New York Philharmonic concludes Bravo! Vail residency with Holst's The Planets

VAIL, Colo. - July 24, 2013 - PRLog -- The New York Philharmonic officially concludes its successful Bravo! Vail residency on Friday, July 26 with conductor Bramwell Tovey and acclaimed violinist Gil Shaham as the Vail Valley bids farewell to the Philharmonic, which has found a home-away-from-home at Bravo! Vail. The New York Philharmonic celebrates the conclusion of its eleventh captivating residency at Bravo! Vail with Holst’s The Planets and the beloved Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor, featuring Shaham. With two of the repertoire’s most popular masterworks on the concert program, this “astrologically-inspired” evening under the stars will be one of the New York Philharmonic’s most uplifting – and entertaining – concerts at Bravo! Vail. The outdoor concert begins at 6 p.m. at Vail's beautiful Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater.

Shaham already has a long and illustrious history with the Sibelius Violin Concerto. The Sibelius was the vehicle for his first big break, when he substituted at just 18 for an ailing Itzhak Perlman in performances with the London Symphony Orchestra and Michael Tilson Thomas.

“It’s one of the greatest pieces written for violin,” said Shaham. “When I was maybe 12 years old, I had a recording of the Sibelius Violin Concerto by David Oistrakh. It was an LP and I remember listening to the opening of that concerto over and over again, hundreds of time: out of nowhere comes a loan violin playing this beautifully haunting tune. Now to perform this work with the great New York Philharmonic, my hometown orchestra, in this most beautiful venue, is like a childhood dream come true.”

Friday’s concert, titled “Holst’s The Planets,” showcases Gustav Holst’s orchestral suite, which was inspired by the astrological deities for which the planets are named. (The dwarf planet Pluto was yet to be discovered, hence the absence of Pluto from The Planets.) The performance also features the Denver-based Women of the Evans Choir.

For the work’s first performance in 1918 in wartime London – which was rushed before Holst left to serve with YMCA as a music organizer among troops in the Near East – Holst gave the following explanation: “These pieces were suggested by the astrological significance of the planets. There is no program music in them, neither have they any connection with the deities of classical mythology bearing the same names. If any guide to the music is required, the subtitle to each piece will be found sufficient, especially if it is used in a broad sense. For instance, Jupiter brings jollity in the normal sense, and also the more ceremonial kind of rejoicing associated with religious or national festivities. Saturn brings not only physical decay, but also a vision of fulfillment.”

Of Holst’s masterful astrological suite, the English musicologist Gerald Abraham wrote, “Each movement is a completely different experience; it is not merely a play on words to say that each transports one to a different planet, a different air. Air — that is the common element to all The Planets; a sense of vast timeless space, of air exceedingly rare and purified.”

Very listenable as well as very memorable, The Planets has remained Holst’s most popular composition.

About the Artists
A musician of striking versatility, Grammy-winning conductor Bramwell Tovey is acknowledged around the world for his artistic depth and his warm, charismatic personality on the podium. His tenures as music director with the Vancouver Symphony, Luxembourg Philharmonic, and Winnipeg Symphony orchestras have been characterized by his expertise in operatic, choral, British, and contemporary repertoire. Tovey, who is entering his 13th season as music director of the Vancouver Symphony and continues as founding host and conductor of the New York Philharmonic’s Summertime Classics series, also continues his association with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. Before his appearances at Bravo! Vail this summer, Tovey led the New York Philharmonic’s Summertime Classics programs New York City.

Gil Shaham is sought after as a concerto, recital, and ensemble artist by the world’s leading orchestras, venues, and festivals. During the 2012–13 season, he continued his long-term exploration of violin concertos of the 1930s, playing concertos by Barber, Bartók, Berg, Britten, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky with orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, and the Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Kansas City, and NHK symphony orchestras. Shaham has more than two dozen concerto and solo CDs to his name, including bestsellers that have appeared on record charts in the U.S. and abroad, winning him multiple Grammys, a Grand Prix du Disque, Diapason d’Or, and Gramophone Editor’s Choice. Shaham was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1990, and in 2008, he received the Avery Fisher Award. He made his New York Philharmonic debut in September 1985 at the age of 14 performing Bizet/Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy at a Young People’s Concert conducted by Zubin Mehta. He plays the 1699 “Countess Polignac” Stradivarius.

The Evans Choir is a chamber choir made up of professional singers in the Denver area and select students from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. Under the direction of founder-conductor Catherine Sailer, the ensemble performs repertoire from the Renaissance to the avant-garde. The Evans Choir has appeared with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Central City Opera (Guo Wenjing’s Poet Li Bai), Asian Performing Arts of Colorado (Tan Dun’s Water Passion According to Saint Matthew), Colorado Ballet, Playground Ensemble, Quattro Mani (Brahms’s A German Requiem), Star Wars: In Concert at Pepsi Center, Joeseph Galema (Duruflé’s Requiem), and composer Morten Lauridsen. The Evans Choir performed with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra at Bravo! Vail in 2012. This is its first performance with the New York Philharmonic.

How to Purchase Tickets
Tickets range from $27 to $150. Lawn tickets for children 12 and under are $5. Tickets for all concerts of the 26th Season of Bravo! Vail are available for purchase at www.bravovail.org or by calling the box office at 877.812.5700.

For more information about Bravo! Vail visit www.bravovail.org or call 970.827.5700.