February 28, 2007
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Marin AlsopIncoming Baltimore Symphony music director Marin Alsop announced the orchestra's 2006-7 season yesterday, and -- as expected -- it looks like there's much imaginative and exciting music on the way.  Major new works by eleven living composers will be featured, including Joan Tower, Aaron Jay Kernis, Steven Mackey, John Adams, Tan Dun, James MacMillan, Thomas Ades and HK Gruber.

"It is an infinitely more thought-provoking season than the one the National Symphony Orchestra offered for 2006-07, which has been much criticized for its timidity and reiteration of standard repertory," says The Washington Post's Tim Page in a story today. Page also reports that the season will kick off with  a gala concert on September 15 featuring "a cast of hundreds."

Just as noteworthy is the welcome decision to cut subscription ticket prices to $25.  Tim Smith at The Baltimore Sun has a good overview  of the BSO's efforts to bring in more listeners with "cheap seats, conversations with high-profile composers and programming that includes a CSI-style forensics exploration of Beethoven."