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Consider heading south
Finding classical bargains in Beantown
By Jeff Rapsis jrapsis@hippopress.com
Though there?s talk of a classical season of sorts next year at Manchester?s Palace Theatre, the recent demise of the New Hampshire Symphony, followed by fiscal problems by Opera New Hampshire, another Queen City-based performing group, you can?t blame the local crowd for looking further afield for its classical fix.
And that means Boston. For the past six years, this column has focused on supporting the local classical music scene in southern New Hampshire, but let?s face it?we?re fortunate to live not far from one of the world?s major centers of musical culture.
One barrier is the high cost of Boston?not just concerts, but parking and all the rest. You could easily drop $100 per person if you?re not careful, and that?s without eating.
But if you?re like me (cheap as dirt), there are ways to sample the very best of Beantown without breaking the bank. And with the Boston Symphony?s 2007-08 schedule now out, it?s time to start planning a few excursions.
?Rush seats? are available for $8 per person for certain performances. They?re available only at the box office a few hours prior to the concert. This past season, they were sold only for evening performances on Tuesdays and Thursday, and also Friday afternoons.
To cut costs further, you can park at the Alewife MBTA Station for $5 in the evening, then take the red line to the green line right to the concert hall for $4 round-trip.
I plan on doing this for a few concerts next season, when they?re playing works that demand to be heard live. On my list: Robert Spano conducting Tchaikovsky?s big ?Path?tique? Symphony No. 6 on Tuesday, Oct. 16; a performance of Bruckner?s massive Symphony No. 9 under conductor Marek Janowski on Tuesday, Oct. 30; and the manic Symphony No. 3 for organ and orchestra by Saint-Sa?ns under Charles Dutoit on Tuesday, Feb. 12.
And then?best of all?Mark Elder leading the Symphony No. 4 of Shostakovich, one of the most bombastic scores ever composed. The Shostakovich is the one can?t-miss work, and it?s not being done on a Tuesday night, so I?ll probably spring for real tickets.
For more information about the BSO?s upcoming season, visit bso.org.
If you?re close to Nashua and are up for a Friday afternoon adventure, another option is the new express bus service between Exits 6 & 8 and South Station.
And for the really, really cheap, you can listen to BSO concerts live on Friday afternoons on WGBH 89.7 FM and Saturday nights on WCRB 99.5-FM.
? This weekend: Don?t miss Dan Perkins leading the Manchester Choral Society and several other groups in the world premiere performance of ?Zulu Mass? on Sunday, April 15 at 4 p.m. at Pinkerton Academy?s Stockbridge Theatre, an excellent hall that?s only a short drive from Manchester, Nashua, or Concord. Tickets are $12 (students/seniors $10) and available at mcsnh.org, through singers, or at the door on concert day.
? Next weekend: Royston Nash ends his 21-year tenure as music director of the Nashua Symphony on Saturday, April 21 with a no-holds-barred performance of Beethoven?s monumental Symphony No. 9 at Keefe Auditorium in Nashua. For tickets and info, visit nashuasymphony.org.
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