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Murray Perahia

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“I only play music I love…that way other people will learn to love it too.”  To hear Murray Perahia at the piano is to understand what he says. Perahia has become one of the most coveted and treasured musicians of our time. Every single performance by Perahia is a revelation and a deeply moving experience.

“How to describe Murray Perahia’s qualities? Elegance, fluency, modesty, clarity – and an abiding sense of the poetic.” – The Independent

 Program

Bach
French Suite No. 4

Beethoven
Sonata No. 23, Op 57 “Appassionata”

Schumann
Papillons Op. 2

Chopin
Nocturne Op 62, No. 1
Etude Op 25, No. 1
Etude Op 25, No. 5
Etude Op 10, No. 4
Scherzo No. 2 in B flat minor Op. 31

Links

Learn more about Murray Perahia.

Biography

In the more than 40 years he has been performing on the concert stage, American pianist Murray Perahia has become one of the most sought-after and cherished pianists of our time, performing in all of the major international music centers and with every leading orchestra.  He is the Principal Guest Conductor of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, with whom he has toured as conductor and pianist throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, and South East Asia.

Born in New York, Mr. Perahia started playing piano at the age of four, and later attended Mannes College where he majored in conducting and composition.  His summers were spent at the Marlboro Festival, where he collaborated with such musicians as Rudolf Serkin, Pablo Casals, and the members of the Budapest String Quartet.  He also studied at the time with Mieczyslaw Horszowski. In subsequent years, he developed a close friendship with Vladimir Horowitz, whose perspective and personality were an abiding inspiration.  In 1972 Mr. Perahia won the Leeds International Piano Competition, and in 1973 he gave his first concert at the Aldeburgh Festival, where he worked closely with Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears, accompanying the latter in many lieder recitals. Mr. Perahia was co-artistic director of the Festival from 1981 to 1989.

Having completed a tour of North America with a debut recital in Mexico in the 2012-13 season, Mr. Perahia will embark on a recital tour of Japan followed by his historically first appearances in Australia where he will perform at the Sydney Opera House and in Melbourne in November 2013.

Mr. Perahia has a wide and varied discography. Sony Classical has issued a special boxed set edition of all his recordings including several DVDs entitled The First 40 Years. His recording of Brahms Händel Variations, which won the Grammophone Award in 2011, has been called “one of the most rewarding Brahms recitals currently available.” Some of his previous solo recordings feature a 5-CD boxed set of his Chopin recordings, Bach’s Partitas Nos. 1, 5, and 6 and Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas, opp 14, 26, and 28. He is the recipient of two Grammy awards, for his recordings of Chopin’s complete Etudes and Bach’s English Suites Nos. 1, 3, and 6, and numerous Grammy nominations. Mr. Perahia has also won several Gramophone Awards.

Recently, Mr. Perahia embarked on an ambitious project to edit the complete Beethoven Sonatas for the Henle Urtext Edition. He also produced and edited numerous hours of recordings of recently discovered master classes by the legendary pianist, Alfred Cortot, which resulted in the highly acclaimed Sony CD release, “Alfred Cortot: The Master Classes.”

Mr. Perahia is an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, and he holds honorary doctorates from Leeds University and Duke University. In 2004, he was awarded an honorary KBE by Her Majesty The Queen, in recognition of his outstanding service to music.

This performance is sponsored by Jean Hodgins.

Classic Afternoons at the Chan Centre is sponsored by

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In association with
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Vilde Frang

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From prodigy at 12, when she performed with the Oslo Philharmonic under Mariss Jansons, to virtuoso at 26, Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang’s prodigious talent has defined her as one of the leading violinists of her generation.  She is a treasure waiting to be discovered… by you!

“She began with such hushed gossamer tones as to give no inkling of the fierce untamed power of the playing that emerged.” – The Guardian

http://youtu.be/vz8pOr7EPEg

Program

Mendelssohn
Sonata for Violin and Piano in F major (1838)
(without opus number)

Faure
Violin Sonata Op. 13

Mozart
Violin Sonata KV 305

Prokofiev
Violin Sonata no. 2, Op. 94

Links

Learn more about Vilde Frang.

