In the 60 years that the iconic New York Philharmonic has presented its summer concerts in city parks, 15 million people have reveled in “priceless music absolutely free” and the joy of community of sharing the lawn with 150,000 of your neighbors. The New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks Presented by Didi and Oscar Schaefer is an extraordinary gift to New Yorkers and visitors, presenting these free performances in parks in all five boroughs.
This tradition, which offers the official start of New York City’s summer cultural calendar, continued this year with the orchestra led by its incoming Artistic Director, Gaustavo Dudamel, who conducted the carefully curated program – the 17,196th concert on the Great Lawn – continues this week at Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx (June 5); Prospect Park, Brooklyn (June 6), and Cunningham Park, Queens, (June 7):
Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 in F-minor, Op.36, composed in 1877 after his wedding, then abandonment of his bride, and dedicated to his patron, muse and “best friend,” Nadezbda von Meck, with its “complicated” first movement, as the composer himself wrote (the program notes are fascinating).
Arturo Sandoval’s “Allegro maestoso, from Concerto for Trumpet No. 2,” with the composer himself giving a thrilling performance on the trumpet. Sandoval, Marissa Silverman writes in the notes, was imprisoned in Cuba for illegally listening to jazz. He has since gone on to be a Kennedy Center honoree and 10-time Grammy Award winner.
The New York premier of Gonzalo Grau’s “Odisea: Concerto for Venezuelan Cuatro and Orchestra, with a virtuoso performance on cuatro (a four-stringed ukulele-like instrument) by Jorge Glem, a Latin Grammy Award winner also from Venezuela. Dudamel, a fellow Venezuelan, commissioned the piece in 2021 as artistic director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
The concert concluded with selections from Stravinsky’s “The Firebird Suite,” before fireworks, which have become the traditional end to the parks concerts.
There was also a “surprise” appearance by Bernie Williams, a former professional baseball player who is now a musician, composer, philanthropist, and crusader for arts and music education, born and raised in Puerto Rico.
Despite being cut short midway through, the “We Love NYC Homecoming Concert” in Central Park on Saturday, August 21, was a huge success, having brought together an estimated 60,000 enthusiastic, vaccinated New Yorkers to be entertained by an A-plus list of performers, as eclectic and diverse as New York City.
New Yorkers displayed their trademark hospitality and resiliency in being packed together on the Great Lawn in a way they haven’t been allowed to for the past 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gayle King of CBS pointed to the day that COVID-19 pandemic became real to her: when she heard of a nurse who reused her mask by turn it inside out and used a garbage bag because there was no more PPE.
“New Yorkers found a way – we were the epicenter of the virus, now the epicenter of recovery. There is a way out, even if it takes a while. We’re done with COVID but COVID is not done with us. Stay strong,” before telling the crowd assembled on Central Park’s Great Lawn to “party New York style.”
The concert opened with the New York Philharmonic playing a new “New York Medley” arranged by William Ross of composers and music celebrating New York City, New York’s iconic orchestra, conducted by Marin Alsop, accompanied tenor mega-star Andrea Bocelli who sang Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and Italy’s standard, “O Sol Omio.”
Then the Philharmonic closed its set with its first-ever collaboration with Jennifer Hudson — winner of honors including Academy and Grammy Awards and the star of the new Aretha Franklin biopic — who rather than singing Aretha’s famous ,”Respect,” thrilled the audience (and the orchestra) by singing an opera aria, Nessun dorma from Puccini’s Turandot, which the Queen of Soul herself once sang on the Grammys. (Did not see that coming).
Then began a stunning parade of legendary performers presenting a full spectrum of musical genres and tastes. That was intentional, said producer Clive Davis.
Carlos Santana; Rob Thomas; Journey; Earth, Wind & Fire; Jon Batiste; Hip Hop starsSpliff Star, Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe, LL Cool J, French Montana and Remy Ma; country singer Kane Brown; Julia Michaels; Polo G performing music they are best known for.
Barry Manilow had just sat at the piano, about to begin “I Made It Through the Rain” around 7:30 pm when an announcer cut in, telling the crowd to leave the park immediately due to impending dangerous weather.
That left headliners Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon and The Killers among the performers cut off.
But a light rain quickly turned into a downpour that flooded city streets, and there was thunder and lightning and one could only imagine what would have happened if they did not begin moving people out when they did.
“While it’s disappointing that tonight’s concert had to end early, the safety of everyone in attendance had to come first,” Mayor Bill DeBlasio tweeted. “To everyone who came out tonight: thank you. Thank you for showing the world that New York City is coming back stronger than ever before.”
Jon Batiste Andrea Bocelli Kane Brown LL COOL J Elvis Costello Lucky Daye Earth, Wind & Fire Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds Cynthia Erivo Jimmy Fallon Jennifer Hudson Wyclef Jean Journey The Killers Gayle King Don Lemon Barry Manilow The New York Philharmonic Polo G Carlos Santana Paul Simon Patti Smith Bruce Springsteen Rob Thomas Maluma
New York City’s biggest cheerleaders, US Senator Chuck Schumer, NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio and Stephen Colbert also addressed the crowd with an upbeat message of New Yorkers having come through one of its worst crises and looking to a brighter future.
Concern that the celebration might be premature given the resurgence of the Delta variant and breakthrough infections among vaccinated was set aside, at least for the evening, as the music got underway.
The concert was for the most part free (plus Ticketmaster fees), but people could pay for VIP packages (with premium location, VIP entrance, private restrooms, concessions with specialty food and drink options) and premium seating, and as the concert got underway, there were rumors of tickets going for as much as $5000.
The Central Park concert was the climax to a week of free concerts in the boroughs: The free concerts, livestreamed by Behind The Rhyme on Twitch, were held:
● Monday, August 16th, 3:00 p.m. at Orchard Beach in The Bronx
● Tuesday, August 17th, 4:00 p.m. at Midland Beach on Staten Island
● Thursday, August 19th, 4:00 p.m. at Brooklyn Army Terminal in Brooklyn
● Friday, August 20th, 4:00 p.m. at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens
