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Kent Nagano & Orchestre symphonique de Montréal: 13/14 Season and South American Tour

The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and Music Director Kent Nagano have announced their programme for the 2013/14 season. The orchestra has two reasons at once to celebrate: its 80th anniversary and the inauguration of the organ Grand Orgue Pierre Béique in the newly built concert hall that was opened in 2011.

Kent Nagano said: “For 80 years Montrealers have been coming together to share in the beauty of orchestral concerts and the authentic sense of community they celebrate. As we mark the launch of our 2013-2014 season and third year at the Maison symphonique de Montréal, we continue to broaden the expressive possibilities afforded by the superb acoustics of our hall, while nurturing the great interpretive traditions at the core of the OSM’s identity as an orchestra. The inauguration of the Grand Orgue Pierre Béique brings long awaited new possibilities, to be explored through repertoire both old and new. The organ is the culmination of the dream and the last missing element of the Maison symphonique’s original design.”

The inauguration of the organ will be celebrated with concerts at the end of May. Kent Nagano conducts Saint-Saens’ Symphony No. 3 for organ and the world premiere of Kaija Saariahos Maan verjot for organ and orchestra, commissioned by the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Orchestre National de Lyon, the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Southbank Centre London. Kent Nagano will open the new season in September with La Damnation de Faust by Berlioz. 

For further details on the OSM’s season programme you can download the season brochure as a PDF here.

Kent Nagano continues his final season as General Music Director of Munich State Opera

Kent Nagano has continued his final season as General Music Director of Munich State Opera with two further Ring Cycles and a new production of Boris Godunov directed by Calixto Bieto before returning to Montreal to continue their Beethoven Cycle with the First and Seventh Symphonies.

In Leipzig on 4/5 April Kent Nagano will be on the rostrum of the Gewandhausorchester conducting the first European performance of the Violin Concerto by Peter Eötvös, a work commissioned jointly by the Gewandhaus Leipzig, the BBC Proms and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The concerto is dedicated the soloist of the evening, the violinist Midori.

On 9 April he will conduct a Gala with Gothenburg Symphony – his first concert as Principal Guest Conductor. Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring will be completed with a new arrangement of Stenhammar songs by Paula Af Malmborg Ward.

Kent Nagano to Hamburg extends in Montreal

Amercian conductor Kent Nagano has been appointed General Music Director of the Hamburg State Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra.  He begins his 5-year tenure in the 2015/16 season.  Read the full press release here.
It has also been announced that Mr Nagano will extend his contract with Montreal Symphony for a further two years. Madeleine Careau, OSM Chief Executive said:
“This agreement extends the length of Kent Nagano’s mandate with the OSM to ten years, in addition to his two years as music advisor. Kent Nagano is an exceptional conductor whose work is warmly welcomed by audiences and critics alike. His commitment to our community and his unflagging dedication to offering programs of the highest artistic quality – programs that move music lovers and the general public in today’s context – have contributed greatly to the success of our organization, both in the city itself and on the international scene.”
Kent Nagano: “The Hamburg State Opera and its Philharmonic Orchestra have a long and prestigious history. It is an honour and pleasure to have been invited to become a part of Hamburg’s important opera and concert tradition and to shape the musical future of this city.”

Kent Nagano & the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal announce new season 2012/13

Music Director Kent Nagano and his Orchestre symphonique de Montréal have announced their 2012/13 season. With the inauguration of their new concert hall in September 2011 the Orchestra will explore all the possibilities offered by their new “Maison Symphonique”.

Kent Nagano stated: “For the first time in our city’s history, the sound of our Orchestra can be appreciated in all its rich artistry – that complete expressiveness of orchestral color and playing style that gives the OSM its distinct identity. Seeing the dream of our new home become a reality makes us all the more aware of our responsibility to present truly exceptional experiences of the very highest artistic quality to our public.”

On 5, 6 and 8 September Kent Nagano opens the season with Mahler’s Symphony No. 2. In the course of the season he will also conduct Brahms’ “German Requiem” and Symphony No. 4, Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6, Beethoven’s Symphonies Nos. 1 and 7, Honegger’s “Joan of Arc at the Stake” and Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring”, celebrating the centenary of the piece’s first performance in 1913.

A cycle of concerts conducted by Kent Nagano will focus on the music of Haydn featuring three of his great London symphonies: No. 94 “Surprise”, No. 100 “Military” and No. 101 “Clock”. The concerts will explore the symphonies’ themes paired with new works such as the world premiere of a piece for orchestra and electronic music by composer Maxime McKinley and DJ Champion (OSM commission).

The season’s programme will feature two more world premieres: Boudreau’s “Concerto de l’Asile”, performed by pianist Alain Lefèvre on 15 January and a new work by Nicolas Gilbert on 17 February 2013.

Another focal point will be the French and Russian repertoire with works by Debussy, Ravel, Magnard, Fauré, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovitch or Glazunov.

Kent Nagano has just been awarded the “Medal of Honour” by the National Assembly of Québec. The award is given to personalities from various backgrounds who through their careers, their work or their commitment merit the recognition of all members of the National Assembly and of Québec society.