Biography

Vilde Frang was unanimously awarded the 2012 Credit Suisse Young Artist Award and made her debut with the Vienna Philharmonic under Bernard Haitink at the 2012 Lucerne Summer Music Festival.

Noted particularly for her superb musical expression as well as her well-developed virtuosity, Vilde has established herself as one of the leading young violinists of her generation since she was engaged by Mariss Jansons at the age of twelve to perform with Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Highlights among her forthcoming and recent engagements include performances with Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Philharmonia Orchestra, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, HR-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich, Russian National Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, the NHK Symphony in Tokyo and Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, with conductors including Ivan Fischer, Paavo Järvi, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Mariss Jansons, David Zinman, Sir Neville Marriner, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Yuri Termirkanov.

She appears as a recitalist and chamber musician at festivals in Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rheingau, Lockenhaus, Gstaad, Verbier and Lucerne. Amongst her collaborators were Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet, Martha Argerich, Julian Rachlin, Leif Ove Andsnes, Sol Gabetta and Maxim Vengerov, and together with Anne-Sophie Mutter she has toured in Europe and the US, playing Bach’s Double Concerto with Camerata Salzburg.

After her 2007 debut with London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vilde was re-engaged for a concert with the orchestra and Vladimir Jurowski at the Royal Festival Hall in the 2009 season, followed by a recital at Wigmore Hall. Her concerto recording debut as EMI Classics’ Young Artist of the Year 2010 was greeted with acclaim by critics throughout the world and received the Edison Klassiek Award and a Classic BRIT Award for Best Newcomer. Her second disc, a recital recording with her duo partner Michail Lifits, received a Gramophone Award Nomination, Diapason Magazine’s “Diapason d‘Or” and the Echo Klassik Award. Her most recent release, featuring concertos by Tchaikovsky and Carl Nielsen, received the Deutsche Schallplattenpreis and was named Editor’s Choice by Gramophone Magazine.

Born in 1986 in Norway, Vilde has studied at the Barratt Due Musikkinstitutt in Oslo, with Kolja Blacher at Musikhochschule Hamburg and Ana Chumachenco at the Kronberg Academy. She plays a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin lent by the Anne-Sophie Mutter Freundeskreis Stiftung.

Gerald Finley

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“A recital is a very human experience. People have come literally to spend time with you. I want to share the highs and lows and deliver something that’s precious to me.” Who better to describe the recital experience than the great Canadian baritone himself? He reduces his audiences to spellbound silence.

“Mr. Finley has long been recognized as a recitalist of rare versatility, a concert artist of the first rank, and an opera singer of distinction.” – The New York Times

Program

Schubert’s Winterreise 

This program will be performed without intermission. Please note that there will be no late seating.

Links

Learn more about Gerald Finley.

Biography

Grammy-award wining Canadian baritone Gerald Finley has become one of the leading singers and dramatic interpreters of his generation, with award-winning performances and recordings on CD and DVD and performing at the world’s major opera and concert venues in a wide variety of repertoire.

In opera, Mr Finley has sung all the major baritone roles of Mozart. His Don Giovanni has been seen in New York, London, Paris, Salzburg, Munich, Rome, Vienna, Prague, Tel Aviv, Budapest and Glyndebourne, recently released on DVD. As the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro, his appearances include the Royal Opera Covent Garden (Opus Arte DVD), Salzburg Festival (2007, 2009), Paris, Vienna and Amsterdam. At the New York Met his roles have included Don Giovanni, Golaud and Marcello.

Critical successes also include Eugene Onegin and Golaud at Covent Garden, Iago in Otello with Sir Colin Davis and the LSO (LSO Live), the title role in Guillaume Tell with Accademia di Santa Cecilia and Antonio Pappano (EMI) and his debut performances as Hans Sachs at the Glyndebourne Festival (Opus Arte DVD). In contemporary opera, Mr Finley has excelled in creating leading roles, most notably Howard K. Stern in Turnage’s Anna Nicole at Covent Garden (Opus Arte) and J. Robert Oppenheimer in John Adam’s Doctor Atomic (New York Met, ENO London, San Francisco, Chicago and Amsterdam) (DVD available on Opus Arte and Sony), as Harry Heegan in Mark Anthony Turnage’s The Silver Tassie
at ENO, and Jaufré Rudel in Kaija Saariaho’s L’amour de loin for the much-acclaimed premieres in Santa Fe, Paris and Helsinki (DVD).

