Opening Night at Symphony, Boston

James Levine, renowned conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra is back in form after a brief hiatus and starts off the season in high gear and the audience awaits in their best gowns and tuxes. Renee Fleming, a brilliant soprano, along with the symphony begins with Samuel Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Opus 24. Barber lived from 1910 to 1981. While the symphony is a bit overpowering, she holds her own and exhibits great range. Another treat of this performance is Sir James Galway's flute in William Bolcom's Lyric Concerto with the symphony. The concerto consists of four movements, starting with Leprechaun, in which Galway shows off his incredibly fast fingering. The last two, Memory and A Bespoke Rondo, require a great deal of technical skill which Galway does not make to look any easier than it is. Renee Fleming joins the orchestra again for George Gershwin's "Summertime" and "My man's gone now." Gershwin lived from 1898 to 1937. They are dramatic, touching pieces that the audience can get lost in. The night ends with Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Opus 95. Dvorak lived from 1841 to 1904. A crowd pleaser, James Levine conducts the symphony with energy. It looks like the beginning of a great season for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.