Concert Review: Naumburg and Wagner Honoring Each Other

In a world in which artistic organizations come and go, in which artistic missions are altered to suit changing tastes, and in which new institutions are mere flashes in the proverbial pan, it is reassuring to know that Naumburg Orchestral Concerts has been providing free outdoor concerts for New York City concert goers for a record 121 years! This is the oldest free concert series in the world!

That inclement weather drove Tuesday night's concert indoors took nothing away from the experience. St. Mary's church in the Theater District is not only capacious but visually artistic. The space was filled to capacity and a large clutch of disappointed would be audience members were sadly left outdoors.

And what a concert they missed! This was not the first time that the venerable Orchestra of St.Luke's was invited to perform at the Naumburg Concerts and it was a most fortunate choice. Under the baton of Maestro Brad Lubman, a program of Mozart works was scheduled, offering works from his teenage years all the way through to his mature works.They were perfectly suited to the outdoor venue of the Naumberg Bandshell in Central Park but, by virtue of some superb performances, survived the steamy atmosphere inside the church whilst nasty thunderstorms raged outside.

The Naumburg Concerts historically presented vocal music at a time when opera was all the rage. To our delight, that tradition was preserved at this performance by the welcome presence of Erin Wagner, a singer we much admire and whose career we have documented from her undergraduate days at Manhattan School of Music, through her winning of multiple competitions.

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