BBC PROMS 2026. Bruch's Violin Concerto. July 31, 2026.

Royal Albert Hall, London.  Rausing Circle W (Seat 4-171, 30 GBP).

Lozakovich and Wellber after the Bruch Violin Concerto.

Program

Symphony No. 44 in E minor, "Trauer" by Haydn.

Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor by Bruch.

Symphony No. 4 in D minor (1841, rev. 1851) by Schumann (1810-1856).

Artists

The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen; Omer Meir Wellber, conductor.

Daniel Lozakovich, violin.

With both my children and their families in London, I find myself with little time on my hands, so this will be brief.

I was expecting a modern piece on the program (don't we always), and was somewhat surprised that there will be none today.

Of the 106 symphonies Haydn composed, only about 15-20 are programmed with some regularity.  No. 44, one of his "Sturm und Drang" compositions, is among them.  While I didn't know the term was applied to Haydn, but since it was coined in 1776, it makes sense.  The symphony certainly fits the description.  If there was any doubt, the animated way the conductor Wellber would remove all of it.  He jumped, raised his arms, and used various actions to generate the required "sturm und drang" from the ensemble.  He also played the continuo part, and I don't recall seeing one who attacked the harpsichord as energetically as he did.

There is a story that Haydn wanted the slow movement to be played at his own funeral (it was not).  And having just listened to it, it doesn't sound like something that would be played at a memorial service.  The orchestra on YouTube used mutes for the movement; I don't remember their being used here.

I was remarking in a prior blog entry that I had few encounters with Bruch's violin concerto before this decade.  But tonight was the third time I heard it in concert this year.  While it was still fresh, I do wonder if there is herd mentality in the choice of solo pieces; or there are bound to be coincidences as there are not that many popular violin concertos.

Lozakovich looked very young (he is 25), and had the technique to do the piece nearly flawlessly; the only quibble I have if the intonation was off on a few notes.  The piece could have started a little faster, but I suppose that is subjective and taste-specific.  One contrast with last night was the violin sounded a lot stronger.  That could be the location of our seats.  I did venture to guess Lozakovich performs on a Stradivari; and he does.

For encore he performed (with the orchestra) a very familiar slow movement from a well-known violin concerto, with some modifications.  I listened to the slow movements from the popular violin concertos, and still couldn't identify it.

In Wikipedia one can find an interesting history between the 1841 and 1851 versions of Schumann's Fourth Symphony.  Clara Schumann claimed that Schumann sketched out the work in 1841, and finished the full orchestration only in 1851.  This version was published in 1853, and Clara confirmed that in the 1882.  Brahms, however, preferred the version of 1841, and published it in 1891 over Clara's objection.  Just another element in the weird relationship between the Schumanns and Brahms.

As with many of Schumann's compositions, this one was easy to like.  I do have some familiarity with it; so that helped.

Both Lozakovich and Omer sounded familiar.  Indeed we heard Lozakovich back in 2018 (he was 16) performing in the Mostly Mozart Festival, and Wellber in Germany a couple of times before (2023).

This was my first encounter with this Chamber Symphony.  While they responded enthusiastically to the conductor, they at times sounded a bit chaotic, and every now and then I caught a specific instrument in a section - never a good thing in my book.  Reminds me of NJ Symphony many years ago.

After the performance of Haydn's Symphony.  Our seats were behind this railing.

We left right after the concert concluded, and I managed a photo without the railing on my way out.

Attendance was much better tonight than last night.

My back was acting up, so we took Ubers in both directions.  To beat the crowd after the concert, we left right after the initial applause, and managed to catch one very quickly.

BBC PROMS 2026. Korngold's Violin Concerto. July 30, 2026.

Royal Albert Hall, London.  Tier 2 (Box 18, Seat 1, 52 GBP).

Alena Baeva after performing Korngold's Violin Concerto, with Lazarova looking on.

Program

Orpheus Comet (2017) by Tabakova (b. 1980).

Violin Concerto in D minor (1945) by Korngold (1897-1957).

Symphony No. 5 in B flat major (1944) by Prokofiev (1891-1953).

Artists

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Delyana Lazarova, conductor.

