MTT and the 'New' Vienna Philharmonic

Janos Gereben on April 16, 2013

When Michael Tilson Thomas conducted the Vienna Philharmonic last week in Festival Hall, at "The Rest Is Noise," Southbank Centre’s festival of 20th-century music, the composition of the orchestra made some encouraging news "for those who thought that the Vienna Philharmonic not only hadn’t made it to the 21st century but was still stuck in the 19th ... this famously masculine orchestra managed to field seven women!"

The concert, well-received, featured Schoenberg's Theme and Variations, Brahms' Piano Concerto No.2 (with Yefim Bronfman), and the Brahms Piano Quartet No.1, orchestrated by Schoenberg.

Meanwhile, at MTT's New World Symphony, in Miami, preparations are made for the April 20 world premiere of a pas de deux choreographed by Justin Peck, 25, to music by Zosha Di Castri, 28. The work is part of a program combining the commissioned dance, poetry, music, and video works.

"The inspiration was those evenings like the ones you have in Wynwood or [the New York gallery district] Chelsea, when you know the galleries will all be open and you know it will be all new work in lots of different areas," MTT explained. He is expected to return to San Francisco and the Beethoven Project in May. That, says the SFS announcement, will provide audiences with the opportunity "to immerse yourself in the music of one of history’s most radical artists."

In Miami, MTT is described as "an advocate for daring new work throughout his career," which is true enough, with the possible exception of the vast bulk of programs in recent years in our fair city.