Music Director Daniel Hege reflected on his tenure with the orchestra: “I started as music director in the 2018–19 season, so this will be number seven for me. Of course, there was COVID in there, and everyone says that’s kind of like you skip a beat. But we stayed active as an institution, even when I wasn’t conducting concerts. Including my time as principal guest conductor, my connection with Binghamton goes back nine years.”
The program brings together Carlos Simon’s Fate Now Conquers, Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with soloist Tomoko Kanamaru, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. Hege explained the vision behind the lineup: “This season we’re completing our Beethoven symphony cycle. Because it’s the Philharmonic’s 70th anniversary, we decided to end with a flourish by presenting Symphonies Seven, Eight, and Nine. For this opening concert, I wanted to pair the Seventh Symphony with a living composer who paid homage to it, and Carlos Simon’s Fate Now Conquers does exactly that.”
Simon’s piece, commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2019, takes inspiration from an entry in Beethoven’s journal quoting Homer’s Iliad. Hege said, “There were just too many connections here to ignore. It’s wonderful to bring an underrepresented but very fine composer, and Simon’s work speaks directly with Beethoven’s.”
At the center of the program is Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1, featuring the Philharmonic’s own pianist, Tomoko Kanamaru. “She’s a superb musician,” Hege noted. “I’ve worked with Tomoko for years, and it was high time we featured her. I like to spotlight soloists from within the orchestra whenever I can.”
As for Beethoven’s Seventh, famously dubbed by Richard Wagner as the “apotheosis of the dance,” Hege emphasized its propulsive energy: “The rhythmic element drives the whole piece. Beethoven raised melody, harmony, rhythm, and form to the same level of importance, so everything matters. My job is to find all those gems in the music and make it feel fresh and relevant for today. The last movement especially—it’s so electric, nothing can follow it.”
Hege also continues his community outreach through “Maestro Visits,” informal talks about the music held across the region. “I bring the music, sometimes play a few chords on the piano, and give people things to listen for,” he said. “It makes the live performance more meaningful.”
He added a final invitation: “Young people 17 and under can come for free. That’s something we’re proud of, because young people can really get bitten by the bug of classical music, especially with a program like this.”
The Binghamton Philharmonic presents Heroic Journeys on Saturday, September 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Forum Theatre, 236 Washington Street in Downtown Binghamton. Tickets and information are available at binghamtonphilharmonic.org