Alena Baeva, violin.

We will be in London for four evenings, during a time BBC PROMS 2026 is taking place, so we booked tickets to three evening concerts.  This year we have better luck with getting better (by price) seats, whether they are better acoustically is still up for debate.  If today's concert is any guide, the price of the seats probably reflect more what views of the musicians they offer rather than how good they are acoustically.  Nonetheless, this was an interesting experience.

First, there are many great European musicians and orchestras.  Given how western music came into being, this isn't a surprise.  This is the first time I heard the BBC Scottish Symphony, and it sounded great.  For example, the trumpists had some difficult passages in Orpheus Comet, and they came through beautifully.  Bulgarian born Delyana Lazarova led the orchestra with precision, and coaxed from the ensemble lines that span from graceful to majestic, and a respectable dynamic range.  Her training was in Switzerland and Indiana, and is now the principal guest conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony and the Utah Symphony.  She is a violinist, and performed a duet with Baeva after the Korngold concerto.  Baeva was born in Kyrgyzstan (when it was still part of the Soviet Union) and now lives in Luxembourg.

Dobrinka Tabakova was (also) born in Bulgaria, moved to the UK when she was very young, and did most her music education in London.  One can find in the web a description of the piece, by the composer herself.  My appreciation of the piece would have been much greater if I had read it before hand.  People well-versed in the classics know Orpheus is associated with apiculture, so the initial buzzing sound is a reference to that.  (I certainly didn't know.)  In any case, it is a very fast-paced composition requiring much precision from different sections of the orchestra.  They by-and-large came through, although there were some passages that sounded a bit chaotic.

Erich Wolfgang Korngold fled to the US in the late 1930s, and became a composer of film music in Hollywood.  He vowed to never write a piece of "real" music (for lack of a better description) until Hitler was out of power.  When Hitler died in 1945, Korngold published his violin concerto in a short time.  One can conjecture he had a head start as he planned to incorporate a lot of the thematic material from his film music.  It was premiered in 1947 by Heifetz, whom Korngold referred to as Caruso and Paganini.

Technically, the piece certainly is worthy of Paganini. The soloist had to display virtuosity in practically all techniques, and the composition seems to live in the high registers.  Baeva certainly worked very hard at it, but unfortunately her violin (a Guarneri) was often overwhelmed by the orchestra.

Baeva and Lazarova played a short duet.  They were joking with one another, but I didn't get it.

Over the years I have heard quite a few Shostakovich symphonies, including the fifth.  The piece thus sounded quite familiar.  For today it was mostly a mental exercise to keep track of the forms and themes; that kept me quite occupied.

The Tabakova piece was quite short at 5 minutes.  Many percussionists were used in its performance.  Sir Henry Wood, a co-founder of the PROMS, looks on (at least his bust does).

For encore Baeva and Lazarova played a duet.

The conductor and the concertmaster shaking hands at the end of the event.

 

Photo taken at the end of intermission.  There were many empty seats in the tiers and the rausing circle.

Anne took this panaromic photo during the intermission.

As it turns out, all three concerts have a violin concerto in the program.

We took an Uber from the hotel to RAH, and the subway to go back.

Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center. Eun Sun Kim, conductor; Taylor Raven, mezzo-soprano. July 24, 2026.

David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center.  Orchestra (Seat T103, $35).

Eun Sun Kim and Taylor Raven after performing the "Seven Songs" by de Falla.

Program - Elegant Impressions

Petite Suite, L 65 (1889, orch. 1907) by Debussy (1862-1918), orch. Busser (1872-1973).

Siete canciones populares espanoios (1915, arranged 1945) by de Falla (1876-1946), arr. Halfter (1905-1989).

Sinfonietta (1948) by Poulenc (1899-1963).

In the Program Notes, the orchestra's current music director Jonathan Heyward gives (some) credit to Louis Langree for the beautiful French sound of the ensemble.  My own impression is that the orchestra certainly improved a lot during Langree's tenure, but I wouldn't be able to distinguishing the different sounds, be they German or French.  We attended more than 10 Mostly Mozart events in 2018 and 2019, not one single piece was by a French composer (admittedly I took only a cursory look).  Naturally I won't be able to say "this Mozart is performed with a considerable French flair to it," so Heyward's remark may be well above my level of appreciation.

