Alan Gilbert and the NY Philharmonic Head to Europe Oct 21 - Nov. 4

The New York Philharmonic will present its third international concert tour under the direction of Music Director Alan Gilbert: EUROPE / AUTUMN 2010, October 21-November 4, 2010. The wide-ranging European tour will feature eleven concerts in eight countries, with debuts in the Republic of Georgia (in Tbilisi and Batumi) and Republic of Lithuania (in Vilnius), in addition to concerts in Belgrade, Republic of Serbia; Ljubljana, Republic of Slovenia; Warsaw, Poland; Hamburg, Germany; Paris, France; and Luxembourg. Soloists on the tour include Georgian violinist

Lisa Batiashvili, who will perform two concerts in her home country, appearing in both Tbilisi and Batumi, and violinist Leonidas Kavakos, who will appear in Belgrade, Hamburg, and Luxembourg. Alan Gilbert has invited the winner of the 2010 International Fre?de?ric Chopin Piano Competition to appear with the Philharmonic in Warsaw one week after the conclusion of the world-renowned competition. The winner will perform with the Orchestra again in New York at Avery Fisher Hall, January 4, 2011.
EUROPE / AUTUMN 2010 is the Orchestra's second tour of Europe under the leadership of Mr. Gilbert, following the acclaimed EUROPE / WINTER 2010 tour. EUROPE / AUTUMN 2010 also marks the sixth New York Philharmonic concert tour under the aegis of Credit Suisse, the Orchestra's Global Sponsor, and the third in Europe.

The repertoire for EUROPE / AUTUMN 2010 will offer varied programs to audiences across Europe, and will feature Beethoven's Egmont Overture; Brahms's Symphony No. 4; Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun; Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber; R. Strauss's Don Juan; and Wagner's Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde. Lisa Batiashvili will perform Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1 in Tbilisi and Batumi. Leonidas Kavakos will perform Silbelius's Violin Concerto in Belgrade, Hamburg, and Luxembourg. In Warsaw, the Orchestra will perform a piano concerto by Chopin with the winner of the 2010 International Fre?de?ric Chopin Piano Competition; the precise work will be announced at a later date.

"We're always trying to find pieces that are appropriate for a tour, works that show the Orchestra in a really spectacular way and that are exciting and fun for audiences to hear," said Music Director Alan Gilbert. "I am looking forward to leading these brilliant musicians in some of the most important works in the repertoire. To look at only two, Brahms's Fourth Symphony, from the 19th century, is a culmination in his music: emotionally it's so potent and so intense, but at the same time it's rigorously composed. We'll also be performing Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber, which is a transformation of 19th-century music, one that will use the capacity and the brilliance of the New York Philharmonic to great effect."

Tour Itinerary and Details

The EUROPE / AUTUMN 2010 tour will launch with the Philharmonic's debut in the Republic of Georgia in the capital city of Tbilisi. The opening concert will be held at the Djansug Kakhidze Tbilisi Center for Music and Culture on October 21, and will feature the Georgian-born violinist Lisa Batiashvili. Following the tour's inaugural concert, the Philharmonic will make its debut in Batumi, a port city along the Black Sea, in the outdoor plaza of Europe Square on October 22, again with Ms. Batiashvili. The Philharmonic tour continues in Eastern Europe with two concerts on the Balkan
Peninsula: at the Sava Center in Belgrade on October 24, as the final concert of the 2010 BEMUS Festival, and at the Cankarjev Dom in Ljubljana on October 26.
The tour takes the Orchestra to Warsaw for two concerts at the Filharmonia Narodowa, October 28 and 29. The latter performance will feature the winner of the 2010 International Fre?de?ric Chopin Piano Competition in his or her Philharmonic debut one week after the close of the competition; a Chopin piano concerto will be performed (to be announced at a later date).
Following Poland, the Philharmonic will make its debut in the Republic of Lithuania with a performance in Vilnius, the capital city, at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre on October 30. The Orchestra then performs at the Elbphilharmonie Concerts in Hamburg's Music Hall Laeiszhalle on November 1 (where Alan Gilbert is the Principal Guest Conductor of the NDR Symphony Orchestra). The concert will be in cooperation with ProArte Concerts. The New York Philharmonic will return to Paris on November 2 with a concert at the Salle Pleyel, only months after its first performances there with Alan Gilbert. The EUROPE / AUTUMN 2010 tour concludes with two concerts in Luxembourg on November 3 and 4 at the Philharmonie Luxembourg as part of the Luxembourg Festival.