Most recent concert appearances included works by Sibelius and Walton with the BBC Symphony, Janacek with the Berlin Philharmonic, Harbison’s 5th Symphony with the Boston Symphony, Mozart Requiem and Missa Solemnis with the Concertgebouw Orchestra and Elgar’s Coronation Ode at the First Night of the 2012 BBC Proms. He concluded the 2011/12 season with appearances at the Festivals of Toronto, Tanglewood, Ottawa Chamber, Ravinia and Grafenegg.

As a recitalist, he works regularly with Julius Drake. They recently performed at the Wigmore Hall, the Schwarzenberg Schubertiade, New York’s Alice Tully Hall, and Madrid’s Teatro della Zarzuela. Mr Finley’s CD releases are devoted to songs of Barber and Ives, “Dichterliebe” by Schumann, “Songs by Ravel”, and Britten’s “Songs and Proverbs” all in partnership with Julius Drake on the Hyperion label, and have been critically acclaimed, including the 2008. 2009 and 2011 Gramophone Award in the ‘Solo Vocal’ category. In 2012 the DVD release of John Adam’s Doctor Atomic in which Gerald Finley appeared as J. Robert Oppenheimer was awarded the Grammy for ‘Best Opera Recording’. His latest CD “Liederkreis” was released in October 2012.

2012/13 started with a return to the BBC Proms as Chou en Lai in Nixon in China with the BBC Symphony, followed by Brahms’ Requiem with the Concertgebouw, which he will also perform with the Toronto and London Symphony Orchestras later in the season. Further highlights include recitals across Europe, Le nozze di Figaro at the Metropolitan Opera New York, Haydn’s Nelson Mass and Schönberg’s A survivor from Warsaw with Andris Nelsons and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Munich, Frankfurt and Luxembourg, concerts in Australia, Mahler’s Wunderhorn Lieder with the Czech Philharmonic, Alexander’s Feast by Handel under the baton of Nikolaus Harnoncourt at Vienna’s Musikverein, Les espaces du sommeil with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, Don Giovanni at the Bavarian State Opera and Il Prigioniero with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Mr Finley concludes the season with Cosi fan tutte at the Salzburg Festival.

Gerald Finley, born in Montreal, began singing as a chorister in Ottawa, Canada, and completed his musical studies in the UK at the Royal College of Music, King’s College, Cambridge, and the National Opera Studio.

The performance is sponsored by Robert Lemon in memory of Robert Ledingham.

Peak Performances at the Playhouse Series is sponsored by
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Charlie Albright

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Impressive and captivating, this young multi-talented pianist/composer is blazing his way to fame. Recipient of many awards and prizes, which keep on coming, Albright has collaborated on several occasions with Yo-Yo Ma. A decidedly distinctive debut.

“Albright is among the most gifted musicians of his generation.” – The Washington Post

Program

Schubert
Impromptus, Op. 90
No. 1 in C minor
No. 2 in E-flat major
No. 3 in G-flat major
No. 4 in A-flat major

Janáček
Sonata, 1.X.1905
The Presentiment
The Death

Schulz-Evler
Concert Arabesques on Themes from “On the Beautiful Blue Danube”

Charlie Albright
Improvisation

Chopin
Etudes, Op. 25
Étude Op. 25, No. 1 in A-flat major
Étude Op. 25, No. 2 in F minor
Étude Op. 25, No. 3 in F major
Étude Op. 25, No. 4 in A minor
Étude Op. 25, No. 5 in E minor
Étude Op. 25, No. 6 in G-sharp minor
Étude Op. 25, No. 7 in C-sharp minor
Étude Op. 25, No. 8 in D-flat major
Étude Op. 25, No. 9 in G-flat major
Étude Op. 25, No. 10 in B minor
Étude Op. 25, No. 11 in A minor (“Winter Wind”)
Étude Op. 25, No. 12 in C minor (“Ocean”)

Links

Learn more about Charlie Albright.

