NY Philharmonic season opens Sep. 17

NEW YORK (Newyorkphilharmonic.org Official Website) - The New York Philharmonic will open its 2003-04 season Sept. 17 with a program of Verdi and Tchaikovsky that features bass Samuel Ramey.

Ramey will sing arias from Verdi's "Don Carlo," "Simon Boccanegra" and "Ernani" conducted by Lorin Maazel, starting his second season as music director. The program, to be televised by PBS, also includes the overtures from "La Forza del Destino" and "I Vespri Siciliani," and Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony.

The orchestra's 162nd season also includes world premieres of works by Poul Ruders and Stephen Hartke, and a cycle of Beethoven's nine symphonies and piano concerti conducted by Maazel from Oct. 21 to Nov. 8, with pianists Jonathan Biss, Rudolf Buchbinder, Gianluca Cascioli, Christian Zacharias and Krystian Zimerman.

Soprano Renee Fleming will sing in a New Year's Eve program of French works, to be conducted by Andrew Davis and televised by PBS.

Leonard Bernstein's "Candide" will be presented in four semistaged performances May 5-8, with Marin Alsop conducting soprano Kristin Chenoweth (Cunegonde), tenor Paul Groves (Candide) and Thomas Allen (Dr. Pangloss). The orchestra will present an Ives festival May 11-29 to mark the 50th anniversary of the composer's death.