Vail Festival Features Jazz, Classical, and Broadway Favorites
The Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival brought musicians, dancers, and artists to Vail, Colorado’s mountains. Performances touched on old favorites such as Beethoven’s 5th and 7th Symphonies, Dvorak’s 9th Symphony, Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, and Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance. Also featured were a tribute to jazz greats Louis Armstrong and Fats Weller and a night of Broadway pops.
History of the Bravo! Music Festival
The brainchild of an attorney and a violinist, the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival got its start two decades ago. Attorney John Giovando and violinist Ida Kavafian had already started a chamber music festival in New Mexico, and in 1987 brought their experience to the Vail Valley. After twenty years of performances, the festival has grown from a mere handful to an audience size exceeding 60,000. Coordinating with the summer tourist run, the festival spans late June to early August. The 2007 Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival featured performances by the Rochester Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic.
Highlights of the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival: Rochester Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra and New York Philharmonic
- The Rochester Philharmonic (Rochester, NY) launched the 2007 Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival with a little Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, and Elgar. The orchestra, conducted by Christopher Seaman, will be opening its 85th season in Rochester with works by Britten, Vaughan Williams, and Stravinsky.
- Under the leadership of conductor Christoph Eschenbach, the Philadelphia Orchestra has been on tour for much of the summer. After two weeks in Vail, the orchestra is currently spending three weeks in Saratoga. The 2007-2008 Season in Philadelphia will celebrate the works of Mahler and Bernstein and will present the U.S. premieres of works by Wolfgang Rihm and Herbert Willi.
- An orchestra with former conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, the New York Philharmonic boasts a prestigious heritage that stretches 166 seasons into the past. Currently under the direction of Lorin Maazel, the NY Philharmonic’s 2007-2008 season will feature a classical music dream team. The schedule for September and October alone includes composer John Williams conducting film music, cellist Yo-Yo Ma performing Dvorak’s Cello Concerto, and pianist Emanuel Ax performing Beethoven’s “Emperor” Piano Concerto.
To view video clips of the orchestra performing against the stunning backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, or to peruse a program of the 2007 season, please visit the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival website. Please enjoy the interview with Philadelphia Orchestra Associate Conductor Rossen Milanov. Video clips provided by PlumTV.
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