Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Sep 8

Gustavo Dudamel Opens New York Philharmonic Season on Sept. 10 as Steve Reich Turns 90

Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Sep 8

Gustavo Dudamel Opens New York Philharmonic Season on Sept. 10 as Steve Reich Turns 90

Q: With the Met Opera returning to classic Verdi this season, is the institution secretly abandoning its recent push for contemporary works?

No. The Met’s return to Verdi with *Macbeth* looks more like a programming recalibration than a retreat from contemporary opera. The evidence points both ways, but the larger season matters more than the opening night title. *Macbeth* does break a five-year streak of season openers built around house premieres or newer works, following pieces such as *Fire Shut Up in My Bones*, *Dead Man Walking*, *Grounded* and *Kavalier & Clay*. That shift signals the Met wants a high-profile, familiar work to launch the season, likely with box-office security in mind. But the company is not abandoning new music. The 2026-27 season still includes the world premiere of Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s *Lincoln in the Bardo* and the Met premiere of Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell’s *Silent Night*. Those are substantial commitments to contemporary opera, even in a financially tighter season. The financial context is important. The Met has reduced its overall schedule to 17 productions, its fewest in decades, and management has openly said it is balancing artistic goals with economic pressure. Peter Gelb has also said new works remain part of his strategy to attract new audiences, citing the strong ticket sales for Mason Bates’s *The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay*. So the stronger reading is not “secret abandonment,” but selective pacing: the Met is leaning on canonical repertory like Verdi to stabilize attendance while still preserving a contemporary pipeline, just on a smaller scale.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 8

Sept. 10 brings Gustavo Dudamel’s first season-opening event as New York Philharmonic music and artistic director, launching his full leadership with a Radio City Music Hall program before subscription concerts at David Geffen Hall.
Sept. 16 to Oct. 2, Dudamel’s early Philharmonic programs pair John Adams’s “On the Transmigration of Souls” and Prokofiev’s Fifth with a Zosha Di Castri work, then a Tania León premiere with Mahler’s Fifth.
One-night appearances by Lang Lang and Yo-Yo Ma and an inaugural gala follow before the orchestra leaves for a European tour, underscoring how prominently the Philharmonic is positioning Dudamel’s arrival.
Elsewhere on the fall calendar, the Metropolitan Opera opens Sept. 22 with a new Verdi “Macbeth” as it leans on standard repertory amid financial strain, while Steve Reich is celebrated during his 90th year.

Sources

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9 Sources

As Dudamel begins his New York Philharmonic tenure this week, will his massive celebrity status ultimately overshadow the orchestra's musical evolution?

With the Met Opera returning to classic Verdi this season, is the institution secretly abandoning its recent push for contemporary works?

How will immersive spatial audio technology fundamentally transform the live experience of Steve Reich’s masterpieces during his 90th birthday tributes?