Chris Lee News

Wagner aplenty, Wagner galore. After starting the week off with the Met's PARSIFAL under the exciting Nezet-Seguin, I ended it with another Wagner, DIE WALKURE, in a sweeping account of Act I from the New York Philharmonic under its music director designate, Jaap van Zweden.

LIGHT YEARS, a world premiere musical at Signature Theatre, is a moving performance with a beautiful score and an introduction to touching and endearing characters. LIGHT YEARS is a deeply personal story of son and father attempting to understand each other. The relationship is firmly grounded in love and respect. Yet the two have profoundly different ideas about pursuing artistic passion versus creating a stable and consistent life. LIGHT YEARS is a production of great heart and promise that deserves to continue to evolve. It is exciting to be privy to new work in creation.

Music Director Designate Jaap van Zweden will lead the New York Philharmonic on the ASIA 2018 tour, March 8–18, 2018. The ten-day tour — Jaap van Zweden's first international tour with the Orchestra — will feature eight concerts in five cities. The Orchestra will perform in Beijing, Kyoto, Tokyo, Nagoya, and Taipei. The soloists on the tour are Beijing-born pianist Yuja Wang and Japanese-American violinist Ryu Goto.

Signature Theatre is proud to present the world premiere production of Light Years. Directed by Signature Theatre Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer(Broadway's Follies, Gigi, Million Dollar Quartet), this new musical features music, lyrics and book by Robbie Schaefer of the band Eddie from Ohio. Robbie journeys from his childhood in India to the joys and struggles of growing up, pursuing his passion and raising a family. Entwined throughout is his cherished relationship with his father-and his father's haunted past. Light Years runs now thru March 4 in Signature Theatre's MAX Theatre.

The National Tour of HAMILTON is now at ASU Gammage in Tempe through February 25th. What more can be said about a production that, since its opening three years ago, has already received the ultimate in honors and plaudits and for which the best adjectives have already been used? Yes, awesome, glorious, uplifting! All of that and more! Outstanding performances all around. In its unique form as a history lesson, HAMILTON is a hymn to the revolutionary spirit and the insatiable desire to fulfill possibility.

Music Director Designate Jaap van Zweden will return to conduct the New York Philharmonic in Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1, with Yuja Wang as soloist, and Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5. The performances take place Wednesday, February 28, 2018, at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, March 1 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, March 2 at 8:00 p.m.; and Saturday, March 3 at 8:00 p.m.

The New York Philharmonic announces Foreign Bodies, a one-night-only multidisciplinary event conducted and hosted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, concluding his tenure as The Marie-Jos e Kravis Composer-in-Residence. The concert, Friday, June 8, 2018, at 8:00 p.m., will feature Esa-Pekka Salonen's Foreign Bodies, accompanied by the World Premiere of a live video installation by Tal Rosner; Dan el Bjarnason's Violin Concerto, with Pekka Kuusisto in his New York Philharmonic debut; and Obsidian Tear, a dance work choreographed by Wayne McGregor performed by members of the Boston Ballet (Philharmonic debut) and set to Mr. Salonen's Nyx and Lachen verlernt. Foreign Bodies will be casual and multi-sensory; drinks and conversation will flow as attendees mingle with the performers, who will give additional impromptu performances throughout the event.

The 34th season of the New York Philharmonic Ensembles series chamber concerts showcasing Musicians from the Orchestra performing classical masterpieces and modern compositions in the intimate setting of Merkin Concert Hall will continue on Sunday, February 18, 2018. The concert will include Beethoven's String Trio, Op. 9, No. 1; Debussy's Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp; and Fibich's Quintet, Op. 42.

To be completely fair, modern day compositions, stereotypically, leave me wanting more. I can respect and appreciate the intellectual prowess required for their execution, but usually that's all I'm left with--respect. That, and an acute exhaustion from being led through the densely populated forest of the composer's often frustrating psyche. I am thrilled to report--this was not my experience last night at CONTACT!, a collaboration between the New York Philharmonic and National Sawdust.

Signature Theatre is proud to announce the full cast and creative team for the world premiere production of Light Years. Directed by Signature Theatre Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer (Broadway's Follies, Gigi, Million Dollar Quartet), this new musical features music, lyrics and book by Robbie Schaefer of the band Eddie from Ohio. Robbie journeys from his childhood in India to the joys and struggles of growing up, pursuing his passion and raising a family. Entwined throughout is his cherished relationship with his father and his father's haunted past. Light Years will run February 6 March 4 in Signature Theatre's MAX Theatre.

Jeffrey Kahane will return to the New York Philharmonic to conduct Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 17, from the piano; conduct Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme, with cellist Alisa Weilerstein as soloist; and conduct Haydn's Symphony No. 98, from the fortepiano, Today, January 4, 2018, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, January 5 at 11:00 a.m.; Saturday, January 6 at 8:00 p.m.; and Tuesday, January 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Below, check out photos from LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER - BERNSTEIN ON BROADWAY, which aired on PBS this New Year's Eve. In the show, Broadway stars, including Annaleigh Ashford, Laura Osnes, Chris Jackson and Aaron Tveit joined the Philharmonic in tribute to the legendary composer.

The ninth season of CONTACT!, the New York Philharmonic's new-music series, begins with Musicians from the New York Philharmonic performing two New York Premieres, Du Yun's Tattooed in Snow, for String Quartet (2015), and Fernanda Aoki Navarro's Parthenogenesis (2012).

Jeffrey Kahane will return to the New York Philharmonic to conduct Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 17, from the piano; conduct Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme, with cellist Alisa Weilerstein as soloist; and conduct Haydn's Symphony No. 98, from the fortepiano, Thursday, January 4, 2018, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, January 5 at 11:00 a.m.; Saturday, January 6 at 8:00 p.m.; and Tuesday, January 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Is it time for a re-evaluation of Massenet's place in the current repertoire and put it up a notch? I wondered after seeing the season's opening performance of the Met's John Cox production of Massenet's THAIS on Saturday afternoon. With the right performers, there's a good case for his juicy, melodic writing--among the plethora of BOHEMES, TURANDOTS and BUTTERYFLYs on the season's schedule--although the stipulation of right performers is, as always, the catch.

Bernstein's Philharmonic: A Centennial Festival will be performed again on Tuesday, November 14. Let's see what the critics had to say!

Critics J. Peter Bergman and Macey Levin once again hosted the ceremony, which saw top honors for Best Play go to the Berkshire Theatre Group's production of David Auburn's Lost Lake, and a tie between Barrington Stage Company's production of Stephen Sondheim's Company and the Mac-Haydn Theatre's production of Hello, Dolly! for Best Musical.

Martha Argerich returned to Carnegie Hall on October 20 after nearly a decade of absence. Let's see what the critics had to say!

The New York Philharmonic will celebrate the Lunar New Year, welcoming the Year of the Dog with a Gala and Concert led by Long Yu on Tuesday, February 20, 2018, at 7:30 p.m.

Though the classical music season is still young, it'll be tough for anything that lies ahead to compete with Friday night's performance at Carnegie Hall by Martha Argerich, who seemed to be having the time of her life, while showing total skill and control. The audience was hers from the get-go, stomping and whistling before she even sat down at the keyboard--as if they were at Madison Square Garden rather than this sometimes-demure palace of classical music.