NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- The New York Philharmonic kicked off its annual (and free) summer "Concerts in the Parks" series Tuesday night on the Great Lawn in Central Park.
The annual series of free concerts is one of the truly great experiences in the New York City area. I say the "New York City area" because there are usually also concerts held in Westchester County and/or New Jersey in addition to the five boroughs.
Tens of thousands cheered as conductor Bramwell Tovey led the world's greatest orchestra in selections by Shostakovich, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, and Sousa. There were even real cannons used on stage.
Plus, the audience got to vote for the encore by text message. It was either "Flight of the Bumblebee" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov or "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix.
The winner..."Purple Haze."
The orchestra performed on the north end of the lawn and the concert was, as usual, followed by fireworks to the south - which also garnered oohs and aahs.
I'm a regular attendee of the Philharmonic's summer concerts and the weather was some of the best I've ever experienced. Though maestro Tovey, who has been associated with the orchestra's "Summertime Classics" series for some time now, reported a lot of bugs on the stage, there were almost none where I was (which was farther back than usual).
The New York Philharmonic has been holding these free summer concerts for over 40 years.
Program for Tuesday, June 24, 2008:
Shostakovich: Festive Overture
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4, Italian
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture
Sousa: Washington Post March
Sousa: Liberty Bell March
Sousa: The Stars and Stripes Forever
Don't worry, you have more chances to see the New York Philharmonic in the beautiful outdoors this summer. Visit their web site for more information.
E-Mail Story
Print Story
