Up for 24 hour for free is a wonderful concert by conductor Jaap van Zweden and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, which he has turned into one of the best bands in the land. The concert, which also stars the phenomenal violinist Hilary Hahn, is from the DSO’s European tour and for this concert they are playing at the Concertgebouw, one of the most storied concert halls in the world. That would be occasion enough–but to add to the emotion van Zweden, who is also a violinist, was concertmaster of the Concertgebouw Orchestra for 17 years until Leonard Bernstein, seeing a spark in him, encouraged him to take up conducting.
That he is one of the best conductors around is easy to see and hear. This is something special. Why he doesn’t get snapped up by the Boston Symphony, where he led a knockout series in the 2011-2012 season that I was lucky enough to attend live, is a mystery.
A Few Reasonable Words 