The Boston Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Lorin Maazel, will make long-awaited returns to Japan and China, during a scheduled tour to those countries May 1-10. Performances in Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts (5/1&2), the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, (5/4), and the Guangzhou Opera House (5/6) will mark the BSO’s first performances in China since the orchestra made its historic 1979 tour there as the first U.S. orchestra to visit China after the establishment of diplomatic relations.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra will follow these performances with three concerts in Tokyo—the first BSO concerts in Japan since the orchestra’s last tour there with Seiji Ozawa in 1999—with performances in the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre (5/8) and Suntory Hall (5/9 & 10).
Violinist Janine Jansen and pianist Behzod Abduraimov will join the BSO and Lorin Maazel for several of the tour performances: Ms. Jansen’s will perform Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in Tokyo on May 8 and 9; Mr. Abduraimov will perform Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in Beijing on May 1, Shanghai on May 4, and Guangzhou on May 6. Tour repertoire will also include symphonies of Mahler (No. 5), Tchaikovsky (No. 5), and Mozart (No. 38, Prague), and a BSO signature work, Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, as well as Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain and Glinka’s Overture to Russlan and Ludmila.
he first American-born conductor to hold the position, James Levine was the BSO’s music director from 2004 to 2011. Levine led the orchestra in wide-ranging programs that included works newly commissioned for the orchestra’s 125th anniversary, particularly from significant American composers; issued a number of live concert performances on the orchestra’s own label, BSO Classics; taught at the Tanglewood Music Center; and in 2007 led the BSO in an acclaimed tour of European music festivals. In May 2013, a new chapter in the history of the Boston Symphony Orchestra was initiated when the internationally acclaimed young Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons was announced as the BSO’s next music director, a position he takes up in the 2014-15 season, following a year as music director designate.
Today, the Boston Symphony Orchestra continues to fulfill and expand upon the vision of its founder Henry Lee Higginson, not only through its concert performances, educational offerings, and internet presence, but also through its expanding use of virtual and electronic media in a manner reflecting the BSO’s continuing awareness of today’s modern, ever-changing, 21st-century world. For further information about the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s many activities, visit www.bso.org.
