The Leipzig-Boston connection

The orchestra had made six previous Celebrity Series appearances in Symphony Hall under Kurt Masur. Still the Leipzig Gewandhaus musicians, staff, and conductor were clearly elated to be performing in the building Charles McKim so closely modeled on their orchestra's one-time home, the original Leipzig Gewandhaus. None of the musicians in the orchestra could have performed in the old Gewandhaus as it was destroyed by Allied bombs in 1944. One might suppose that this performance represented a kind of pilgrimage for the Orchestra. It certainly seemed that way.


Conductor Arthur Nikisch (seated at piano) in 1906

Curt Nickisch, who is a Business and Technology reporter with WBUR radio, came to the performance as a guest of the Celebrity Series. Mr. Nikisch had lived for a time with the family of a violist in the orchestra, and that violist's daughter had lived with his family as an exchange student, so he was interested in renewing an old acquaintance (and in hearing an excellent concert, of course).

Maestro Chailly was particularly interested in meeting Curt because his Great Great Uncle was the Hungarian conductor, Arthur Nikisch. Nikisch was the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra's Kappelmeister from 1895 until his death in 1922, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra's Music Director from 1889 to 1893. So Arthur Nikisch was a link between the Boston and Leipzig Orchestras, and very much on Chailly's mind. The Maestro gave Curt and various bystanders an impressive primer on his ancestor's accomplishments and told Curt that his Great Great Uncle's portrait hangs in his office.

Tobias Höhn, a German journalist and blogger, has been traveling with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra on their US tour. His web site, including blog and photo gallery can be found here. I am posting a few of his Symphony Hall photos below.


Curt Nikisch (left) and Riccardo Chailly


Piano tuner John von Rohr (left) and pianist Yundi Li


Pianist Yundi Li (left) and Maestro Riccardo Chailly on the Symphony Hall stage





Just to reiterate, Tobias Höhn has posted more photos of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra's Boston visit and the rest of their US tour within this site: http://www.textoase.de/.