following the orchestral beat with Dan Wakin

I've been out of the blogging routine a bit lately, but this NY Times article by Dan Wakin piqued my interest:

Not Just Another Pickup Band

Dan Wakin spent a couple of weeks with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra this past summer, just as he did with New World last fall. The LFO is getting ready to perform their first concerts in New York this week, and Wakin gives some good reasons why this orchestra is such a phenomenon: a world-class group of leading orchestral players, chamber musicians, and soloists, all united to bring to life the works of Mahler, Beethoven, and other master symphonists.

The biggest reason for the orchestra's existence, Claudio Abbado himself, will unfortunately not be part of this tour due to health problems. Dan Wakin recently wrote a long profile of Abbado:

For a Maestro, Energy is the Only Limitation

I'll get back to writing some of my own content soon! In the meantime, you can read Dan Wakin's long article about the New World Symphony (and me!), since they've done away with pay access to 'TimesSelect':

The Face-the-Music Academy