In any case, it is an interesting program, if it's only for me to appreciate what a French sound sounds like.  When it comes to French composers, the two that readily come to mind are Debussy and Ravel, and Poulenc if one tries hard.  I may have listened to other Poulenc pieces before, but the only one I remember would be his opera about the Carmelite nuns.  (The dramatic ending certainly helped sear the opera in my memory.)  And the recent one-woman opera La voix humaine led by Hannigan.  I had always thought Manuel de Falla to be a through-and-through Spanish composer, and he is.  He connected with French composers during his stay in Paris from 1907 to 1914.

I am typing this about four days after the concert, and much of what I "got" is already gone.  So let me go through them piece by piece, briefly.

The Debussy piece contains four movements: En bateau (by boat); Cortege (procession); Menuet; and Ballet.  One could make the case for a boat trip (water is Debussy's specialty, after all), and can imagine what the procession is.  The last movements then simply became standard ones with a French take on them.  And I don't know what the French take is specifically.  The piece lasts 13 minutes per the Progam.

Taylor Raven was the soloist for the de Falla "folk songs."  The words, sometimes witty, speak of life and love.  The seven pieces total 15 minutes, and supposedly represent styles from different regions of Spain.  Here is the list: El pano moruno (the Moorish Cloth); Seguidilla murciana (Seguidilla from Murcia); Asturiana (Asturian Song); Jota (Jota); Nana (Lullaby); Cancion (Song); and Polo (Polo).

Taylor Raven ‘svoice came across well.  We saw her in NJ Symphony's performance of Mozart's Requiem a few months ago.

Poulenc's Sinfonietta has four movements: Allegro con fuoco; Molto vivace; Andante cantabile; and Finale: Prestissimo et tres gai.  Markings mostly in Italian, but with a French phrase (and very cheerful) thrown in.  As with many first listens of Poulenc (I evidently have done a few), that's all I can say about it.  At 29 minutes calling it a symphony would have been okay.

After performance of Debussy (first piece).  The harp was used for all three compositions on the program.

This is the first time we saw Kim.  She has been the music director of San Francisco Opera since 2021.  Her directions seemed precise, and the orchestra responded accordingly.  Perhaps the music didn't call for it, but the contrasts were not as big as what Heyward got a couple of weeks ago.

After the intermission we sat in the last row so we could make a quick exit after the concert concluded.  We made the 9:23 train to return home.

Glimmerglass Festival. Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte. July 20, 2026.

Alice Busch Opera Theater, Corning, NY.  Orchestra (Seat G14, $119.50).

From left: Alfonso, Guglielmo, Dorabella, Maestro Colaneri, Firodiligi, Ferrando, Despina.

Story.  See prior post.

Conductor - Joseph Colaneri.  Fiordiligi - Amanda Batista, Dorabella - Michelle Mariposa, Ferrando - Travon D. Walker, Guglielmo - Gregory Feldman, Alfonso - Kevin Burdette, Despina - Keely Futterer.

A few surprises about this production.  First, it is sung in English.  Of course the Met has been putting out an English (and abridged) version of the Magic Flute for quite a few years.  With a much smaller operating budget, it is impressive, and surprising, that Glimmerglass decided to do so.  (As far as I know, this was a Glimmerglass project.)  The setting is a college residential hall in the 1970s or 1980s.  Sunbury is not a real school, and Spartans not a real football team, but fictional setting is fine also.  So instead of being soldiers, the male protagonists are football players; I don't know if Fiordiligi and Dorabella are more than just college students.  Alfonso is the janitor; and Despina the Resident Advisor.  So the libretto is not a simple translation but adaptation as well.  And rather than going off to war, Ferrnado and Guglielmo got injured in a football game.  They are disguised as a "strong man" and a clown when they came back.  The revised story hangs together as well as the original, in my opinion.  And one has to give allowances for how well a story hangs together in a comedy, anyway.

Some of these names are tongue-twisters, I must say.  And I bet no US college dorm has ever housed characters with these names, at the same time.