Biography

Winner of the prestigious 2010 Gilmore Young Artist Award and the 2009 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, pianist Charlie Albright concluded the 2010-2011 season of debuts to critical acclaim, hailed as being “among the most gifted musicians of his generation” (Washington Post) whose “impressive range of differently colored sounds at the keyboard was matched by overwhelming virtuosity” while “musical shape was never sacrificed to showmanship.”  The New York Times praised his “jaw-dropping technique,” “intelligently wrought interpretation” and “virtuosity meshed with a distinctive musicality.”  Mr. Albright made his New York and Kennedy Center recital debuts on the Young Concert Artists Series and at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Orchestral debuts included the San Francisco Symphony with conductor Alondra de la Parra, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra with conductor Gerard Schwarz, and the Boston Pops with conductor Keith Lockhart.

Highlights of Mr. Albright’s busy 2011-2012 season included a fourth concert with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, an appearance as soloist with the Phoenix Symphony performing Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat minor, Op. 23, solo recitals at the Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, the Morgan Library and Museum, the Friends of Music Concerts (NY), and at the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts (MI), the Palladium Theater at St. Petersburg (FL), and Missouri State University, among others.

At the age of 18, Mr. Albright performed with cellist Yo-Yo Ma at a ceremony at which Senator Ted Kennedy received an honorary degree from Harvard University, and again performed with Mr. Ma in a program commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, featuring Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison.  He has given concerto performances with the Seattle Philharmonic and the Olympia, Port Angeles, and Northwest Wind symphonies in Washington State.

Winner of the 2011 Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts from Harvard University, Mr. Albright has also been named the Artist in Residence for Harvard University’s Leverett House for 2011-2012, a position last filled by Yo-Yo Ma. His debut recording Vivace was released in February 2011 with works by Haydn, Menotti, Schumann-Liszt, Janácek, Chopin and Albright.

Mr. Albright won the Paul A. Fish First Prize at the Young Concert Artists International Auditions as well as the Ronald A. Asherson Prize, Summis Auspiciis Prize, the John Browning Prize, the Sander Buchman Prize, the Ruth Laredo Award, and four performance prizes: the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival Prize, the Friends of Music Concerts Prize for an engagement in Sleepy Hollow, the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival Prize, and the Embassy Series Prize for a concert in Washington, DC.  Other awards include a Vendome Virtuoso Prize and the Elizabeth Leonskaya Special Award at the 2009 Vendome Prize International Piano Competition in Lisbon, Portugal.  Mr. Albright won the 2008 Harvard Bach Society Orchestra’s competition to perform the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto, Third Prize as the youngest competitor at the 2007 Hilton Head International Piano Competition, and First Prizes in the 2006 Eastman Piano Competition, the 2006 Stecher and Horowitz Foundation’s New York Piano Competition and the 2005 IIYM International Competition in Lawrence, Kansas.

Born in Centralia, Washington, Mr. Albright began piano lessons at the age of three.  He has studied with Nancy Adsit and has participated in master classes with Richard Goode, Leif Ove Andsnes and Abbey Simon.  Mr. Albright earned an Associate of Science degree at Centralia College while he was also in high school, and was accepted to the Harvard College/New England Conservatory of Music joint program, where he completed his Bachelor’s degree as a Pre-med and Economics major at Harvard in 2011 and is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance at the New England Conservatory of Music, with Wha-Kyung Byun. Mr. Albright is a Steinway Artist.

Benedetto Lupo

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Italian Benedetto Lupo has been described as “an exceptionally fine pianist who has a remarkably fine touch and beautiful tone control” (The Oregonian). Making his long overdue debut appearance for the VRS, Lupo doesn’t merely play the piano with immense clarity and articulation, he makes it sing.

“His pianism was never less than gracious, the musical sensitivity behind it generous and true.” –Chicago Tribune

Program

Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897)

Three Intermezzi Op. 117

Fantasien Op. 116

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 – 1893)

Grand Piano Sonata in G major Op. 37

Links

Learn more about Benedetto Lupo.

Biography

Benedetto Lupo has been described by critics as an “exceptionally fine pianist … who has a remarkably fine touch and beautiful tone control” (The Oregonian). Praised for his “keen musical intelligence and probing intellect” (Miami Herald), and for combining “meticulous technique with romantic sensitivity” (Birmingham News), he has gained worldwide recognition. After winning the bronze medal in the 1989 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, he made acclaimed debuts with several major American orchestras, as well as chamber appearances with the Tokyo String Quartet. His New York City recital debut at Alice Tully Hall followed in 1992, the same year he won the Terence Judd International Award, which in turn led to his debut at London’s Wigmore Hall.

