestra that month in the premiere of William Schuman's Three Colloquies for French Horn and Orchestra. He has since appeared as a Philharmonic soloist often, most recently performing Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings, led by Alan Gilbert, in November 2013. Mr. Myers began his orchestral career in 1971 with a three-year term as principal horn of the Atlantic Symphony in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was third horn with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from 1974 until 1977. As principal horn of the Minnesota Orchestra for a season and a half, he made a solo debut with that ensemble in 1979, performing Richard Strauss's Horn Concerto No. 1, Neville Marriner conducting. A native of Elkhart, Indiana, Philip Myers holds two degrees from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He plays Engelbert Schmid French horns.

About the Nightingale String Quartet

The Nightingale String Quartet was selected as Gramophone Magazine's Young Artist of the Year in 2014. Comprising violinists Gunvor Sihm and Josefine Dalsgaard, violist Marie Louise Broholt Jensen, and cellist Louisa Schwab, the Quartet was awarded the Danish Radio P2 talent prize 2010 for, "with burning passion, irresistible zest, and infectious mutual responsiveness making the classical string quartet brim over with life." The Nightingale String Quartet has won prizes at Danish and international chamber music competitions, including the Danish Radio Chamber Music Competition and the International Charles Hennon Concours. The Quartet's CD series of the string quartets by Carl Nielsen's contemporary Rued Langgaard was awarded three Editor's Choice distinctions in Gramophone as well as two Chamber Choice awards in BBC Music Magazine, which also nominated the group for Chamber Recording of the Year.

DJ Katrine Ring

Award-winning Copenhagen DJ Katrine Ring deconstructs and remixes classical tracks as well as composes new tracks. She has worked with classical music as a DJ since 2006, exploring new musical territory and new techniques at the Copenhagen Classical Lounge/Yellow Lounge DK. Her instrument is sound recordings, laptop, and sound effects, and she invented mini live concerts in which she improvises with classical musicians. Katrine Ring performs regularly at festivals like Magneet Festival, Rued Langgaard Festival, Holmboe Festival, Wundergrund Festival, Copenhagen Opera Festival, Danish Radio Summer Festival, Classic Mondays, and Reload Classics, and creates DJ mixes live at events and award shows.

Tickets for these performances are $25 in advance or $30 the day of the performance. Tickets may be purchased online at subculturenewyork.com.

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