BSO Gala with Lang Lang

Read my review in the Style section of today's Washington Post:

Charles T. Downey, BSO Kicks Off the Season in Style
Washington Post, September 14, 2009

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra opened its season with a black-tie gala concert on Saturday night, and it was heartening to see Meyerhoff Hall nearly full for a change, especially given the poor state of the economy. (A failing budget led BSO musicians to agree to a major salary cut this summer.)

Conductor Marin Alsop delivered the sort of program expected in these circumstances -- peppy, pretty and peppered with audience-pleasing fare. She gave homage once again to Leonard Bernstein with a raucous reading of the "Candide" overture, at the edge of unevenness. A video of Bernstein working with Alsop in the 1980s, his arm around her shoulders avuncularly, reinforced the intended message of filial devotion. [Continue reading]

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Gala Concert (with Lang Lang, piano)
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

Bernstein, Overture to Candide; James Price Johnson, Drums; Gershwin, Summertime and An American in Paris; Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1