Catologue of Orchestra Programming History

[ChamberNut]

In general, do orchestras make it publicly known (or on request) their programming history, from year to year?

[bhodges]

Last year I requested a list from the New York Philharmonic of everything that Boulez conducted while he was there, which they were happy to send.  But now they have unveiled a massive database of everything they have ever played, available here, and searchable by whatever criteria one chooses, e.g., conductor, composer, etc. 

I could be mistaken, but not many orchestras seem to offer this.  Actually the Metropolitan Opera is the only other organization I'm aware of that maintains a performance archive that is publicly available.

--Bruce

[ChamberNut]

Last year I requested a list from the New York Philharmonic of everything that Boulez conducted while he was there, which they were happy to send.  But now they have unveiled a massive database of everything they have ever played, available here, and searchable by whatever criteria one chooses, e.g., conductor, composer, etc. 

I could be mistaken, but not many orchestras seem to offer this.  Actually the Metropolitan Opera is the only other organization I'm aware of that maintains a performance archive that is publicly available.

--Bruce

Great, thank you for the info Bruce! 

[Opus106]

I posted a link here sometime ago -- it was to a blog post containing a list prepared by someone who had a lot of time on their hands, of every concert performed by the VPO. It's not a searchable database, I'm afraid. I don't have a link handy right now, but if you search for an "orchestra" thread, you might find it. And he's planning to do the same for other orchestras, as well.

[Cato]

Last year I requested a list from the New York Philharmonic of everything that Boulez conducted while he was there, which they were happy to send.  But now they have unveiled a massive database of everything they have ever played, available here, and searchable by whatever criteria one chooses, e.g., conductor, composer, etc. 

I could be mistaken, but not many orchestras seem to offer this.  Actually the Metropolitan Opera is the only other organization I'm aware of that maintains a performance archive that is publicly available.

--Bruce

Many thanks for the link, which led me to one of the most fascinating concerts in history:

http://history.nyphil.org/nypwcpub/dbweb.asp?ac=a1

Now check out this concert just 6 weeks earlier:

http://history.nyphil.org/nypwcpub/dbweb.asp?ac=a1

[some guy]

Cato, your two links are identical, and the page they send you to is the first one. Maybe tell us what you clicked on on that page, and we can get to the two concerts that you got to.

Otherwise, Chambernut (and others) might be interested in that book by William Weber that's recently come out, and that Alex Ross reviewed a couple of months back. The Great Transformation of Musical Taste: Concert Programming from Haydn to Brahms.

(Warning, the data he's collected does not support the common notion that it was the atonalists and serialists who started alienating audiences. Indeed, it doesn't really support any notion that the situation may be described as composers alienating audiences.

[karlhenning]

... (Warning, the data he's collected does not support the common notion that it was the atonalists and serialists who started alienating audiences. Indeed, it doesn't really support any notion that the situation may be described as composers alienating audiences.

Whaaaat?

But, but . . . some among us are so very fond of that notion!

[some guy]

Indeed!!

[Cato]

Many thanks for the link, which led me to one of the most fascinating concerts in history:

http://history.nyphil.org/nypwcpub/dbweb.asp?ac=a1

Now check out this concert just 6 weeks earlier:

http://history.nyphil.org/nypwcpub/dbweb.asp?ac=a1

Sorry the link did not work!

In late November 1909, Rachmaninov played his Third Piano Concerto
with Walter Damrosch conducting.

6 weeks later in January 1910 he played the same work with Gustav Mahler conducting!

Here is that program:

Bach / Suite for Orchestra (Mahler, Gustav)     

Rachmaninoff / Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30

Wagner / Tristan und Isolde, WWV 90 / Prelude and Liebestod (with or without soloist) 

Smetana / The Bartered Bride / Overture (Overture to a Comedy)

[some guy]

Thanks Cato. How cool that must have been, to hear Rachmaninoff and Mahler playing R's third!!

I suppose we get something along those lines every time Boulez conducts a living composer's work, with the composer at the keyboard, as it were. Somehow it's not quite the same, probably because Boulez has made such a career out of conducting, that you can hear him play anything any old day. Plus the recordings. Still, it is cool to hear people alive playing their works and the works of colleagues. Most of my concert going is just that. And it's a lovely lovely thing.