This week in Chicago
I’m here conducting the Civic Orchestra in Nathaniel Stookey’s The Composer is Dead. It’s being performed in five cities this week alone. There aren’t many (any?) new orchestral pieces that are getting played as much as this one. Sure — it’s fun, has Lemony Snicket, and connects with audiences, but it’s also a great piece. What more could you ask for?
Also at the CSO this week: Haitink conducts Mozart 25, Chicago Remains by Turnage, and Brahms 2nd Piano Concerto with Emmanuel Ax. I got to meet Haitink and watch his rehearsals. Beautiful conducting — he can say more with his eyes than anyone I’ve seen. The Turnage piece I thought had a very strong opening and closing — I’m still trying to figure out how his music holds together. Some very nice ear candy though, and it did evoke Carl Sandburg’s Chicago vivdly.
This afternoon Frederica von Stade is giving a recital with Peter Grunberg and Mathieu Dufour, the astonishing principal flautist of the CSO. There are a lot of Bay Area folks performing and working at the CSO this week … Nat Stookey, Daniel Handler, Flicka, Peter Grunberg, yours truly, and tomorrow, MTT (to do some advance work on his Tomashefsky Project performances here)