Archival photo of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s first performance at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on August 4, 1966, led by Eugene Ormandy. Photo by Adrian Siegel. Photo source: SPAC website.
In Monday’s (7/27) Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY), Geraldine Freedman writes, “The Philadelphia Orchestra will open its 60th season Aug. 5 at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), and no one is looking forward to it more than Marin Alsop, who will conduct the first two days of the ensemble’s three-week stay. ‘I’m living the dream,’ Alsop said. ‘I’m super excited to be coming back to where I grew up and visit friends.’ … Alsop will work with pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, who is making her SPAC debut in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23, as well as conducting Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man and Joan Tower’s Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman…. Daniele Rustioni, principal guest conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, will debut Aug. 12, as will violinist Bomsori Kim … [who] will perform Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Violin Concerto…. On Aug. 19, [concertmaster] David Kim takes the stage to lead an hour-long duo of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with Astor Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. ‘We’ll alternate each movement with Piazzolla’s more technical, sexy, rhythmic dance moves,’ Kim said. ‘We’ve done this combination so many times during the season and it always packs the house. And the orchestra loves the freedom of playing without a conductor.’ ”