Next season, two debuts in North America are notable: Lupo will perform Bartók’s Concerto No. 1 with the Baltimore Symphony, before playing Chopin’s E-minor Concerto with I Musici de Montréal. He will also return to the Huntsville Symphony to perform the Schumann Concerto. Overseas, he will partner with the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana and conductor Alain Lombard, the Liege Philharmonic on occasion of its Rachmaninov Festival, and the Göttingen Symphonie Orchester and Real Orquesta Sinfonia in Sevilla. In his native country he will be soloist with the Santa Cecilia Symphony in Rome and Verdi Orchestra in Milan, and will tour with the Orchestra Sinfonica Abruzzese performing Beethoven’s Concertos No. 1 and 2.

The 2011-12 season brought another two milestones with Lupo’s Tanglewood Festival debut (Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 18, K. 456) and Los Angeles Philharmonic debut (Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 27, K. 595). Other highlights included the Montreal Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, and the Malaysian Philharmonic. In Italy he was heard with the Verdi Orchestra in Milan, the National RAI Orchestra in Turino and the festivals of Brescia and Bergamo.

Lupo’s prior season focused on three anniversaries. He celebrated Liszt’s 200th birthday by performing the composer’s Concerto No. 1 and Totentanz with the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig, the Verdi Orchestra in Milan and the Austin Symphony. As a prominent proponent of Nino Rota he played the Concerto Soirée on occasion of the composer’s 100th birthday with the Spanish National Orchestra in Madrid as well as other European orchestras. And he joined other noted pianists in celebration of the Liege Philharmonic’s 50th anniversary. Other appearances during the season brought him together with the NWD Philharmonie, Northern Sinfonia, Les Violons du Roy, and the symphonies of Bilbao, Lecce, and Phoenix.

The 2009-10 season continued the array of debuts with key orchestras in the United States. Lupo made his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Vladomir Jurowski, as well as with the symphonies of Colorado, San Antonio, Virginia and Kansas City. Overseas, he could be heard with the Stuttgart Philharmonic, the Santa Cecilia Orchestra in Rome under Kent Nagano, the Orchestra Verdi in Milan and on a tour of the Tuscany region with the ORT Orchestra. Other concert appearances included San Remo (Italy), Limburg (Netherlands), Odense (Denmark) and with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Navarra (Spain).

Earlier highlights have included his New York orchestral debut during the 2008-09 season with the Mostly Mozart Festival and subscription debut with the Chicago Symphony. The previous year Lupo reunited with the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig and Vladimir Jurowski, performing Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand, and later performed Ravel’s other piano concerto with the London Philharmonic at Royal Festival Hall. Other highlights were the Cliburn Concert Series in Ft. Worth, the opening of the Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Festival of Brescia, Bergamo with Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy under Sir Neville Marriner, and touring with the London Philharmonic under Jurowski to Bucharest, Merano, Verona, and Zagreb. He also appeared repeatedly with the symphonies of Montreal, Vancouver, Seattle, St. Louis, Utah, Oregon, Columbus, Jacksonville, Louisiana, and Huntsville, as well as the Hallé, Bergen (Norway), Rotterdam, Liege and Slovak philharmonic orchestras. He has performed at numerous music festivals worldwide, including Montreal’s Lanaudière Festival, Tivoli in Copenhagen, the Villa Medici in Rome, the Chopin Festival in Poland, the Schubert Festivals in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and Chicago’s Grant Park Festival.

Lupo’s recordings include an acclaimed version of Nino Rota’s Concerto Soirée with the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana on the Nuova Era label, and a new recording of the same work on Harmonia Mundi for which he received the prestigious Diapason d’Or award. With Peter Maag and the RSI Symphony Orchestra he has recorded Schumann’s complete works for piano and orchestra, including the first CD recording of the piano version of Konzertstück, Op. 86, for the Arts label.

Benedetto Lupo teaches at the Nino Rota Conservatory in Italy, gives master classes around the world, and has served on the jury of both the Cleveland International Competition and the Gina Bachauer Competition in Salt Lake City, from which he previously won second and third prize, respectively. He is featured on the Emmy-award winning documentary Here to Make Music: The Eighth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and the seven-part series Encore! The Final Round of Performances of the Eighth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, both for PBS.

