Joan Tower Makes the Top 20

Posted at 11:26 AM on May 22, 2006 by Don Lee

I’ve heard quite a few classical music lovers say the 7th is their favorite Beethoven symphony. It’s certainly mine. And American orchestras seem to like it too. They performed Beethoven’s 7th 89 times last year—more than any other piece. Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony came in second, with 76 performances.

These and wads of other stat’s on the past year in American orchestra programming can be found in a report just issued by the American Symphony Orchestra League (ASOL).

Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Brahms and other familiar names dominate the top 20 list. But there’s a surprise in the No. 8 slot. Tied with Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition is Made in America by contemporary American composer Joan Tower, with 57 performances. And there are more on the way. By the time the work is done touring the country under the auspices of the ASOL and Meet the Composer, it will have been performed 65 times. The Civic Orchestra of Minneapolis performed Made in America in the Twin Cities on Feb. 12.