Alan Gilbert and the NY Philharmonic Return from Tour of Europe

The New York Philharmonic's EUROPE / WINTER 2010 tour, the Orchestra's first journey to Europe under the baton of Music Director Alan Gilbert, has concluded following two sold-out concerts at the Barbican Centre in London, England. The Philharmonic performed to enthusiastic houses in cities across Europe throughout the tour, which brought the Orchestra to nine cities in five countries, inspiring ovations from audiences and acclaim from critics along the way.

The EUROPE / WINTER 2010 tour marked the second international success of the New York Philharmonic and Alan Gilbert since the beginning of their partnership in September 2009. On the October 2009 Asian Horizons tour, Mr. Gilbert conducted the Orchestra in performances from Tokyo to Abu Dhabi, including the Philharmonic's debut in Hanoi, Vietnam. EUROPE / WINTER 2010 represented a return to the birthplace of the symphonic tradition and the Philharmonic's first visit with its new Music Director to major European capitals such as London, Paris, Madrid, and Zurich.

A sampling of reactions by music critics follows:

Barcelona, Spain
"A concert which set a milestone on the annals of musical life in Barcelona."
- La Vanguardia

Zaragoza, Spain
"Perfect - one cannot say more."
- Heraldo de Aragon

Madrid, Spain
"The New York Philharmonic...proved their exceptional quality in Sibelius's Symphony
No. 2. Gilbert conducted the work with great energy.... It was a balanced and brilliant interpretation."
- El País

Zurich, Switzerland
"The New York Philharmonic under Alan Gilbert and pianist Yefim Bronfman thrilled the audience. Festive, excited anticipation in the sold-out hall.... The Tonhalle [Zurich] public...was expecting something very special, and they got it."
- Tages-Anzeiger
"The New York Philharmonic presented itself with its customary luxurious sound...as one big consistent ensemble of extraordinary precision."
- Neue Zürcher Zeitung

Frankfurt, Germany
"Not since Bernstein's time has the New York Philharmonic sounded that brilliant, virtuosic, powerful and well-balanced."
- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Cologne, Germany
"With a sure hand, Alan Gilbert made Sibelius's Symphony No. 2 shimmer.... The bold textures of the music emerged clearly in the phenomenally transparent sound. One could have listened to this impeccable, brilliant, and coolly relaxed orchestral playing for hours."
- Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger
"The [Haydn] symphony La passione began with an Adagio - with velvety, vibrant tone, not merely dark but genuinely sorrowful.... After a triumphantly brilliant encore of Beethoven, there was a well-deserved standing ovation."
- Kölnische Rundschau

Dortmund, Germany
"Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 is a work that should only be taken up by orchestral legends. But no one has played the symphony as impressively as the New York Philharmonic.... [Alan Gilbert] is already so charismatic, so precise in his baton technique, so emotional and full of energy - and certain that he is standing at the podium of what is probably the best Orchestra in the world."
- Ruhr Nachrichten

Paris, France
"The orchestra sounds clearer and more transparent, more elegant as well."
- Le Figaro

London, England
"..my attention was seized by the orchestra's extraordinary sound... luxuriant and padded as a Christmas goose...it was thrilling."
- Daily Telegraph

"NYPO has made a magnificent choice: energizing, contemporary, inclusive and, if tonight's combination of great programming and superb playing is anything to go by, hugely positive for the future. Thank goodness that tonight's concert kicked off a biennial residency at the Barbican; no doubt that tonight's audience will be first in line when the New Yorkers return in 2012!"
- Gramophone

The EUROPE / WINTER 2010 tour included thirteen performances in nine European cities: Barcelona, Zaragoza, and Madrid, Spain; Zurich, Switzerland; Frankfurt, Cologne, and Dortmund, Germany; Paris, France; and London, England. The Orchestra made its debut in Dortmund, marking it as the 429th city in which the Philharmonic has performed over its 167-year history. The Orchestra was accompanied by two soloists: baritone Thomas Hampson, the Philharmonic's Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence, and pianist Yefim Bronfman. EUROPE / WINTER 2010 was the fifth New York Philharmonic concert tour under the aegis of Credit Suisse, the Orchestra's Global Sponsor, and the second in Europe.