Rendering 2 (Music)

The title of the article is "Still Young, Even at 50." The article was published on the site New York Times on 28 May, 2013. The article is about the 50th anniversary of the New York Youth Symphony.

As the author reports Since 1984, the New York Youth Symphony has awarded commissions to 102 composers age 30 and under, whose works have won three Pulitzer Prizes and the Grawemeyer Award, among other accolades. Those commissioned by the ensemble include Michael Torke, Aaron Jay Kernis, Augusta Read Thomas, Kevin Puts and Derek Bermel. According to the reporter, along with the fact that the Youth Symphony offers tuition-free instruction to talented musicians ages 12 to 22 it also presents a new piece at each of its Carnegie Hall concerts. On Sunday afternoon it was the premiere of John Glover’s “Natural Systems,” performed as part of the orchestra’s 50th-anniversary celebrations.

Further the author reports that the music director of the ensemble was Joshua Gersen. He led a confident performance of Mr. Glover’s appealing work, scored for ensemble and solo baritone.

It is interesting fact that the libretto byKelley Rourke was inspired by the life and writings of the 18th-century Swedish scientist and botanist Carl Linnaeus.

What is more, Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 was loudly denounced after its 1889 premiere. Mr. Gersen, an assistant conductor of the New World Symphony, where he works with Michael Tilson Thomas took part in this programme. A complex work lasting almost an hour, Mahler’s First Symphony is an ambitious piece for a youth orchestra.

The reporter concludes that the performance was plenty of fine playing throughout, and that Mr. Gersen managed effectively illuminate many details, beginning with the mysterious opening passages. I think this performance is really worth seeing as it received favourable review and was described as nature awakening after a winter’s sleep.