Ravel and five world premieres highlight a transitional 2024-25 Philharmonic season
Gustavo Dudamel does not begin his full term as New York Philharmonic music director until the 2026-2027 season, but for the orchestra’s next season (opening September 12) he will be at the podium in David Geffen Hall for a multi-week residency.
In the spring of 2025, he will lead three different subscription programs: Amériques by Varèse, Gershwin’s An American in Paris, and Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G and Concerto for the Left Hand, both played by Yuja Wang and both part of the orchestra’s exploration of Ravel for the composer’s 150th anniversary (March 13-16); a world premiere by Kate Soper, Philip Glass’s Symphony No. 11, and Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements (May 22-24 & 27); and Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 (May 29-June 1). Dudamel will also conduct the orchestra’s Concerts in the Parks that June.
Season-opening honors go to Michael Tilson Thomas, and the opening programs September 12-13 and September 15 will feature pianist Emanual Ax playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 14, paired with Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. With Dudamel’s full duties still in the future, the upcoming season will have 31 other guest conductors, along with him and MTT.
Returning conductors include John Adams (November 14-17), with a pairing of his own City Noir with Copland’s Quiet City; Herbert Blomstedt with violinist Hilary Hahn for Schubert’s Symphony No. 6 and the Brahms Violin Concerto (February 26-27, March 1-2); Susanna Mälkki and violinist Leila Josefowicz with the New York premiere of Luca Francesconi’s Duende: The Dark Notes, Strauss’ Metamorphosen, and Ravel’s La Valse (October 31-November 2); Nathalie Stutzmann conducting Lorin Maazel’s arrangement of Wagner, The Ring Without Words (January 16-19); and Simone Young and cellist Steven Isserlis performing the Schumann Cello Concerto, with Schoenberg’s Notturno and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6 (May 1-3).
Making their debuts conducting the orchestra will be Marek Janowski, Ken-David Masur, Daniele Rustioni, and Keri-Lynn Wilson, among others. Janowski leads a program of Weber’s Oberon Overture, Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1, with Beatrice Rana, and Schumann’s Symphony No. 3 (January 29-30, February 1-2); Masur’s appearance September 19 and 21 includes a world premiere from Augusta Read Thomas, Mahler’s Blumine, and Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber; Rustioni and violinist Joshua Bell perform Dvořák’s Violin Concerto, The Merchant of Venice Overture by Castelnuovo-Tedesco, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 (January 8-11); and Wilson leads concertmaster Frank Huang in Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2, with Shostakovich’s Festive Overture and his Symphony No. 10, paired with William Kentridge’s film Oh to Believe in Another World (December 5-7).
Wang is the artist in residence for the season, but only appears on two programs. The second, January 23-25, has her leading the orchestra from the keyboard as she plays Janàček’s Capriccio for Piano Left Hand and Winds, Stravinsky’s Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments, and the original jazz band version of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.
Along with Ravel, the orchestra will also be honoring the centennial of composer and former Philharmonic music director Pierre Boulez. Concerts October 9 and January 25, conducted by David Robertson, will present Sur Incises, with Juilliard students in the school’s Peter Jay Sharp Theater, and selections from Boulez’s Pli selon pli with Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, Schubert’s Symphony No. 2, Webern’s Symphony, and Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du soldat, respectively. The Ravel celebration is rounded out with his complete Daphnis et Chloé, conducted by Juanjo Mena (May 16-18), along with the New York premiere of Kevin Puts’ The Brightness of Light, with soprano Renéee Fleming and baritone Rod Gilfry.
The Philharmonic will deliver five world premieres in total, including a new piece for violin and orchestra from Nico Muhly, March 6-8 (conducted by Marin Alsop) with Renaud Capuçon; Thomas Larcher’s new piece for cello and orchestra, played by Alisa Weilerstein and conducted by Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider (April 3-5); and the latest installment of the orchestra’s Project 19 program, from Jessie Montgomery (April 9-11), with conductor Jakub Hrůša. The Art of the Score series of music with live orchestra performances will screen Jaws (September 26-28), Elf (December 19-22), Back to the Future (March 19-22), and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (June 11-14). nyphil.org
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