Classic Afternoons at the Chan Centre is sponsored by
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In association with
Series co-presenters 12-13

 

 

 

Christian Tetzlaff

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Since first appearing on our series in 1991, Christian Tetzlaff has become an internationally-acclaimed violinist in demand in concert halls around the world. He has performed and recorded a broad spectrum of the repertoire from Bach to Berg, and beyond.

Tetzlaff. Solo violin. Nothing could be more compelling.

“From his very first entrance, this was viscerally explosive violin playing, but always with a sense of purpose and richness of inner life.” –Boston Globe

Program

Program to include works by Bach, Bartok, Kurtág and Ysaÿe.

Links

Learn more about Christian Tetzlaff.

Biography

An artist known for his musical integrity, technical assurance and intelligent, compelling interpretations, Christian Tetzlaff is internationally recognized as one of the most important violinists of his generation.

From the outset of his career, Mr. Tetzlaff has performed and recorded a broad spectrum of the repertoire, ranging from Bach’s unaccompanied sonatas and partitas to 19th century masterworks by Mendelssohn, Beethoven and Brahms; and from 20th century concertos by Bartok, Berg and Shostakovich to world premieres of contemporary works. Also a dedicated chamber musician, he frequently collaborates with distinguished artists including Leif Ove Andsnes, Lars Vogt and Alexander Lonquich and is the founder of the Tetzlaff Quartet, which he formed in 1994 with violinist Elisabeth Kufferath, violist Hanna Weinmeister and his sister, cellist Tanja Tetzlaff.

Born in Hamburg in 1966, music occupied a central place in his family and his three siblings are all professional musicians. Mr. Tetzlaff began playing the violin and piano at age six, but pursued a regular academic education while continuing his musical studies. He did not begin intensive study of the violin until making his concert debut playing the Beethoven Violin Concerto at the age of 14 and attributes the establishment of his musical outlook to his teacher at the conservatory in Lübeck, Uwe-Martin Haiberg, who placed equal stress on interpretation and technique. Mr. Tetzlaff came to the United States during the 1985-86 academic year to work with Walter Levine at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and also spent two summers at the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont.

Mr. Tetzlaff has been in demand as a soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras and conductors, establishing close artistic partnerships that are renewed season after season. Mr. Tetzlaff has performed with the orchestras of Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, Philadelphia, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Toronto, among many others in North America, as well as with the major European ensembles including the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, Vienna Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam.

Highlights of Mr. Tetzlaff’s 12/13 season in North America include appearances with the New York Philharmonic, the Pittsburgh, New World and Montreal symphonies, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and a three concert chamber music project at the 92nd St. Y in New York. European highlights include return visits to the Berlin and London Philharmonics, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris and the London Symphony.

Christian Tetzlaff was a 2010-11 Carnegie Hall Perspectives artist, an initiative in which musicians are invited to curate a personal concert series in Carnegie and Zankel Halls through collaborations with other musicians and ensembles. Mr. Tetzlaff’s Perspectives included an appearance with the Boston Symphony during which he played concertos by Mozart, Bartok and the New York premiere of a new concerto by Harrison Birtwistle; a play/conduct performance with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s; a performance with the Ensemble ACJW led by Sir Simon Rattle; a concert with the Tetzlaff Quartet; and a duo-recital with violinist Antje Weithaas. He also led a Professional Training Workshop for young violinists and pianists, culminating in a young artist concert.

Tetzlaff’s highly regarded recordings reflect the breadth of his musical interests and include solo works, chamber music and concertos ranging from Haydn to Bartok. His recent recordings include Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with the Russian National Orchestra and Kent Nagano for PentaTone Classics; Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with the Tonhalle Orchestra and David Zinman for Arte Nova; the complete Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin for the Musical Heritage and Haenssler labels; Berg’s Chamber Concerto for piano, violin with 13 wind instruments with Mitsuko Uchida and the Ensemble Intercontemporain led by Pierre Boulez for Decca; and Schumann’s Three Piano Trios with Leif Ove Andsnes and Tanja Tetzlaff for EMI/Virgin. Mr. Tetzlaff’s latest recordings include Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Vienna Philharmonic led by Mr. Boulez for Deutsche Grammophon; the Schumann and Mendelssohn Violin Concertos with Frankfurt Radio Orchestra and Paavo Järvi for Edel Classics; and Schönberg’s String Quartet No. 1 and Sibelius’s Quartet op. 56 with the Tetzlaff Quartet on the AVI label.

