Two Top Ten Orchestras Come to Town

By Alexander Hough in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 9, 2009 7:45PM

Chicago and New York are swapping orchestras for the night, with the CSO playing at Carnegie Hall and Lorin Maazel leading the New York Philharmonic at Symphony Center at 7:30 p.m.

Who's getting the better end of that deal? Well, according to last year's Gramophone power ranking, it's our buddies in the Big Apple. CSO was rated as the top American orchestra (#5 overall), while the New York Philharmonic came in fifth (#12 overall). Sure, something as subjective as a formal ranking may seem especially silly when applied to music, but that doesn't mean we can't gloat. Grab a last minute ticket and see if you can tell the difference between the two groups. Stravinsky's Rite of Spring headlines the concert.

If you're wondering what an orchestra that ranked higher than the CSO sounds like, get a ticket to see Valery Gergiev and the #4-overall London Symphony Orchestra play an all-Prokofiev program on Sunday, March 22 at 3:00 p.m.

Symphony Center, 220 S Michigan, NY Phil plays tonight at 7:30 p.m., LSO plays March 22 at 3:00 p.m., $36 - $199

Photo by Alexander Hough