The set has two levels.  The top level is a dorm room and a bathroom - the latter isn't really necessary except to elicit a few laughs, and Alfonso is a custodian, after all.  The lower level is the RA's room and the student lounge, complete with notice boards and a foosball set.  An elevator connects the two levels, but the singers probably have to take stairs.  One of the advertisements on the billboard is for a Bible Study.

The performance is 3 hours long, with a 25-minute interval.  The prior ones I had been to felt longer, so I wonder if some passages were cut in this production.  As a search on the web indicates, most productions cut out various passages for reasons ranging from easing the stamina required of the singers, to making it more acceptable to the audience.  Today's performance was at a good pace, and there were no places where things dragged on.

In many productions Dorabella and Ferrando are the supporting cast.  It didn't feel that way today (I assume one can make a distinction if one tries hard).  Mariposa sang the role of Suzuki yesterday.  While Suzuki's role is limited in Madama Butterfly, it is still impressive that she could do them back-to-back.  Her website says she is Filipino-Chinese.  Colaneri was again the conductor.

Before the performance (whom I assume to be) the general manager came and said the opera is performed in a language the audience understands, which is how Mozart would have liked it.  The premiere of this was in Vienna, so I assume they sang in Italian in front of a German-speaking audience?  In the Program they also said the idea of reversing the male and female roles was considered.  That could also work, but the story needs to change even more, I suppose.  In any case, Mozart could be applauding this, or he could be shaking his head.  We won't know.

I enjoyed the performance, perhaps even more than Madama Butterfly.  But did I enjoy a Mozart opera?

Glimmerglass was good enough to leave a small gift at my seat: a college sticker and some candy.  The gesture is appreciated.

We drove home right after the conclusion of the performance.  Traffic was good, we got home around 9 pm.  Last year it was hot, and rained.  Weather for these two days was perfect.

Glimmerglass Festival. Puccini's Madama Butterfly. July 19, 2026.

Alice Busch Opera Theater, Corning, NY.   Orchestra (Seat BB22, $119.50).

Story.  See prior post.

Conductor - Joseph Colaneri; Cio-Cio San - Eri Nakamura, Lt. Pinkerton - Eric Taylor, Suzuki - Michelle Mariposa, Sharpless - Troy Cook, Goro - Randy Ho, Prince Yamadori - Joseph Park, The Bonze - Woosik Nam.

This is our second year coming to the Glimmerglass Festival, making good on my remark "I rate our return next season as likely" from last year.  Ticket prices have remained the same (assuming the seats are in the same category), which is quite noteworthy.

Our seats were quite close to the stage, so all the voices came across well, especially those of Butterfly, Pinkerton, and Suzuki.  Last year it was quite warm in the balcony; this year our seats are in the orchestra section, and we are having a reprieve from the warmer than usual summer season.  So it was a comfortable viewing experience - indeed Anne had to get a sweater at intermission.

[They were talking about having to move last night's performance indoors; it wasn't the heat or power outage, but the "Canadian fog" due to wildfires in Ontario.  Which also affected NJ last week.]

The set is adapted from Francesca Zambello's 1998 production.  A web search indicates she was working at the Washington National Opera at the time, and that the production "offers a nuanced, visually elegant look at the cultural collision and power dynamics between the United States and Japan."  To me they were simply simple sets.  The two major sets are best described as consular offices with the pledge of allegiance and the America flag as the backdrop; and a series of semi-transparent screens for the interior of a Japanese dwelling.  Butterfly commits suicide on stage, and as she puts the knife on her neck, the stage turned red with lighting and a sheet; which I thought was effective (and better than seeing fake blood).  Many scenes happening in a Japanese setting now happen in the Consular offices.  An example is when Bonze comes on to condemn Butterfly: it happens inside the Consular office.  It doesn't not work, but certainly does nothing to highlight any cultural collision or power dynamics.  Not nuanced, not elegant.

The role of Madama Butterfly is very demanding.  Once she appears on scene, she gets very little break until the Humming Chorus.  Vocally Nakamura delivered, splendidly.  In her acting she was a little wooden.  I do wonder if the costumes limit how she can move.  When she first came on I was worried that her kimono would trip her up, and she couldn't take big strides.  Also, the hump in her back (probably from an obi) made her look crunched over, and made her stature even smaller.  At some point her wish to adopt an American lifestyle had her wearing a western dress and heels; and she was fine.

