A couple weekends ago, Joe and I attended the first concert in our 2026-2027 subscription. We were not impressed with the Machover AI piece, but enjoyed the two Mendelssohn pieces. Nante’s Ein feste Burg was incorporated within the Mendelssohn symphony. We think. It was confusing.
Here’s what we heard:
Kent Nagano conducts Mendelssohn, Machover, & Nante
Kent Nagano, conductor
MENDELSSOHN The Hebrides Overture (Fingal’s Cave)
Tod MACHOVER already and not yet (World premiere; BSO commission)
Alex NANTE Ein feste Burg (U.S. premiere)
MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 5, Reformation
As a visionary composer, inventor and faculty director of the MIT Media Lab, Tod Machover’s boundless imagination for exploring technology’s place in the world through music has resulted in commissions with leading orchestras around the world, seven musically and technologically innovative operas, collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, and the Boston Pops, and groundbreaking work with medical and wellness practitioners. The premiere piece incorporates a live AI system to emphasize the individuality of each BSO musician while also creating surprising links and blends across the orchestra, providing what the composer calls a “possible, positive vision” for the future of democracy. This new commission for the BSO reflects our legacy of driving innovation in orchestral music. Leading this varied program is esteemed American conductor Kent Nagano, a longtime champion of Machover’s work
Leave a Reply