BSO NOW Stream Launches Tomorrow at Noon with Works by Thomas Adès, Vaughan Williams, Debussy, and Smetana

In January, the three episodes in the Boston Symphony Orchestra's second BSO NOW streaming concert series explore different facets of the concept "New Beginnings." Premiering this Thursday at noon, at www.bso.org/now, the first episode's BSO performances, led by conductor Stefan Asbury (right), focus on the idea of rejuvenation in the natural world. The program includes Vaughan Williams' serenely pastoral The Lark Ascending with American violin soloist Elena Urioste, Smetana's depiction of the river Moldau from its source to its end, Debussy's colorful, musical Spring, and Thomas Adès' Dawn, an addition to the great tradition of musical sunrises.

The January 14 stream also features a chamber music performance spotlighting BSO musicians and magazine-like segments. Elena Langer's chamber music work Five Reflections on Water was commissioned for and originally premiered by the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, who perform it here with guest conductor Jorge Soto. This episode also includes a rhapsodic feature exploring musical depictions of rivers as a complement to Smetana's The Moldau, as well as introductory remarks by BSO violinist Jennie Shames and a conversation between conductor Stefan Asbury and soloist Elena Urioste. Click here for further details about the Boston Symphony Orchestra's initial BSO NOW streams on January 21 and 28, February 11, 18, and 25.

On November 19, the Boston Symphony Orchestra launched BSO NOW, an expanded online presence with newly recorded hour-long video streams by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Andris Nelsons and guest conductors; the Boston Pops, under the direction of Keith Lockhart; and BSO musicians in chamber music, as well as BSO Youth and Family Concerts, under the direction of Thomas Wilkins, and special projects featuring the orchestra's educational and community partnerships. Most BSO NOW video streams will also feature a magazine-type segment, with behind-the-scenes storytelling with conductors, composers, and musicians, plus much more. All BSO NOW newly recorded programs will be released on select Thursdays at noon through April 29, at www.bso.org/now, with each program remaining available for 30 days after its initial posting. The BSO, Pops, and youth-focused video performances will be recorded from the stage of Symphony Hall-widely considered one of the top three acoustic concert halls in the world-which will also be featured for all its beautiful detail and historic significance.

Over the next few months, BSO NOW will also stream some selected performances from the BSO Archives, including concerts led by Seiji Ozawa, William Steinberg, and Colin Davis, with further details to be announced at a later date.

Additional BSO NOW programming details, March-April, will be announced at a later date in order for the BSO to respond effectively to any changes in restrictions that might be implemented around official COVID-19 protocols. Previously released BSO NOW streams, no longer available, include Ken-David Masur leading the BSO in Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 and Ives' The Unanswered Question; Thomas Wilkins conducting the BSO in works by Jessie Montgomery, Ellington, and Still; Marcelo Lehninger leading the orchestra in works by Copland, Barber, and Joan Tower; and Keith Lockhart leading a Holiday Pops concert stream.

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