Jaap van Zweden to Conduct NY Phil in NY Premiere of Steve Reich's Music for Ensemble and Orchestra

Music Director Jaap van Zweden will conduct the New York Philharmonic in the New York Premiere of Steve Reich's Music for Ensemble and Orchestra - a Philharmonic co-commission with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and Baltic Sea Philharmonic. The program will also feature Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, with Yefim Bronfman as soloist, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 2 and will take place Thursday, December 5, 2019, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, December 6 at 11:00 a.m.; and Saturday, December 7 at 8:00 p.m.

Music for Ensemble and Orchestra is Steve Reich's first orchestral work in more than 30 years. He cites both J.S. Bach and Bartók as influences on the work. "Bach's Fifth Brandenburg Concerto is one of my all-time favorite pieces of music. I love the signature opening broken D-major chord played in double 16ths, the canonic writing between the flute and principal violin, and the way motivic fragments are thrown back and forth - these features are alluded to in some of the details of Music for Ensemble and Orchestra." He says that the five-movement form "can be traced back to my student love of Bartók's Quartets Nos. 4 and 5 and the perfection of his arch form organization."

In its review of the premiere by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2018, The New Yorker described Music for Ensemble and Orchestra as "a vista of shimmering desert stillness." The Los Angeles Times wrote: "A metaphor for the rhythmic process might be cell division, an aural sense of multiplication producing a life force.... The organism was whole and was starting to wiggle away on its own. The effect was brilliant."

A Philharmonic Board Member, Yefim Bronfman made his Philharmonic debut 40 years ago in a performance of Beethoven's Triple Concerto. He served as the 2013-14 season Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence, concluding his residency with the complete Beethoven piano concerto cycle. Gramophone magazine included his recordings of the complete cycle in its round-up of "The 50 Greatest Beethoven Recordings."

The final performance of the program will be followed by a Nightcap concert curated by Steve Reich on December 7, 2019, featuring works by Mr. Reich and Nico Muhly and a World Premiere by Gabriella Smith. The performers will include viola da gamba player Liam Byrne, cellist Gabriel Cabezas, Philharmonic Principal Clarinet Anthony McGill, and electric guitarist Mark Stewart. The Kravis Nightcap series presents seven late-night, cabaret-style concerts curated by contemporary composers who engage in conversation about the music with host Nadia Sirota, The Marie-Josée Kravis Creative Partner. Taking place at the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse after select subscription programs, these events explore themes related to those Philharmonic concerts in a casual setting.

The New York Philharmonic will offer an allotment of free tickets to young people ages 13-26 for the concert on Friday, December 6 as part of Philharmonic Free Fridays.

Single tickets for the subscription program start at $32. A limited number of $18 tickets for select concerts may be available to students within 10 days of the performance at nyphil.org/rush, or in person the day of (valid identification required). Tickets for Open Rehearsals are $22. Single tickets to Nightcap are $40. (Ticket prices are subject to change.) The New York Philharmonic is offering an allotment of free tickets to young people ages 13-26 for the concert Friday, December 6 as part of Philharmonic Free Fridays; learn more at nyphil.org/freefridays.

Tickets to New York Philharmonic performances may be purchased online at nyphil.org or by calling (212) 875-5656, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday; 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 5:00 p.m. Sunday. Tickets may also be purchased at the David Geffen Hall Box Office. The Box Office opens at 10:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and at noon on Sunday. On performance evenings, the Box Office closes one-half hour after performance time; other evenings it closes at 6:00 p.m.