When the first orange-tinged leaves appear in Central Park, New Yorkers know the Carnegie Hall fall season is just around the corner, too. On Thursday evening, the historic venue opened its doors to mark the start of its autumn program with a performance by the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Led by chief conductor Kirill Petrenko and featuring star tenor Jonas Kaufmann, the night’s show under the Hall’s gilded ceilings and boxes was an international display of talent. In the heart of midtown Manhattan, the German orchestra performed a program of Italian music spanning Verdi, Leoncavallo, and Respighi, among others. A raucous standing ovation—and surprise brass musicians emerging from the wings—proved no translator was needed to manage the combination of different cultures at play, as they were all united by the rousing emotion of the opera.
“It was beautiful,” Constance Wu, a longtime classical music enthusiast, told Vogue. “It was a very pastoral, woodland-type of program, which is a wonderful thing to listen to as summer turns to fall. It was a cool, dusky vibe, and the sound was incredible.”
After the performance, the celebrations continued at Cipriani 42nd Street for the event’s annual gala. With a celestial ‘Where the Stars Align’ theme, guests including designer Prabal Gurung, Peter Sarsgaard, Doris Wong, Jessica Joffe, Lena Hall, and Eletra Wiedemann were surrounded by vibrant sunflowers and flickering candlelight under the venue’s soaring columns.
Alongside a menu of baked tagliolini, lamb, and soft vanilla meringue cake, attendees viewed presentations spotlighting the Hall’s youth programs, digital platforms, and efforts to expand its music education worldwide. Additional evening highlights included remarks from Chairman of the Board of Trustees Robert F. Smith and New York Senator Chuck Schumer, who revealed that $5 million had been raised so far to support various initiatives for young talent at the venue.