To "pass the time" during the Humming Chorus where Butterfly, Suzuki and Sorrow wait for Pinkerton, the three first circulated the stage a couple of times with lanterns, and then Pinkerton and Kate mimed their marriage.  That did the job.

Sorrow's role is played by a young boy.  Despite not having a speaking role, he is quite active in the play.  I do wonder how he is counseled so he can manage his emotions and issues such as suicide properly.

We saw this opera about 6 months ago at Opera Australia.  I wrote how cultural sensitivities are center-stage nowadays.  The Festival's Program Book also felt the need to weigh in.   For this performance, I felt Butterfly came across as a less sympathetic figure, not because she was less oppressed or less taken advantage of, but because she was too stubborn with her misdirected faith.  

Mixed in the applause for Pinkerton was some booing - which is a compliment, I guess.  It's one of the few times a "villain" gets booed in my experience.

We woke up early this morning to do the 4-hour drive to the 1 pm performance.  I was surprisingly awake for the show.  We will stay at a local hotel tonight (well, it's 45 minutes away), and return for tomorrow's Cosi Fan Tutti.

Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center. Chloe van Soeterstede, conductor; Simone Lamsma, violin. July 17, 2026.

David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center.  First Tier (Seat BB7, $35).

Lasma and van Soeterstede after the performance of Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1.

Program - Hymn and Reformation

Hymn - 2001 (2001) by Silvestrov (b. 1937).

Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26 (1866, rev. 1887) by Bruch (1838-1920).

Symphony No. 5 in D major, Op. 107, "Reformation" (1830, rev. 1832) by Mendelssohn (1809-1847),.

Given my experience with the last concert, I was quite looking forward to tonight's event.  And it didn't disappoint.

Per the Program Notes, Valentin Silvestrov was born in Ukraine, started off as an avant-garde composer, but changed course in 1970 (that's quite a while ago) to adopt "a fresh style that incorporated gestures and techniques from the Classical and Romantic eras, along with national and liturgical reference."  For today's piece, Silvestrov describes it as a hymn "enveloped in silence, although it appears like a customary string setting on the outside."  Fair description, but in isolation the piece simply sounded simple.  There is a long violin solo passage by the principal second violin.  (In some YouTube videos, the passage is played by the assistant concertmaster.)  What I didn't know - until I looked into the piece just now - was that the silence at the end is "significant" (not sure what that means, either; the YouTube video I saw had an interval that was more than 20 seconds).  Perhaps the piece would appeal to me after multiple listens, but tonight it felt like a "so what?" composition.

van Soeterstede briefly introduced the pieces in the program at the beginning of the concert.

At the end of Hymn - 2001 the principal second violin (Frautschi) was acknowledged for the solo passages she played.

van Soeterstede is a French conductor who now lives in the UK.  She spoke briefly about the program before the concert started.  On the Bruch violin concerto: the premiere wasn't well received, and Bruch invited Joachim to help with the violin solo part.  All said and done, Bruch wanted to call the piece a Fantasy (which would be a legitimate name) but Joachim insisted on it being a concerto.  The original dedication was to Joachim "with respect," but the manuscript (now housed in New York) has that crossed out and replaced with "with friendship."

Despite my having heard the Bruch violin concerto in March, my encounters with the piece have been rare recently (the one before was in 2018, with Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, and Joshua Bell as the soloist).  Interestingly, I heard it multiple times in the 2010s decade.  Is that an accident because of the concerts I went to?  Or do pieces go in and out of fashion?

I thought the piece began in a rather lackluster and sloppy manner, but it improved greatly as the performance continued.  We heard Lamsma once before, in 2018, performing the Britten Violin Concerto.  In 2018 she performed on a 1718 Stradivarius, tonight it was the 1703 "Aurora ex-Foulis," also on loan.

Surprisingly, Lamsma didn't do an encore.

