BOSTON — The Boston Symphony Orchestra has been extremely conscientious about its pandemic protocols at Symphony Hall, installing top-rated ventilation systems, requiring vaccination of all musicians, and requiring masks and proof of vaccination of all patrons entering the building. Now we learn, with genuine relief, that the orchestra has for safety reasons canceled its upcoming European tour.
Everyone was looking forward to it — BSO fans in Vienna, Leipzig, Hamburg, and Paris — not to mention pandemic-fatigued members of the orchestra, many of whom were no doubt eager to experience their first overseas tour since joining the band.
But with recent COVID cases affecting at least 31 musicians (none of whom reported severe illness), BSO President and CEO Gail Samuel, citing pandemic risks, made the announcement Monday that the orchestra’s European tour would be canceled: “Given the ongoing presence of COVID, brought home by its unfortunate impact on a significant number of our own artists, we must keep as our first priority the health and safety of everyone involved with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.”
BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons, who has invested all of himself in both the BSO and Gewandhausorchester (GHO) the last few years, expressed his disappointment in personal terms: “I am so very sorry for all presenters and audience members who were looking forward to the BSO’s performances, and to all the wonderful teams who spent so much time and energy on making this dream a reality.”
It’s personal, as well, for BSO Bass Trombonist James Markey: “We feel a strong kinship with our colleagues in the GHO as a result of our recent partnership, and know this would have been a wonderful opportunity to continue and expand that relationship. We sincerely hope to see this tour happen in the future, and look forward to performing for our European audiences again when the time comes.”
The BSO’s European performances were to have been part of a tour partnership with the GHO running May 9–31 under the direction of Nelsons. The GHO’s tour schedule has not changed.
Fortunately, not all of the BSO and GHO’s joint plans have been disrupted. The two orchestras, with Nelsons leading, have recorded all the major orchestral works of Richard Strauss, to be released by Deutsche Grammophon in a 7-CD anthology on May 6, 2022.
Nelsons says the project is very dear to his heart: “Throughout the past few years, it has been a source of hope and comfort. The music of Richard Strauss means so much to me in its great emotional scope, its story-telling powers, and significant influence on the development of classical music. I am deeply grateful to have the opportunity to share it with our music communities in Boston and Leipzig and throughout the world. The collaborative efforts of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Gewandhausorchester are a dream come true for me, and I will be forever thankful to my dear colleagues at both orchestras and at Deutsche Grammophon for all they have done to achieve this unique project. Our hope is that these recordings will bring much joy and inspiration.”
