Each year around this time, orchestras across the country release the repertoire, and the guest artists who will help create it, for the next year's season. This year is no exception for us at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Great programs abound throughout the upcoming year, including two major works by one of my favorite composers, Dmitri Shostakovich.
So much of Shostakovich's music was written while under the intense scrutiny of the communist regime in power throughout most of his career. Yet there is such passion in his music, often embodying a sense of defiance that refuses to cower to the intolerable pressures of his times. His Symphonies #5 and 10, which we will be performing in the coming season with our new music director, Krzysztof Urbanski, are among Shostakovich's finest works.
But perhaps the most exciting thing about the season announcement is the signaling of the start of a new artistic chapter for the ISO. With maestro Urbanski's arrival, a sort of changing of the guard takes place. One of a new music director's many challenges is to identify and lead the orchestra toward a long term artistic goal. To create a musical vision that the musicians can buy into and support. Many conductors will try and create a new quality to the sound of the orchestra, seeking to mold the ensemble in their own unique way. There are many ways to go about this, but the choice of repertoire can certainly have an influence.
For his first season, along with several works most listeners will recognize, the maestro has chosen several less familiar works from composers hailing from his homeland. While the names Gorecki, Kilar, Penderecki, and Szymanowski may be new to some Indianapolis audiences, one thing is clear. Urbanski has included them on a large percentage of his concerts next year and they will undoubtably help determine what comes next for this orchestra artistically. What exactly that means I don't know, but I am looking forward to seeing how he will use these composers to lead our orchestra down a new and exciting road.
So much of Shostakovich's music was written while under the intense scrutiny of the communist regime in power throughout most of his career. Yet there is such passion in his music, often embodying a sense of defiance that refuses to cower to the intolerable pressures of his times. His Symphonies #5 and 10, which we will be performing in the coming season with our new music director, Krzysztof Urbanski, are among Shostakovich's finest works.
But perhaps the most exciting thing about the season announcement is the signaling of the start of a new artistic chapter for the ISO. With maestro Urbanski's arrival, a sort of changing of the guard takes place. One of a new music director's many challenges is to identify and lead the orchestra toward a long term artistic goal. To create a musical vision that the musicians can buy into and support. Many conductors will try and create a new quality to the sound of the orchestra, seeking to mold the ensemble in their own unique way. There are many ways to go about this, but the choice of repertoire can certainly have an influence. For his first season, along with several works most listeners will recognize, the maestro has chosen several less familiar works from composers hailing from his homeland. While the names Gorecki, Kilar, Penderecki, and Szymanowski may be new to some Indianapolis audiences, one thing is clear. Urbanski has included them on a large percentage of his concerts next year and they will undoubtably help determine what comes next for this orchestra artistically. What exactly that means I don't know, but I am looking forward to seeing how he will use these composers to lead our orchestra down a new and exciting road.
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