Following 556 days of pandemic-inflicted cancellations and unconventional concerts, New York's Philharmonic will open its new season Friday, a "homecoming" for musicians limited to livestreams, one-off and outdoor shows for more than a year.
After enduring months of crisis the Phil, one of America's oldest musical institutions, will re-open its subscription season with a program featuring Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, Anna Clyne's "Within Her Arms," Aaron Copland's "Quiet City" and George Walker's "Antifonys."
The pandemic forced the famed symphony orchestra to cancel its 2020-21 season, resulting in more than $21 million in lost ticket revenues.
And on top of that challenge, the Phil is homeless: the orchestra's longtime base, David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, is in the middle of a major $550-million renovation.
Most of the 2021-22 season will be played at two other venues at the Lincoln Center arts complex on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
AFP
Despite everything, Chris Martin, the orchestra's principal trumpet player, said the start of a fresh season "feels like coming home."
"I'm very excited. I feel like almost like a rebirth as a musician," he told AFP at a dress rehearsal ahead of the evening's premiere.
"We play 130, 140 concerts a year, and you never take it for granted, but sometimes you think, 'Oh, I'm a little tired today, I've got to play this again', but not anymore -- I feel really such gratitude."
During the Phil's cancelled season members began playing small pop-up concerts at surprise locations throughout the city, getting creative for New Yorkers starved for live music.
"To play outdoors is wonderful," Martin said, adding it allows artists "to connect with the city in a different way."
"But to come back in this space... to have an audience again, that's the part that really feels like a homecoming."