The Brooklyn Papers / Tom Callan

Brooklyn Philharmonic music director Michael Christie at the River Cafe on Sept. 24.

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With only one season as the music director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic under his belt, 32-year-old conductor Michael Christie is already leaving an indelible mark on the organization.

Following Robert Spano’s departure at the end of the 2004 season, the Brooklyn Philharmonic was in a state of flux: 2005, in which several conductors came and went, was essentially a run of "try-outs." And Christie, who at the time had just finished his four-year tenure as artistic director and chief conductor of Australia’s Queensland Orchestra, got the job after leading the Brooklynites in April 2005.

From the start, Christie began molding the orchestra in his vision: his youthful enthusiasm and his passion for all forms of music have been largely responsible for getting Brooklyn Philharmonic audiences buzzing again.

In announcing the orchestra’s upcoming season at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge at the always splendid (scenically and gastronomically) River Cafe last month, Christie eagerly discussed the four mainstage concerts taking place at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House from February through May 2007, as well as mentioning the many - and always expanding - community outreach programs the orchestra is involved in, not only throughout its eponymous borough but also the rest of New York City.

Christie announced that he had added "more performances to our season because we want the orchestra to play together more often."

As part of that initiative, the exciting new series, "BP Presents," debuts with two genre-busting concerts at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, "hosted" by Christie. On Feb. 1, "Four Scored" presents a quartet of female vocalists - Laurie Anderson, Nellie McKay, Joan Osborne and Suzanne Vega - who will each perform her tunes with various ensembles featuring members of the Philharmonic. On March 9, "Antony and the Johnsons" features the orchestral debut of this acclaimed vocal group.

The Brooklyn Philharmonic’s 53rd mainstage season - subtitled "The Sound of Brooklyn" - begins Feb. 3 with the program "Earth Awakened," in which Christie leads the orchestra in works that touch on the mysteriousness of Mother Nature and mankind’s primal instincts. Opening this evening are two compositions by Australia’s own Peter Sculthorpe: "Earth Cry," which features William Barton playing a wind instrument indigenous to the Aborigine people, the didgeridoo; and "Mangrove."

At the press conference, Christie shared that this will be a reunion of sorts with Barton, an Aboriginal musician, with whom he had collaborated on a recording of Sculthorpe’s music, "Song of Sea and Sky," with the Queensland Orchestra.

The concert ends with Igor Stravinsky’s still-shattering exploration of an ancient pagan ritual, the ballet "The Rite of Spring," which will be danced by Manhattan-based nicholasleichterdance to Nicholas Leichter’s world-premiere choreography.

This performance is part of a three-year project with nicholasleichterdance featuring Stravinsky ballets, explained Christie. Future seasons will feature "Petrushka" and "The Firebird."

The program that Christie conducts March 10, "Bridge to the Beyond," connects two works by the current "hot" classical composer, Argentina’s Osvaldo Golijov - a new orchestration of his chamber-music piece "Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind," featuring clarinetist David Krakauer, and "Last Round," inspired by the Argentine tango composer Astor Piazzolla - with Gustav Mahler, whose Symphony No. 1 in D Major remains a celebratory achievement, even in light of the eight masterpieces that followed in that genre before his untimely death in 1911 at age 50.

The music director sits out the third concert of the season, "KRONOS + COSMOS," on April 21. Guest conductor Stefan Asbury leads the orchestra in Ralph Vaughan William’s indescribably haunting "Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis," then welcomes the Kronos Quartet onstage for the local premiere of Manhattan-based composer Julia Wolfe’s "My Beautiful Scream," which was written expressly for the Kronos foursome.

Climaxing this concert is not only Gustav Holst’s explosive - and enduring - "The Planets," but also another New York premiere: the accompanying video footage for "The Planets" is from NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which should re-energize an overfamiliar repertory piece.

Returning to the podium for the final concert of the 2007 season - "The Ride to Redemption" on May 12 - maestro Christie once again demonstrates how he is bringing new blood to Brooklyn Philharmonic programming: this concert marks the beginning of a three-year initiative by the orchestra to partner with the highly regarded avant-garde Ridge Theater (which has performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave festival), to explore one faith-based musical work through what’s being described as "a theatrical film staging."

For this concert, Henryk Gorecki’s Symphony No. 3, subtitled "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs" - which became that rarity of rarities, a true classical smash hit, in 1993 after it was featured in Peter Weir’s film "Fearless" and was released in a celebrated recording featuring soprano Dawn Upshaw - will be staged, through Ridge Theater’s unique visuals, with allusions to the tragic events following Hitler’s invasion of Poland to spark World War II.

Also on the bill for this season-ending celebration are two more jubilant works: Paul Hindemith’s "Mathis der Maler" symphony and Mozart’s aptly titled "Exsultate jubilate." Soprano Nathalie Paulin will sing the Gorecki and Mozart works.

In addition to outlining this quartet of compelling and original programs this coming season by an orchestra clearly on the rise, Christie also discussed the community partnerships and music education programs in which the Brooklyn Philharmonic is involved, including the ongoing "Music Off the Walls" concerts at the Brooklyn Museum, free "Music Off the Shelves" chamber-music concerts at the Brooklyn Public Library, and free "Music in the Sanctuaries" concerts in various houses of worship throughout the borough.

- with Lisa J. Curtis

Brooklyn Philharmonic concerts begin Feb. 1, 2007. Tickets for subscription performances are $60, $55, $40, $20 and $10 for students and may be purchased by calling BAM Ticket Services at (718) 636-4100. Multi-buy discounts are available by calling the Brooklyn Philharmonic at (718) 488-5913.

©2006 Community Newspaper Group