News
Justin Brown to Conduct German Premiere of ’48 Responses to Polymorphia’ by Jonny Greenwood and ‘Peter Grimes’
Justin Brown will conduct the German premiere of Jonny Greenwood’s 48 Responses to Polymorphia by Radiohead musician and composer Jonny Greenwood with the Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe on April 28-30, 2013. The performance also includes Lutoslawski’s Cello Concerto featuring cellist Maximilian Hornung and Brahms Symphony No. 4.
Brown’s 2013-2014 opera season at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe concludes with a new production of Benjamin Britten’s opera Peter Grimes, directed by acclaimed opera director Christopher Alden. Performances take place on July 6, 12, and 18, 2013.… Read more…
Justin Brown to Conduct Wagner’s Complete ‘Ring Cycle’ in Karlsruhe
In celebration of the Wagner Year in 2013, the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Germany, continues its 2012-2013 opera season with performances of Richard Wagner’s complete Ring Cycle from March 27-April 1, led by General Music Director Justin Brown. All four productions were designed and directed by Denis Krief and will feature an internationally acclaimed cast of singers.
Justin Brown has received considerable acclaim from German critics for his recent performances of Wagner’s operas. He conducted his first complete Ring Cycle with this Karlsruhe production to sold-out houses and critical acclaim in the 2011-2012 season. Karl Georg Berg in Die Rheinpfalz wrote, “his direction of the Ring is exceptional. …What is particularly unique about Brown’s direction is the authenticity of expression.… Read more…
Justin Brown makes ‘sensational’ debut in Colorado
“The Colorado Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Brown were sensational…it was so refreshing Friday evening to see and sense the feeling of mutual respect between Maestro Brown and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. …Brown is a remarkable conductor, and listening to the orchestra perform under him, and watching their reaction to him and his reaction to them, immediately made me sense that there was strong admiration exchanged. … It has been quite a while since I have heard and seen the CSO perform with… an absolute joy in what they were doing. This was absolutely a world-class performance.”
—Robin McNeil, Opus Colorado, 1-26-13… Read more…
Justin Brown to Debut with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra
On January 25-27, 2013, British conductor Justin Brown makes his Colorado Symphony Orchestra debut in a program featuring Berlioz’s Royal Hunt and Storm from Les Troyens; Respighi’s Fountains of Rome/ Pines of Rome, and Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 5, Egyptian, featuring renowned French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.
Internationally recognized in both the symphonic and operatic repertoires, Justin Brown is General Music Director of the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Germany, and Music Director Laureate of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra in the United States.… Read more…
Critical Acclaim for Justin Brown in Cincinnati
“Leading the orchestra, Brown matched [Fliter's] lightness of spirit and was a fine partner. It’s too bad that only a sparse crowd heard this performance, but those who came leaped to their feet in approval. The conductor is music director laureate of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and is currently the general music director of the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe, Germany… Rachmaninoff’s lush and melodic Symphonic Dances offered a satisfying close to the program. Brown …led authoritatively and his expressive powers communicated to the listener…”
- Janelle Gelfend, The Cincinnati Enquirer, 1-5-13
“Justin Brown conducted the Britten with gravitas and imagination, eliciting superb work from the CSO… Maestro Brown embraced the [Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances] with passion and magisterial command of its rhythmic and orchestral intricacies, bringing the evening to a rousing climax…”
- Rafael de Acha, Seen and Heard International, 1-5-13
“Standing before them was an exceptional conductor, English-born Justin Brown in his CSO debut… Brown… led with precision and depth, drawing every ounce of meaning from the score: the foreboding of the Lacrymosa, the horror of the Dies Irae and the gentle resignation of the Requiem Aeternam… As in the Britten, Brown’s interpretive and communicative skills were well represented [in the Rachmaninoff], manifest in eloquent use of his left hand and scrupulous attention to detail.”
– Mary Ellen Hutton, Music in Cincinnati, 1-5-13… Read more…
Critical Acclaim for Schonberg’s ‘Gurrelieder’ with the Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe
“The Badische Staatskapelle under the direction of conductor Justin Brown surpassed itself… Brown did not merely indulge in coloristic virtuosity, but rather emphasized the monumental work’s proximity to opera. He repeatedly drove the music forward, building momentum in ever-increasing waves and thereby achieving a thrilling intensity… The Badische Staatskapelle gave its audience an extraordinary gift to be remembered.”
- Tobias Pfleger, Klassik.com, 12.16.12
“Justin Brown and his musicians gave a stunning performance… The Badische Staatskapelle lived up to their reputation as a top-notch orchestra.”