The Philharmonic's debuts in the Eastern European countries of Georgia and Lithuania on the EUROPE / AUTUMN 2010 tour mark the 63rd and 64th countries visited by the Orchestra in its history. The Philharmonic returns to Belgrade for the first time in 51 years, having last performed there in 1959 under the direction of then-Music Director Leonard Bernstein. The Philharmonic most recently performed in Ljubljana in 2006, Warsaw in 2007, Hamburg in 2008, and Luxembourg in 2005, each led by then-Music Director Lorin Maazel. The Orchestra's previous visit to Paris took place in February 2010, conducted by Alan Gilbert during the EUROPE / WINTER 2010 tour.

"I spent much of the last decade conducting in Europe, so it was a real pleasure to feel the palpable enthusiasm with which those audiences greeted my new partnership with the New York Philharmonic last winter," said Music Director Alan Gilbert. "On this tour I'll be working again with Lisa Batiashvili, a magnificent artist who brings something new yet completely organic to every performance she gives. Also on the tour are Leonidas Kavakos, a long-time friend of the Orchestra and a truly great musician, as well as the winner of the 2010 International Fre?de?ric Chopin Piano Competition - I always enjoy discovering emerging musical talents."
"No matter how many times the New York Philharmonic has traveled to Europe, returning to the birthplace of the symphonic tradition never loses its thrill," said New York Philharmonic President and Executive Director Zarin Mehta. "On the EUROPE / AUTUMN 2010 tour, we are retracing the Orchestra's historic footsteps in cities like Luxembourg, Paris, Hamburg, Warsaw, and Belgrade, the last of which we are returning to after 51 years, as well as forging new international bonds through our debuts in Georgia and Lithuania. All our audiences will feel the vitality and musicality that have resulted from Alan Gilbert's leadership of the New York Philharmonic."
"One of the most important aspects of the New York Philharmonic's activities is our international touring," said Gary W. Parr, Chairman of the New York Philharmonic, "Such significant undertakings would not be possible without the visionary and reliable support of a partner such as the one we have in Credit Suisse, the Orchestra's Global Sponsor. We are grateful that this unique relationship, which has already resulted in great success on three continents, is continuing into the future, making possible such important ventures as this voyage to Europe."

"Credit Suisse is proud to support the New York Philharmonic and its EUROPE / AUTUMN 2010 tour, particularly on the heels of our announcing another three seasons as the Orchestra's sole Global Sponsor," said Paul Calello, CEO of Credit Suisse's Investment Bank and New York Philharmonic Board Member. "We are delighted to return to Europe with Music Director Alan Gilbert, and we are excited to share more outstanding performances with our clients and employees throughout the tour - from Warsaw to Paris and beyond."
Artists In September 2009 Alan Gilbert began his tenure as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, the first native New Yorker to hold the post. For his inaugural season he introduced a number of new initiatives: the positions of The Marie-Jose?e Kravis Composer-in-Residence, held by Magnus Lindberg, and The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence, first held by Thomas Hampson; an annual three-week festival; and CONTACT!, the New York Philharmonic's new-music series. In the 2009-10 season he led the Orchestra on a major tour of Asia in October 2009, with debuts in Hanoi and Abu Dhabi. He also took the Philharmonic to nine cities on the EUROPE / WINTER 2010 tour in February 2010, in addition to conducting world, U.S., and New York premieres. Also in the 2009-10 season, Mr. Gilbert became the first person to hold the William Schuman Chair in Musical Studies at The Juilliard School, a position that includes coaching, conducting, and hosting performance master classes.

Highlights of Mr. Gilbert's 2008-09 season with the New York Philharmonic included the Bernstein anniversary concert at Carnegie Hall and a performance with the Juilliard Orchestra, presented by the Philharmonic. In May 2009 he conducted the World Premiere of Peter Lieberson's The World in Flower, a New York Philharmonic Commission, and in July 2009 he led the Philharmonic's Concerts in the Parks and Free Indoor Concerts, Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer, and performances at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival in Colorado.

In June 2008 Mr. Gilbert was named conductor laureate of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, following his final concert as its chief conductor and artistic advisor. He has been principal guest conductor of Hamburg's NDR Symphony Orchestra since 2004, and he has conducted other leading orchestras in the U.S. and abroad, including the Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco symphony orchestras; the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras; and the Berlin Philharmonic, Munich's Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and Orchestre National de Lyon. In 2003 he was named the first music director of the Santa Fe Opera.

