From its founding in 1881 to the present day, the Boston Symphony Orchestra has been a major force on the American concert scene. The BSO started as the brainchild of Henry Lee Higginson, a wealthy banker who wanted a first-rate orchestra in his city, and has become one of the greatest orchestras of the world.
The BSO has always been committed to new music and a glance at the list of works premiered or commissioned by the BSO reads like a classical music honor roll. In just its second year of existence the BSO gave the American premiere of the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2. The BSO would continue to build a path-blazing reputation that hasn’t waned nearly a century and a half later. Much of the BSO’s success can be attributed to a string of visionary music directors, notably starting with Pierre Monteux (1919-1924). Monteux wasn’t the first BSO music director, but during his tenure the orchestra premiered music by Maurice Ravel (Le Tombeau de Couperin), Karol Szymanowski (Symphony No. 2), Manuel de Falla (Dances from the Three Cornered Hat) and many more.
It was under the leadership of Russian-born Serge Koussevitzky (1925-1949) that the BSO began regular radio broadcasts and performed summer concerts in the Berkshires. Three years later Koussevitzky founded the Berkshire Music Center (now the Tanglewood Music Center). Koussevitzky passionately embraced new music and it was under his baton that the BSO premiered music by Sergei Prokofiev (Violin Concerto No. 2), Igor Stravinsky (Symphony of Psalms) Gustav Mahler (Symphony No.9) and dozens of other works.
When Koussevitzky stepped down he was replaced by Charles Munch, a genial Alsatian who excelled in French and German repertoire. The BSO always shined in French music and during Munch’s tenure (1949-1962) it made some of its greatest recordings of music by Hector Berlioz, Camille Saint-Saëns, Claude Debussy and Ravel. Munch also led the BSO in brilliant recordings of symphonies by Brahms, Franz Schubert and Ludwig van Beethoven. A great advocate for American music, Munch also premiered significant works by Leonard Bernstein.
When Munch retired in 1962, the directorship was turned over to the autocratic Erich Leinsdorf (1962-1969), the underappreciated but brilliant William Steinberg (1969-1972), and the dynamic Seiji Ozawa (1973-2002). Each conductor left extensive recorded legacies and, as the BSO’s Music Director Laureate, Ozawa continues to make great music. James Levine took on the job in 2004 and became the first American-born conductor to hold the position. Levine will step down in September 2011 and when his successor is named, a new chapter will be written in the BSO’s history.
Our featured album presents Munch and the BSO in benchmark interpretations of music by Debussy and Jacques Ibert. The centerpiece is Debussy’s La Mer a performance that showcases the BSO’s brilliant mastery of the French style.
Read about another great American orchestra in the Ariama feature The Fabulous Philadelphians.
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by Craig Zeichner
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