Christian Tetzlaff currently performs on a violin modeled after a Guarneri del Gesu made by the German violin maker, Peter Greiner. In honor of his artistic achievements, Musical America named Mr. Tetzlaff “Instrumentalist of the Year” in 2005.

 

Peak Performances at the Playhouse Series is sponsored by
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Kuok-Wai Lio

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A young and rare talent from Macau has the elite of the piano world as his champions: Gary Graffman, András Schiff, Richard Goode and Emanuel Ax. He is a serious artist of depth and dedication, who plays with a delicacy of touch and crystalline clarity of expression.

“His playing was a model of sparkling sound, songful shading and impish exuberance.”
– Cleveland Plain Dealer

Program

L. Janáček – In the Mists
F. Schubert – Four Impromptus, D. 935
R. Schumann – Davidsbundlertanze, Op. 6

Links

Learn more about Kuok-Wai Lio.

Biography

In the few years since his graduation in 2010 from the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied piano with Gary Graffman, Kuok-Wai Lio is already embraced as a serious artist of depth and dedication.  Born in Macau in 1989, Kuok-Wai began his piano studies at the age of five.  In 1997 he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and in 2006 he entered Curtis.  His principal teachers have included Gabriel Kwok, Gary Graffman and Peter Frankl. Most recently, Kuok-Wai has been working regularly with András Schiff at international master classes and festivals in Europe.

A regular participant of Open Chamber Music Prussia Cove, and the Marlboro and Santa Fe Chamber Music festivals, Kuok-Wai has also performed with the Macau Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, China Philharmonic, Pan Asia Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony Orchestra, Curtis Chamber Orchestra, Russian Symphony Orchestra and Camerata Salzburg, and has given recitals in Japan, Germany and Italy.

Kuok-Wai has received prizes in international competitions including Fulbright, Gina Bachauer, Seiler, Steinway, Ettlingen and Chopin (Tokyo).  In January 2004, he was awarded a Commendation of Merit given by the Chief Executive of Macau.  That same year he was invited to perform for the President of China, Hu Jintao, at the fifth anniversary of Macau’s handover to China.

Daniel Müller-Schott

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“Subtle, clever, imaginative pianism of the very highest quality.” – The Independent

The ultimate musical pairing. Daniel Müller-Schott has made his mark by delighting audiences with energetic performances, perfectly combining technical brilliance with great intellectual and emotional acuity. Simon Trpčeski’s playing embodies impeccable technique with delicate expression. This union, a coup for the VRS, is sure to be nothing short of extraordinary.

“Daniel Müller-Schott is the ultimate refined cellist.” – The Guardian

Program

Beethoven
Sonata for piano and cello no. 4 in C major, Op. 102, no. 1

Brahms
Sonata no.2 F major, Op. 99

Chopin
Cello sonata in G minor, Op. 65

Links

Learn more about Daniel Müller-Schott.
Learn more about Simon Trpčeski.

Biography

Daniel Müller-Schott

One of the finest cellists in the world today, Daniel Müller-Schott electrifies audiences everywhere with his perfectly integrated technical brilliance, intellect and exhilarating passion.  Often cited for his imaginative interpretations of the standard repertoire, he is also deeply committed to and fluent in the music of our time.  Sir André Previn and Peter Ruzicka have both dedicated cello concertos to him.

In addition to his recent sensational debut with the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom, Mr. Müller-Schott will make return appearances with both the New York Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the autumn of 2013.  Other engagements include the symphonies of Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Colorado, Fort Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, National (Washington, D.C.), North Carolina, Oregon, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Utah and Vancouver, as well as the Los Angeles Philharmonic (at the Hollywood Bowl), Minnesota Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Along with his recent highly successful debut with the BBC Symphony at the London Proms, Mr. Müller-Schott has also appeared with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the BBC Philharmonic/London, RSO/Berlin, Birmingham Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Czech Philharmonic, Danish Radio Symphony, Gewandhausorchester/Leipzig, Göteborg Symphony, NDR/Hamburg, London Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Netherlands Philharmonic, NHK/Japan, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Orquestra Sinfônica do São Paolo, Oslo Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra/ London, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic, Spanish National Orchestra, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony and the Vienna Symphony.

