Carnegie Hall has begun its full-frontal assault on NYC with the nearly-inescapable Berlin In Lights festival: a 17-day, multidisciplinary event intended to highlight the past and present of the vibrant German capital. Unfortunately, the whole thing feels a bit contrived, especially for those who’ve been to Berlin (I’ve been twice), and comes off smelling like a PR vehicle for the Berlin Philharmonic, whom you can see in the flesh next week – provided you’ve got an extra $200 lying around. Nice website, though.
Fortunately, there are a number of free concerts happening around the city next week by members of both the BPO and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, which is making it’s NYC debut under its’ dangerously over-hyped young conductor, Gustavo Dudamel. For those concerts, tickets in the second tier are still available, and are only $24. Gracias, Hugo Chavez!