I’m delighted — amazed, thrilled, just over the moon — about next season’s programs at the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the first season under the orchestra’s new conductor, Alan Pierson.
Talk about the future of classical music! Pierson, an indie classical musician known for conducting Alarm Will Sound, a pretty astounding new music ensemble, is shaping the orchestra’s season almost entirely around Brooklyn composers and Brooklyn communities:
In this debut “reboot” season, the Brooklyn Phil features the work of generations of great Brooklyn musicians, from Aaron Copland and Lena Horne to Mos Def and Sufjan Stevens. The orchestra will also connect with its own past, through Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony–the first work the Brooklyn Philharmonic ever performed, in 1857. In each of the three neighborhoods, one Beethoven movement is presented in a context that speaks to the local community.
I’ve never seen anything like this. So I’ve taken the unusual step of reproducing the entire season announcement press release here, so everyone can see what’s going on. What’s different about what they’re doing? They’re not just bringing orchestral repertoire to Brooklyn. They’re bringing music that’s about Brooklyn, including things that Brooklynites already know.
And can classical music survive anywhere, in the long run, if most performances are old music? I’m not at all sure of that.
And aren’t orchestras all over the US trying to remake themselves, by getting closer to their communities? So here’s a dramatic example of how to do it. Larger orchestras, of course, have subscription seasons, featuring standard rep, that still work for them financially (though if you project the numbers into the future, the trend doesn’t look good). So they wouldn’t abandon that, and transform all their programming, Brooklyn Philharmonic-style.
But if they want to approach their wider community, they ought to take a look at what’s happening in Brooklyn next year.
Here’s the press release (or you can read it on the Brooklyn Philharmonic’s site):
“We will become ‘Brooklyn’s orchestra’ like never before.” —
Alan Pierson, Artistic Director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic
BROOKLYN PHILHARMONIC
2011-12 SEASON ANNOUNCEMENT
A new vision for the urban orchestra led by new artistic director Alan Pierson
The Brooklyn Phil moves into three Borough neighborhoods
— Brighton Beach, Downtown Brooklyn, Bed-Stuy —
and performs a series of concerts that reflects the heritage of each,
engaging the community through artistic collaborations, family events and local partnerships
BRIGHTON BEACH
Brooklyn Phil opens its orchestra series accompanying beloved and rare Russian cartoons
[Brighton Beach is a vibrantly Russian neighborhood, full of immigrants, with Russian showing everywhere, on storefronts and signs.]
Chamber Concert: Notes of Freedom with Sergei Dovlatov’s New Yorker stories
Gems from Gubaidulina, Pärt, Schnittke, Shostakovich, Zhurbin
Family Workshop: Cartooning & Music Making
[Click “Continue reading” for the rest.]
DOWNTOWN BROOKLYNPremiere of David T. Little choral work based on painting of Brooklyn Village in 1820
Brooklyn Youth Chorus sings new Sarah Kirkland Snider work inspired by the Brooklyn Bridge
Excerpts from indie star Sufjan Stevens’ The BQE
Chamber Concert: Living in Brooklyn with author Phillip Lopate
Family Workshop: Shape Note Singalong
BED-STUY
Mos Def performs hip hop classics live with orchestra (arr. Derek Bermel)
Orchestra tribute to Bed-Stuy’s own Lena Horne
Chamber Concert: Spirituals, Rags & Strings with poet Tyehimba Jess
Family Workshop: Emcee Me
THE BEETHOVEN THREAD
Brooklyn Phil salutes its roots by performing a movement of the Eroica Symphony–featured on the Brooklyn Phil’s 1857 debut–in each neighborhood’s orchestra concert
BEETHOVEN REMIX PROJECT
Open competition to remix the finale of Beethoven’s Eroica;
Brooklyn Phil will play a symphonic realization of winning entry at Bed-Stuy orchestra concert
Plus numerous works by Brooklyn composers, from Bristow & Burleigh to Gershwin & Copland
“I want the Brooklyn Phil to become an essential, dynamic force for music in the borough.”
— Alan Pierson
A UNIQUE CONCEPT, A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY
It’s not every day a Board of Directors appoints a new Artistic Director and gives that person carte blanche to determine and design the artistic present and future of the organization. But that is exactly what the Brooklyn Philharmonic Board has done in appointing Alan Pierson the eighth Director of the orchestra since its founding in 1857. Pierson, well-known as founder and conductor of the leading new music ensemble Alarm Will Sound, is celebrated not only for his musical skill and intellect but his programming, which is genuinely creative and completely entertaining. The 2011-12 season reveals Pierson’s adventurous vision for the Brooklyn Philharmonic: a new programming paradigm, which actively involves communities and engages them in new and exciting collaborations.
Pierson will bring the Philharmonic out into the borough, giving concerts in three vital neighborhoods: Brighton Beach, Downtown Brooklyn, and Bedford-Stuyvesant. Each neighborhood will host three different events–an orchestra concert, a chamber concert with readings by distinguished authors, and a family event–which are influenced by local culture and involve the participation of local artists, organizations, and businesses. All events will be free or low-cost, use a variety of indoor and outdoor venues, and demonstrate the orchestra’s ability to make music in a variety of styles and configurations.
