November 7, 2017

Leonard Slatkin conducts the New York Philharmonic as they honor Leonard Bernstein in his 100th birthday year. Bernstein’s Philharmonic: A Centennial Festival is part of the worldwide salute to the legacy of the renowned composer, conductor, pianist, and educator.

On November 9, 11, and 14, Slatkin conducts Bernstein’s Symphony No. 3, “Kaddish,” with Jeremy Irons as speaker, soprano Tamara Wilson, Concert Chorale of New York, and Brooklyn Youth Chorus. Evoking the chanted Jewish prayer of mourning, the powerful “Kaddish” Symphony was written in 1963 and is dedicated to the memory of John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated just weeks before the first performance. The program opens with Richard Strauss’s Don Quixote, the work that introduced Bernstein to New York Philharmonic audiences when he famously filled in with only a few hours’ notice, and without rehearsal, for an ailing Bruno Walter.

In addition, Slatkin will lead the Philharmonic in a Young People’s Concert—the series that Bernstein famously brought to national attention through the television broadcasts—on November 11. Titled Inspirations and Tributes: Celebrating Leonard Bernstein, the concert highlights Bernstein’s works for the theater and concert hall and features pianist Makoto Ozone.

Slatkin will also join the New York Philharmonic for their weekend residency with the University Musical Society in Ann Arbor, Michigan, leading concerts the afternoon of Saturday, November 18 (Young People’s Concert), and Sunday, November 19.