There is no doubt that Mendelssohn's Reformation Symphony is not performed often.  Being "religious" doesn't explain it (not completely anyway).  I have only one other instance recorded in this blog; and I certainly do not go out of my way to avoid it.  The last movement (Chorale: Andante con moto - Allegro vivace) was based on Martin Luther's "A Mighty Fortress is our Lord."  The first movement (Andante - Allegro con fuoco) is infused with the Dresden Amen (and snippets that sound very much like it).  Supposedly the third movement (Andante) referenced a Jewish folk song and other works, but I didn't catch them.  The second movement (Allegro vivace) is a scherzo.

This symphony was chronologically the second one written by Mendelssohn, and wasn't published until 21 years after his death.  It was planned for the 300th anniversary of the Ausburg Confession (1530), but Mendelssohn couldn't get it finished in time for the occasion, partly due to his health.  The name "Reformation" was given by his sister Fanny.

The Reformation Symphony by Mendelssohn was the last piece in the program.

Our seats in the First Tier gave us good view of the orchestra.  The acoustics, however, weren't the best.  We also noticed two more familiar faces in the orchestra: violist Weyman from NJ Symphony, and cellist Gee from NY Phil.

The concert ended just after 9 pm, and we managed to get to NY Penn in time to catch the 9:23 pm train back to South Amboy.

Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center. Jonathon Heyward, conductor; Alice Sara Ott, piano. July 11, 2026.

David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, New York.  Orchestra (Seat AA102, $35).

Ott and Heyward after the performance of Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto.

Program - The Beethoven Effect

subito con forza (2020) by Unsuk Chin (b. 1981).

Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 (1800?) by Beethoven (1770-1827).

Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 (1807) by Beethoven.

The composition date of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 is a subject of debate among musicologists.  It was first performed in 1803, and published in 1804.

A bit of history.  When I moved to NJ in 1979 one of my colleagues at work would try to sign up people for the Mostly Mozart Festival during the summer months.  Work and young children made it quite impossible to attend concerts during those years.  Per entries in this blog, we went regularly starting in 2009, and did that until 2019.  COVID made it impossible to attend in-person concerts during the subsequent years.  In 2023 and 2024 many changes were announced for the Mostly Mozart Festival, among which were the replacement of Louis Langree by Jonathan Heyward, the renaming of the orchestra from MM Festival Orchestra to Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center, and a new "pay what-you-want" pricing scheme for concert tickets.  To make things even more confusing, things are now part of the "Lincoln Center's Summer for the City."

Inertia is such a thing that once you stop doing something, it takes energy and deliberation to restart.  With the many significant changes in the "organization" (don't know what else to call it), I didn't want to bother, especially since I didn't want to "fight" (even online) for these tickets, thinking they would be popular as they can be free.

This season I did look, and found out general ticket sales started in May, so I went to the website on 5/20.  Many seats were already gone (perhaps to members who donated to the program), but there were still quite a few seats available, with a "list price" of $35 per ticket.  I bought tickets for three concerts.

I am glad I did, if tonight's experience was any indication.

Jonathan Heyward is quite young (early 30s), and is the Music Director of Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.  After seeing him for this concert, the word that comes to mind is "dynamic."  The contrast he managed to get out of the orchestra was phenomenal, and the musicians seemed to be happy to be performing under his baton.  Being dynamic works very well for Beethoven, and both the Piano Concerto and the Symphony brought new excitement to and appreciation of these traditional work horses.

Ott made some variations in her tempo when she first came in; my thought was there was no need to do so with Beethoven.  While I still hold that view, she put in an impressive and enjoyable performance which completely won over the audience.

Before she played her encore, she mentioned the piece "For Alina" by Arvo Part is a piece of very few notes, in contrast to Beethoven, and that it can also bring people together.  (Some words to that effect, I forget after a few days.)

After intermission, the empty seat next to us was taken by someone who sat in the front for the piano concerto.  He mentioned that Ott performed without shoes on.  With her long dress, I didn't notice that at all.

Unsuk Chin's piece subito con forza drew inspiration from Beethoven.  I didn't get the quotes.

Conclusion of a satisfying concert.

Definition of exuberance.