- Martin Roeber, Deutsche Presse Agentur, 12.17.12
“A delicate and airy sound texture, big lyrical arias, drama in the best Wagnerian tradition and monumentally escalating martial action: the performance developed overpowering traction that was both dazzling and convincing.… Read more…
Justin Brown to Debut with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
On January 4 & 5, 2013, British conductor Justin Brown makes his Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra debut in a program featuring Benjamin Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem, Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, and Ravel’s beloved Piano Concerto in G Major, with Argentine pianist Ingrid Fliter.
Internationally recognized in both the symphonic and operatic repertoires, Justin Brown is General Music Director of the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Germany, and Music Director Laureate of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra in the United States.… Read more…
Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe Receives ‘Best Concert Program’ Award for 2012-2013
Under the leadership of General Music Director Justin Brown, the Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe has received the prestigious “Best Concert Program” Award for its 350th anniversary season in 2012-2013 from the German Music Publishers Association (DMV).
In a press release announcing the award, the DMV jury recognized Brown’s significant programming of contemporary music, giving music of the 20th century a central place in concerts, particularly lesser known works. The jury also acknowledged the orchestra’s innovative youth education program, in which contemporary orchestral music is presented to young listeners by way of example and explanation.… Read more…
Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe wins 2012 German Theatre Publishers Prize
The musical theater division of the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe receives the unendowed prize of the German Theater Publishers 2012 with the explanation that, already in his first year in Karlsruhe, the artistic director Peter Spuhler succeeded in “giving the house a distinctive profile, thereby drawing national attention to it.” In the 2011-2012 season alone, there were twenty premieres in musical theater. The prize will be awarded in Karlsruhe on February 16. According to the jury, “the steadfastness with which the artistic director Peter Spuhler, conductor Justin Brown, head dramaturg and opera director Joschka Schaback believe in the substance of contemporary works and repeatedly put them to the test is impressive.”… Read more…
New Videos for ‘Tannhäuser’ and ‘A Village Romeo & Juliet’
Listen to Justin Brown conduct the Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe in new videos for Tannhäuser and A Village Romeo & Juliet.
Justin Brown Cited in ‘Opernwelt’
In Opernwelt‘s 2012 year-in-review issue of the finest opera performances in Germany, critic Hans-Klaus Jungheinrich of the Frankfurter Rundschau cited Justin Brown for “conductor of the year” in two productions at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe: Les Troyens by Berlioz and A Village Romeo and Juliet by Delius. Additionally, Georg-Fredrich Kühn, opera critic for Neue Zürcher Zeitung (Zurich), Deutschlandfunk, and Stuttgarter Zeitung, cited Brown for A Village Romeo and Juliet. Read more [German]…… Read more…
Alabama Symphony Orchestra and Justin Brown Awarded Third Consecutive ASCAP Award
On June 8, the League of American Orchestras announced the 2011-2012 ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming to 24 orchestras at the League of American Orchestras’ 67th Annual Conference in Dallas, Texas. For the third consecutive year, the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Justin Brown were honored with a top award: first prize for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music among Group 2 orchestras (Expenses $7 – $15.9 Million).
ASCAP and the League present the awards each year to orchestras of all sizes for programs that challenge the audience, build the repertoire, and increase interest in music of our time.… Read more…
Carnegie Hall Debut on WQXR
From May 7 through 12, WQXR presented six live broadcasts from the Spring for Music festival, an annual showcase for the most creative programming ideas among North American orchestras. The Alabama Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Justin Brown, made its Carnegie Hall debut with works by two of its recent composers in residence: Avner Dorman’s Astrolatry and Paul Lansky’s Shapeshifters for two pianos and orchestra, both in their New York premieres.
The piano duo Quattro Mani is featured in the latter work. The program, which also features Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, is hosted by Elliott Forrest and Naomi Lewin. LISTEN… Read more…
Conductor Justin Brown Looks Toward Carnegie Hall and Beyond
British conductor Justin Brown will make his Carnegie Hall debut conducting the Alabama Symphony Orchestra (ASO), on Thursday, May 10, 2012, at 7:30 pm as part of Carnegie Hall’s prestigious 2012 Spring For Music Festival. The concert will feature the New York premieres of two works that Brown helped originate at the ASO: Astrolatry, commissioned from Israeli composer Avner Dorman in 2010, and Shapeshifters for two pianos and orchestra (featuring piano duo Quattro Mani), commissioned from American composer Paul Lansky in 2009.… Read more…
Justin Brown and Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe release Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 on Pan Classics Label
On February 28, 2012, Pan Classics (PC 10262) releases a new SA-CD of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 by the Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe, Germany, led by its General Music Director, British conductor Justin Brown. This debut recording by the Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe and Brown celebrates the orchestra’s 350th anniversary as one of the oldest orchestras in the world, originally founded in 1662.
The CD marks an important landmark in the collaboration between Justin Brown and the Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe, where he has served as General Music Director since 2008.… Read more…
