Wynton Marsalis symphony premiere with the Philadelphia Orchestra is postponed
The reasons for the postponement were unclear.
A new symphony by famed trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis was to have been a highlight of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s season. Now, though, the premiere won’t take place next week as planned, Marsalis and the orchestra say.
The reasons were unclear. Asked whether the piece was completed and/or delivered, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts declined to comment.
Marsalis’s Symphony No. 5, subtitled “Liberty,” was slated for its world premiere in Philadelphia May 28, 30, and 31 by the orchestra, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and bass-baritone Kevin Short led by conductor Marin Alsop. The piece was to have been repeated May 29 at Carnegie Hall.
“Large-scale new commissions evolve throughout the creative process, and all parties agreed that additional time would best support the long-term life of the new symphony,” read a joint statement from Marsalis and the orchestra. “We remain deeply committed to this collaboration and look forward to announcing future plans for the premiere.”
Marsalis, 64, has won nine Grammy awards, and his oratorio Blood on the Fields was the first jazz work to win a Pulitzer Prize.
His new symphony was pegged to the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations, and the orchestra, in its original description of the piece, said “we are proud to honor the voices of those who helped shape our country but were not fully heard in 1776.” The world premiere reflected the ensemble’s “commitment to amplifying historically marginalized voices and inviting great American musicians to our stages.”
Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will still be appearing with the Philadelphia Orchestra next week in Marian Anderson Hall and at Carnegie, but now they will perform selections from Marsalis’s Symphony No. 4 (“The Jungle”). Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 remains on the program.
Information: philorch.org, 215-893-1999.