Per this blog, I have heard Unsuk Chin once, and it's the same piece performed tonight.  It was in 2024, performed by the Rutgers Symphony Orchestra.  I scratched my head after the Rutgers concert.

For this concert, the Program Notes describes how Chin was inspired by Beethoven (the title now makes some sense, perhaps even better if it's "allegro con brio.")  The Notes further invites the audience to catch references to Beethoven's works (Coriolan Overture, Fifth Symphony, Emperor Concerto).  I am embarrassed to say I missed all of them.  So I still scratched my head even with more detailed notes.

The audience were really into it.  They applauded after every movement (except between the third and fourth movements of the Symphony since there is no break).  Summer concerts tend to be less formal, so I need to relax a bit.

On the other hand, this concert felt a lot more formal than the ones I used to attend.  Perhaps the renovated David Geffen Hall just feels more formal than Avery Fisher Hall, or perhaps during the Mostly Mozart Festival years the stage was configured differently.  I still recognize the concertmaster, the principal second violin, the principal cellist, and the principal flutist; so most of the musicians probably carry over from the pre-COVID period.  (Yes, Avery Fisher was renamed by 2019, but renovation was yet to take place.)

We might even go in on an earlier train and grab dinner next time.

New Jersey Symphony. Xian Zhang, Gergory D. McDaniel, conductors. Emanuel Ax, piano. June 6, 2026.

Count Basie Theater, Red Bank, NJ.  Balcony (Seat G112, $52).

Program

Doublespeak by Loggins-Hull.

Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat Major, K. 482 by Mozart.

Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14 by Berlioz.

This is the season finale, and the program is certainly one worthy of it.  Emanuel Ax, Symphonie fantastique, what more can one ask for?  And it was a satisfying evening.

The evening started with a 13-minute long piece by Alice Loggins-Hull that was commissioned by NJ Symphony.  The Program Notes contains a description of the piece, "graciously" provided by the composer.  In addition to describing each of the three (continuous) movements, Doublespeak "explores the tension between truth, perception, and language in modern life."  I am usually positive about Loggins-Hull's writings (have heard maybe three pieces of hers before), today I can at best be neutral.

The description of the movements helped.  In the first movement ("The Party") I could tell the piano is tapping out the Morse Code (not that I remember much of it), that was about it.  I tried to listen to the "We Shall Overcome" theme but couldn't get it.  The second movement ("Connection") has these digital blips that suggests the constant technology in modern day life.  The finale "Hold" has a bass ostinato (I was thinking pedal point, but different concepts).  I couldn't catch these simple concepts I thought I should get.  (Probably didn't help that I forgot what I was to listen for.)  Next time I will pay more attention.  Loggins-Hill has been popular the last couple of years, so there is a likely next time.

McDaniel conducted the premiere of Loggins-Hill "Doublespeak."

My recollection was that Emanuel Ax used to be a lot more active in the area.  Well, I still seem to see him once every few years, so that recollection is not quite correct.  And if one goes check on his website, one would see a very busy concert schedule.  It is particularly impressive that he is still at the top of his game at 77.

As usual, I cannot tell a good Mozart from a great Mozart.  But it was easy to be absorbed into the performance, and how the piano interacted with the orchestra.  I am not familiar with this particular concerto, and playing it doesn't look like a walk in the park.  Musicologists point out this is the first piano concerto in which the we find the clarinet (instead of the oboe) in the orchestra.  Cadenzas were Ax's, although they were all fleeting.  While the applause was enthusiastic by NJ standards, Zhang had to encourage the audience to clap more so Ax could come out to take a second bow.  He didn't do an encore.

Idee Fixe and Dies Irae are two things to look for in Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, and they were hard to miss.  The next thing is the visualization of the movements (some macabre), which is relatively easy to do.  Lastly, one laments the failed marriage between Berlioz and Harriet Smithson.  (Not part of the program in this symphony.)  Meanwhile, the music itself is just pleasant to listen to.

Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique is always a crowd pleaser.

I just found out Berlioz and Smithson are buried together despite Berlioz's having remarried after he and Smithson divorced.

Attendance was better than usual, but many seats in the balcony were unoccupied.  We actually sat in seats one row behind so we could get an unobstructed view of the stage.