“[Brown] strikes me as a conductor of substance…[he] navigates the mainstream repertoire with authority. His Eroica had a gritty, slow-burning intensity that reminded me of Otto Klemperer’s monumental 1959 recording.”
ALEX ROSS
NEW YORKER
Internationally recognized in both the symphonic and operatic repertoires, Justin Brown is Music Director of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and General Music Director of the Badisches Staatstheater, Karlsruhe.
In his five seasons with the Alabama Symphony, he has won recognition for the orchestra across the country, particularly as a vibrant destination for contemporary music (the orchestra received a first-place ASCAP award in 2010, and the 2011 John S. Edwards Award for Strongest Commitment to New American Music). In addition to commissioning new compositions, Mr. Brown has conducted major works by distinguished composers such as Elliott Carter, George Crumb, John Adams and Peter Lieberson. Building on the success of recent years, the orchestra received a prestigious invitation to perform in Carnegie Hall as part of the Spring for Music Festival in May 2012, one of only six invited orchestras.
In Karlsruhe, which has a rich and historical Wagner tradition, Justin Brown has been particularly celebrated for his conducting of The Ring, as well as the late operas of Verdi and Strauss. In October this year, his interpretation of Berlioz’ Les Troyens received rave reviews in the National press. Other productions this season will include Lohengrin, Der Rosenkavalier, La Traviata, Katya Kabanova, and A Village Romeo and Juliet (Delius). Since becoming music director in 2008, he has also significantly expanded the orchestra’s symphonic repertoire through a range of diverse programming.
As guest conductor, Justin Brown has worked with many of the world’s top orchestras, including, in the UK: the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony, Royal Philharmonic and City of Birmingham Symphony; in Scandinavia: the Oslo Philharmonic, Finnish Radio Symphony, Bergen Philharmonic and Swedish Chamber Orchestra; in mainland Europe: the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Dresden Philharmonic, Netherlands Radio Symphony, Musikkollegium Winterthur and Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse; in the United States: the Indianapolis and Dallas symphonies; and further afield: the Malaysian Philharmonic, São Paolo Symphony, Sydney Symphony and the Tokyo Philharmonic.
Since beginning his opera career at the English National Opera and Scottish Opera, Mr. Brown has conducted at Covent Garden, Santa Fé, La Monnaie, Staatsoper Stuttgart, Oper Frankfurt, Opéra de Nantes, Opéra de Strasbourg, Teatro San Carlo/Lisbon, and the Norwegian Opera. In December 2010, he made his Bavarian State Opera (Munich) debut with L’Elisir d’amore.
Justin Brown’s recordings include a critically acclaimed recording of the Elgar and Barber cello concertos with Anne Gastinel and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra on the French label, NAÏVE. His recording of Peter Lieberson’s The Six Realms won a 2006 WQXR Gramophone American Award, and was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Classical Recording category. For Bridge Records, his CD of Gershwin’s complete music for Piano and Orchestra, with Anne-Marie McDermott and the Dallas Symphony was designated as an Editor’s Choice by Gramophone Magazine. Also for Bridge, he has recorded works by Carter, Ruders, Gershwin and Dvorák.
Born in England, Justin Brown studied at Cambridge University and at Tanglewood with Seiji Ozawa and Leonard Bernstein; he later served as an assistant to both Bernstein and Luciano Berio. He made his highly acclaimed conducting debut with the British stage première of Bernstein’s Mass. Also in demand as a pianist, Mr. Brown has garnered high praise for his performances on both sides of the Atlantic. He has played and directed concertos by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninov and Shostakovich, and performs regularly in chamber music series both in the United States and Germany.
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“…Though very physical, he is equally economical. Every cue beat and gesture mean something, and they contribute to the immediate sound and ultimate form. It is a sight to behold.”
BIRMINGHAM NEWS
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