alive and well

I just wanted to highlight two companies that just floored it with their 17/18 season announcements. The first is Opera Philadelphia who recently presented the world premiere of Missy Mazzoli's Breaking the Waves based on the von Trier film of the same name; an overwhelmingly successful event that received practically unanimous gushing reviews. Next season they will mount 3(!) world premieres, a double-bill local premiere of Monteverdi / Lembit Beecher, and Benjamin's Written on Skin, all sandwiched in between Magic Flute and Carmen. That's.. kind of amazing.

Over on the West Coast the LA Phil will present 23 commissions, 22(!!) world premieres, and 6 U.S. premieres. As Lisa Hirsch points out, over a third of the season's composers are living, and an even larger component were 20th Century composers. As with the Mozart and Bizet above, the LA audiences will still be treated to the bread and butter symphonies that make up the standard rep, but they'll often be paired with new works that precede them in a typical evening's program, encouraging the grumpy Beethoven worshipers to stay for the whole show. It's a real testament to Salonen, Dudamel, and the entire organization's commitment to presenting classical music not as a museum, but as a living, breathing, relevant medium. The fact that this can happen in the current political climate when the NEA is on the chopping block is also heartening. Perhaps other companies will take a hint: