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Published on 11/14/08
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Remember when summer was a deadly dull time for classical music in New York City? Neither do we. The Mostly Mozart Festival continues to set a vibrant tone—more important than ever since skyrocketing gas prices have made travel unfeasible. The Lincoln Center Festival and the Metropolitan Opera mount a single offering apiece this season, but into the vacuum comes Wordless Music with a tantalizing clutch of free offerings. Keep an eye on weekly listings for details, and see “Getting away” for out-of-town options, most of them accessible by mass transit.
Lincoln Center Festival
Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s bleak, brutal 1964 opera Die Soldaten, in a production originally created for the 2006 Ruhr Triennale, comes to the Park Avenue Armory for five performances (Jul 5–12). David Pountney’s edgy conception features a cast of 40, a 110-piece orchestra and seating platforms that roll on tracks alongside the stage.
Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Ave between 66th and 67th Sts (212-875-5766, lincolncenter.org). Subway: F to Lexington Ave–63rd St, 6 to 68th St–Hunter College. $30–$250.
Mannes Summer Institutes
The school year is over, but the education continues at Mannes College in intensive summer workshops that allow students to work with top-flight professional musicians. Each session includes free or inexpensive concerts by young performers and distinguished guests. Choose from programs devoted to Beethoven (Jun 1–8), contemporary music (Jun 9–17), Spanish art song (Jun 13–22), and guitar (Jun 25–29), and don’t miss the invaluable International Keyboard Festival & Institute (Jul 13–27).
Mannes College the New School for Music, 150 W 85th St between Columbus and Amsterdam Aves (212-580-0210, newschool.edu/mannes). Subway: B, C, 1 to 86th St. Prices vary.
Metropolitan Opera
Instead of its traditional circuit through the boroughs, this year the Met is concentrating on a single event: a starry concert by Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna, opera’s tempestuous “love couple,” on Prospect Park’s Long Meadow (Jun 20). The Met estimates a potential audience of 150,000; stake out your turf early.
Prospect Park, enter at Flatbush Ave at Grand Army Plaza, Park Slope, Brooklyn (212-362-3000, metoperafamily.org). Subway: F to 15th St–Prospect Park; 2, 3 to Grand Army Plaza. FREE.
Mostly Mozart Festival
Kaija Saariaho, among Finland’s most cherished creative artists, is this year’s composer-in-residence at the Mostly Mozart Festival, which takes on an appealing Nordic cool. Among the unmissable highlights are the U.S. premiere of Saariaho’s La Passion de Simone, based on the life and writings of Simone Weil (Aug 13, 15, 17), and a rare local appearance by brilliant Finnish clarinetist Kari Kriikku (Aug 15, 16).
Lincoln Center, Columbus Ave at 65th St (212-875-5766, lincolncenter.org). Subway: 1 to 66th St–Lincoln Ctr. Prices vary.
New York Philharmonic
Bramwell Tovey returns to lead Summertime Classics, the Phil’s popular series of breezy, themed programs (Jun 25–Jul 4), after which the orchestra swings through the city’s green spaces, including two dates in Central Park (Jun 24, Jul 15).
Summertime Classics: Avery Fisher Hall (at Lincoln Center), Columbus Ave at 65th St (212-875-5656, newyorkphilharmonic.org). Subway: 1 to 66th St–Lincoln Ctr. $24–$54.
Concerts in the Park: Great Lawn, Central Park, midpark at 79th St (info as above). Subway: 6 to 77th St. FREE.
Wordless Music
Ronen Givony’s trademark mix of contemporary classical music, post-rock and electronica is everywhere this summer. Following a four-concert series at the Whitney Museum (Jun 6, 13, 20, 27), Givony pairs Deerhoof with the Metropolis Ensemble at the Prospect Park Bandshell (Jul 18). The crown jewel of the series, “800 Years of Minimalism,” combines krautrock pioneer Manuel Göttsching (of Ash Ra Tempel), downtown maximalist Rhys Chatham (see also “Your iconic summer”) and early-music consort Beata Viscera at Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park Bandshell.
Locations vary; see wordlessmusic.org. FREE.
