News

2010

May 26, 2010 - Leonard Slatkin appointed Music Director of the Orchestre National de Lyon. “I am honored to accept the position of Music Director of the Orchestre National de Lyon (ONL), beginning with the 2011-12 season. Much of my guest conducting career has centered on French orchestras. Indeed, my principal teacher, Jean Morel, was French and taught me much about the repertoire and culture. Over time, I have had the opportunity to conduct this outstanding orchestra on several occasions, and it has always been a musical pleasure. Planning for future seasons has already begun and I am confident that we will make Lyon a destination point on music lovers’ calendars.” Mr. Slatkin expects to conduct the ONL for twelve weeks each year, in addition to his existing posts with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

February 12, 2010 – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) announced today programming for its 2010-11 Classical Subscription Series and an extension of Music Director Leonard Slatkin’s contract another two years through the 2012-13 season.
     Thus demonstrating his commitment to the orchestra, its audiences and the communities of metro Detroit, Slatkin made adjustments in compensation and will contribute conducting and community weeks without pay. He emphasized that it is the spirit and excellence of the DSO musicians and the support of its audiences and administration that led him to make an extended commitment.
     “Over the course of my early tenure with the Detroit Symphony, I have come to love everything that this organization represents. We have great musicians, a great hall and a great team of hard working staff and board. It is vitally important that every component do as much as possible to insure the continuing excellence of the musical experience. The pleasure of making music for and with everyone is beyond description, and so I am more than pleased to extend my contract with the DSO.”
     “This extension exemplifies Leonard's true strength as an institutional leader and his dedication to our collective pursuit of a bright and successful future for the DSO. I am thrilled on behalf of the metro Detroit community that the DSO's work will continue to be inspired and supported through Leonard's confirmed and extended commitment,” said Anne Parsons, President and CEO.
     Balancing his musical thinking with new and under-performed works, the 2010-11 season abounds with “the Slatkin touch,” in which audiences are exposed to a wide spectrum of exciting music, both new and familiar.
     As the DSO and Slatkin enter their third season of working together, they remain committed to performing the standard repertoire at the highest level while also championing the works of contemporary composers, collaborating with stellar conductors and guest artists, expanding the reach of the orchestra through recording, and engaging audiences everywhere.

February 8, 2010 - The Detroit Symphony and Music Director Leonard Slatkin embark on their first United States tour together, a one-week trip to Florida. Venues (details can be found on the Performances page) include the Raymond D. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, the Philharmonic Center for the Arts in Naples and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami. Guest soloist Sol Gabetta is featured in Samuel Barber’s Cello Concerto, and additional tour repertoire includes Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 and Peter Mennin’s Concertato for Orchestra, “Moby Dick.”

January 14, 2010 - Leonard Slatkin triumphantly returns to the DSO podium, after more than two months of recuperation and rest following his heart attack last November, in four separate and consecutive programs in Detroit’s historic Orchestra Hall. Repertoire includes Beethoven’s towering “Eroica” Symphony, John Williams’ Violin Concerto, Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, Violin Concerto by Jennifer Higdon, the World Premiere of Billy Childs’ Concerto for Violin (written for Regina Carter), the Samuel Barber Cello Concerto, and Brahms’ Symphony No. 2. Additional soloists are DSO concertmaster Emmanuelle Boisvert, violinist Hilary Hahn, and cellist Sol Gabetta.
Read reviews of DSO's Florida Tour.

Recording

January 26, 2010 - The Detroit Symphony and Music Director Leonard Slatkin release their first recording together on the Naxos label, featuring two works by Russian composer Sergey Rachmaninov, Symphony No. 2, op. 27 and Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14. The music was recorded in live performances at Orchestra Hall in September 2009. ClassicsToday.com had this to say about the new release: “Here’s a live performance of the Second Symphony that really lives up to the expectations of a live event: exciting, spontaneous, and impulsive, but also beautifully shaped and extremely well played.”
Click here for more information from Naxos.


2009

November 5, 2009 - On November 1st while conducting the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in the final concert of a series of four, I experienced severe chest pain. When I returned to the dressing room, a medical team from the hall came to see me, determined that I was having a heart attack, and rushed me by ambulance to a medical center about five minutes away. During the course of the next hour, three stents were placed in my heart and balloons were inserted to allow more oxygen to my heart. Everything went smoothly and I was placed in the intensive coronary care unit, and after three days, moved to the medium care unit. I was very fortunate to be at one of the finest medical facilities in Europe. The attention and care I have received most likely has saved my life. To date, everything is progressing normally. Pending one final test, the doctors will determine if I will return to the States for another procedure to repair another damaged area of my heart. I would like to thank those of you who have been kind enough to send messages. I cannot respond to each of you individually, but please know that your messages are all most appreciated. I will try to keep you informed of any further developments when I can.
Leonard

September 25, 2009 - The CD The Melody of Rhythm: Triple Concerto and Music for Trio, recorded live in Orchestra Hall in Jan. 2009, featuring the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) under the baton of Music Director Leonard Slatkin, as well as internationally-renowned virtuosi and composers Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer and Zakir Hussain, has reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Classical Chart.
    The centerpiece and catalyst for the album, featuring the DSO and Slatkin, is The Melody of Rhythm: Concerto, a beautiful and haunting three-movement composition for banjo, double bass and tabla, which melds Indian classical music with rhythmic American roots-derived melodies. A composition created for three such disparate instruments as banjo, double bass and tabla (a pair of drums of North India) occupies a unique position in the classical repertoire. Also featured on this disc are Bahar, Out of the Blue, Bubbles, Cadence, In Conclusion and Then Again.

Recording

August, 2009 – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Leonard Slatkin are featured, along with artists and composers Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer, on a new compact disc recorded live in concert at Orchestra Hall in January 2009. The Melody of Rhythm: Concerto is a beautiful and haunting three-movement work for banjo, double bass, tabla and orchestra, and combines Indian classical rhythms with American roots-derived melodies. The release date is August 25 on E1 Music.



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