Alan Gilbert studied at Harvard University, The Curtis Institute of Music, and The Juilliard School. From 1995 to 1997 he was the assistant conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra. In November 2008 he made his acclaimed Metropolitan Opera debut conducting John Adams's Doctor Atomic. His recording of Prokofiev's Scythian Suite with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra was nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award, and his recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 9 received top honors from the Chicago Tribune and Gramophone magazine. On May 15, 2010, The Curtis Institute of Music awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Music degree.

Season after season violinist Lisa Batiashvili is featured with many of the world's greatest orchestras. In the United States she works regularly with the New York Philharmonic, with which she made her debut in March 2005, as well as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, and Philadelphia Orchestra, among others. In Europe and elsewhere she performs with all of the major ensembles, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Munich's Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo's NHK Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestre de Paris. Highlights of Ms. Batiashvili's 2009-10 season includes concerts with the New York Philharmonic with Music Director Alan Gilbert; Chamber Orchestra of Europe, conducted by both Yannick Nezet Seguin and Sakari Oramo; Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, led by Franz Welser- Mo?st; Israel Philharmonic Orchestra with Zubin Mehta; Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, with Markus Stenz; London Philharmonic Orchestra with Seguin; and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, under Esa-Pekka Salonen. She also gives a series of recitals, including performances at Concertgebouw, Brussels's Palais des Beaux Arts, and Paris's The?a?tre du Cha?telet. Lisa Batiashvili, a multi-award-winning artist, records on the Sony Classical label, with works that include Magnus Lindberg's Violin Concerto, of which she gave the world premiere. She performs on the 1709 Engleman Stradivarius, kindly on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation.

Leonidas Kavakos won the Sibelius Violin Competition in 1985, when he was still a teenager, and the Paganini Violin Competition in 1988. He has since established close relationships with a number of top orchestras, and in this season and next he returns to the Hamburg, London, and Singapore symphony orchestras; Berlin, Israel, London, Rotterdam, and Vienna philharmonic orchestras; as well as the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, La Scala Filharmonica, and Maggio Musicale. In the United States Mr. Kavakos returns to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and National Symphony Orchestra, both in Washington, D.C., and on tour to China. His recital and chamber music schedules include returns to venues such as Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, London's Wigmore Hall, Paris's The?a?tre du Chatelet, Vienna's Musikverein, Zurich's Tonhalle, Milan's Conservatorio Verdi for Serate Musicale, and Bilbao's Sociedad Filarmonica. Leonidas Kavakos, increasingly recognized as a conductor, was artistic director of the Camerata Salzburg from October 2007 to September 2009, having been that orchestra's principal guest artist beginning in 2002. He has also conducted the FilarMonica Della Scala, St. Louis and Houston Symphony Orchestras, and Maggio Musicale. He is scheduled to appear as conductor or conductor/violinist with the Accademia nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Maggio Musicale, and the Budapest Festival, Houston Symphony, and Rotterdam Philharmonic orchestras. Mr. Kavakos's discography includes Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto coupled with the Mendelssohn piano trios with Enrico Pace and Patrick Demenga (on Sony Classical), which was recently named ECHO Klassik Best Concerto Recording of 19th Century Work. He plays the "Abergavenny" Stradivarius of 1724.

About the New York Philharmonic

Founded in 1842, the New York Philharmonic is the oldest symphony orchestra in the United States and one of the oldest in the world; on May 5, 2010, it performed its 15,000th concert. The Orchestra has always played a leading role in American musical life, championing the music of its time, and is renowned around the globe, having appeared in 429 cities in 62 countries, including the February 2008 historic visit to Pyongyang, DPRK. The Philharmonic's concerts are broadcast on the weekly syndicated radio program, The New York Philharmonic This Week and streamed on the Orchestra's Website, nyphil.org, and are telecast annually on Live From Lincoln Center on U.S. public television. The Philharmonic has made nearly 2,000 recordings since 1917, with more than 500 currently available. The first major American orchestra to offer downloadable concerts, recorded live, the Philharmonic this season released the first-ever classical iTunes Pass. The Orchestra has built on the long-running Young People's Concerts® to develop a wide range of education programs, including the School Partnership Program, enriching music education in New York City, and Learning Overtures, fostering international exchange. Alan Gilbert became Music Director in September 2009, succeeding Lorin Maazel in a distinguished line of musical giants. Credit Suisse is the New York Philharmonic's exclusive Global Sponsor.