The thing about hearing Donald Runnicles conduct the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Johannes Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem — at least for local audiences — is that we don’t measure these forces against some venerable European ensemble with a 19th-century connection that goes back to the composer himself. No, we consider the ASO and…
It’s easy to see the international ripples created when the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra named Nathalie Stutzmann as its new music director last year. The New York Times was given the exclusive on the announcement, and the national paper of record followed it up with a feature story when Stutzmann made her concert debut as music…
An unnamed member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus tested positive for Covid Thursday morning, and reportedly sat out the performance. Pandemic? Endemic? No big deal? The ASO has canceled a lot of events during our endless global health crisis but, for now, the show will go on. Despite the risks of high-velocity spittle and…
MUSIC Two of Atlanta’s top music festivals — the Sweetwater 420 Fest and Shaky Knees — were each thrown off regular schedules due to the pandemic, which helps explain how they each landed on the same weekend this year. The 420 Fest at Centennial Olympic Park kicks off Thursday and features The String Cheese Incident, the Trey Anastasio Band, Gary Clark Jr., Oteil…
In recent months, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has presented more than a few concerts that felt like special events, of dazzling new soloists and world premieres and epic rarities in the concert hall. Thursday’s show in Symphony Hall was normal in the extreme: familiar faces, standard repertoire, everything played nicely within the ASO’s comfort zone….
Thursday felt like a special night in Symphony Hall. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has programmed the music of Florence Price before, as recently as last year, but for the first time the orchestra was celebrating the arrival of an important new voice. Born in Arkansas, Price escaped the Jim Crow South as part of the…
The year in classical music was marked by challenge and determination as the pandemic continued its cultural stranglehold for much of 2021. But for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the year marked what promises to be a vibrant new beginning. The ASO made a bold move in October when it named Nathalie Stutzmann as the orchestra’s…
Donald Runnicles set the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra on fire this past weekend. First, he conducted music of late-Romantic masters (Thursday and Saturday). Then, on Sunday afternoon in Symphony Hall, he led a deluxe concert performance of Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, which repeats Wednesday evening. Taken as a pair, these weekend concerts — especially Thursday’s…
Over the past couple of decades, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has been lucky with two contrasting artistic leaders: music director Robert Spano and principal guest conductor Sir Donald Runnicles. They’ve each left a legacy of sensationally memorable concerts. Spano’s programs were often the more interesting — or perhaps more artfully planned — juxtaposing music in…
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra plans to host audiences at Symphony Hall for the 2021–22 season and will also continue to provide virtual broadcasts of subscription concerts. The season was announced as the ASO searches for a permanent music director to replace Robert Spano, who will retire at the end of this season after 20 years…
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