Of prime importance to the new Brooklyn Philharmonic is the creation and nurturing of community partnerships in each neighborhood. This season, the Brooklyn Phil’s Community Partners include the Brooklyn Youth Chorus (Downtown Brooklyn), Roulette (Downtown Brooklyn), Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation’s Center for Arts and Culture (Bed-Stuy), Children’s Talent Development Fund (Brighton Beach), and Brooklyn Public Library, a long time partner (Downtown Brooklyn and Bed-Stuy).
In this debut “reboot” season, the Brooklyn Phil features the work of generations of great Brooklyn musicians, from Aaron Copland and Lena Horne to Mos Def and Sufjan Stevens. The orchestra will also connect with its own past, through Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony–the first work the Brooklyn Philharmonic ever performed, in 1857. In each of the three neighborhoods, one Beethoven movement is presented in a context that speaks to the local community.
Says Pierson: “I can’t imagine another place where the project of designing orchestra concerts to reflect and speak to the local culture would be as rewarding and stimulating.”
T H E ’11 / 12 S E A S O N
TWO PREVIEW CONCERTS OPEN SEASON
Hip hop legend and critically-acclaimed actor Mos Def, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, songstress Mellissa Hughes and other special guests join members of the Brooklyn Philharmonic in two lively samplings of things to come in 2011-2012. The programs will feature small ensemble versions of music the full orchestra will play later in the season, including Derek Bermel‘s arrangements of Mos Def’s original songs, 19th century Shape Note singing, and works by David T. Little, Frederick Rzewski, and Lev Zhurbin.
Brooklyn Phil & Mos Def at Restoration Rocks Music Festival
October 8, 2011, time TBA
1368 Fulton Street
Tickets: Free
Featuring:
Mos Def, hip hop artist
Brooklyn Phil Chamber Players; Alan Pierson, conductor
Program:
Mos Def arr. Derek Bermel, “Life in Marvelous Times” (2008) and other songs
Frederick Rzewski, Coming Together (1972)
WNYC New Sounds Live presents the Brooklyn Phil
October 12, 2011, 7:00 pm
The Winter Garden at the World Financial Center, NYC
Between 225 Liberty Street and 200 Vesey Street
Tickets: Free
Featuring:
Mos Def, hip hop artist
Mellissa Hughes, voice
Corey Dargel, voice
Brooklyn Youth Chorus; Dianne Berkun, director
Brooklyn Phil Chamber Players; Alan Pierson, conductor
Program
:
Shape Note Singing
David T. Little, excerpt from Winter Scene (2011)
Lev Zhurbin, excerpt from Only Love (2008)
Frederick Rzewski, Coming Together (1972)
Mos Def arr. Derek Bermel, “Life in Marvelous Times” (2008) and other songs
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Greg, the Brooklyn Phil sure got a lot of favorable attention back when Robert Spano and Joe Horowitz were doing the (excellent) programming there. (It seemed like they were getting better reviews than the New York Philharmonic.) Do you know anything about how well or poorly the Brooklyn Phil was doing financially at that point?
Looks fantastic–great model for many orchestras! Terrific diversity, and embraces the heart and soul of the city for which it makes a home.
Relevant. Fresh. Intriguing. Now THAT’s entertainment. Bravo!
All I can say is “wow!” This is a total re-invention of what has become a hackneyed formula for orchestral planning and programming. Would that I lived in Brooklyn instead of Iowa!
This adventure smacks of desperation – a sort of dinner theatre..
where the dinner is 2nd. rate and the theatre even more so . Lena
Horne-Mos def ain’t Beethoven or Copland . To pretend that they
can interchange is a farce and a deceptive game of musical chairs in
which the participants can play the game of “feel good ” for bringing
“culture” to the masses .Mr. Pierson will prevail for a while and when something more substantial comes along will be off like a shot . It all boils down to that word “culture ” and cultivation which is in short supply
nowadays . To put Mos Def on same program with Beethoven is more
than ridiculous it is pathetically laughable and speaks volumes on
the desperation to get any audience however low on the scale
of musical culture .
“And the emphasis now shifts to new music. Aren’t we supposed to like that?
And can classical music survive anywhere, in the long run, if most performances are old music? I’m not at all sure of that.”
These are very valid points. I’m curious as to what we define as “classical” and is their a difference between classical adaptations of popular music and popular adaptations of classical music. And at what point do we just not care about classifications and just accept the fact that it’s music, and it’s awesome, and a lot of people have worked really hard to create it?
I can only agree with the earlier comments. Bravo!
It’s interesting and innovative but there really isn’t all that much orchestral music in this paradigm. Throwing Beethoven 3 into the mix as a nod to the history of the orchestra seems pointless if the rest of the season is lumped around Mos Def and “indie classical” stuff. Oh well. Will be interesting to see how long this lasts.