Daniel Müller-Schott’s upcoming highlights include a return engagement with the New York Philharmonic, his debut with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Minas Gerais/Brazil, and concerts with the Bilbao Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony, Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester, Hamburg Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, NHK Symphony/Japan, Orchestre National de France, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and the Tchaikovsky Symphony.

Mr. Müller-Schott has long been a favorite at worldwide festivals. Appearances include Aspen, Blossom, Chamber Music Vancouver, Ravinia, Sarasota, Tanglewood, Bravo! Vail Valley, as well as City of London, Lucerne, Rheingau, Salzburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Schwetzingen, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.  Among the renowned conductors with whom he has collaborated are Vladimir Ashkenazy, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Michael Gielen, Alan Gilbert, Bernard Haitink, Dmitrij Kitajenko, Christoph König, Sir Neville Marriner, Jun Märkl, Kurt Masur, Gianandrea Noseda, Sakari Oramo, Vasily Petrenko, Sir André Previn, Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Krzysztof Urbanski.

An enthusiastic recitalist, Daniel Müller-Schott appears regularly in many of the world’s great venues, among them the Munich Philharmonie, Salzburg Mozarteum, Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Vancouver Recital Society and the Zurich Tonhalle.  Also an avid chamber musician, Mr. Müller-Schott has collaborated with Nicolas Angelich, Renaud Capuçon, Julia Fischer, Jonathan Gilad, Viviane Hagner, Steven Isserlis, Robert Kulek, Olli Mustonen, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Sir André Previn, Christian Tetzlaff, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Lars Vogt, and the Ebène and Vogler quartets.  He has also appeared and recorded extensively with Canadian pianist, Angela Hewitt.

Because of Mr. Müller-Schott’s life-long devotion to the music of J.S. Bach, he chose the six solo cello suites for his first recording (Glissando Records).  Since then, he has built up a sizeable discography under the ORFEO, Deutsche Grammophon, Pentatone and EMI Classics labels.  His recordings have been enthusiastically received by both the public and the press and have also received numerous awards, including the Gramophone Editor’s Choice, Strad Selection, and the BBC Music Magazine’s “CD of the Month”.  Mr. Müller-Schott has been awarded the Quarterly Prize of German Record Critics for his recordings of the Elgar and Walton cello concertos and for his CD of the Shostakovich cello concertos recorded with the Bavarian Radio Orchestra under Yakov Kreizberg.  His recording of the entire Beethoven cycle with Angela Hewitt has been awarded five stars by the London Daily Telegraph.  He has also recorded another CD of works by Dvořák with the NDR Symphony Orchestra under Michael Sanderling.  Mr. Müller-Schott recently received a Diapson d’Or for his CD of Britten’s solo suites on the ORFEO label.  Also in celebration of the 2013 Britten centennial, a new disc of Britten’s Cello Symphony and Prokofiev’s Cello Symphony with the WDR Symphony Orchestra under Jukka-Pekka Saraste has just been released.

Daniel Müller-Schott was born in Munich in November 1976.  He studied under Walter Nothas, Heinrich Schiff and Steven Isserlis and has early benefited from the personal support of Anne-Sophie Mutter as the holder of a scholarship from her foundation.  Through this promotion, Mr. Müller-Schott received private instruction from Mstislaw Rostropovich for one year.  In 1992, at the age of fifteen, he caused an international sensation by winning the First Prize at the Moscow International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians. His own deep interest in awakening young people’s enthusiasm for music is demonstrated by his support  for the “Rhapsody in School” project and his frequent master classes both in Europe and the United States.

Daniel Müller-Schott currently lives in his home town of Munich.  Under a commission from the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, a portrait of him was painted by the Dresden artist Ekkehard Tischendorf.

 

Simon Trpčeski

Macedonian pianist Simon Trpčeski has established himself as one of the most remarkable musicians to have emerged in recent years, performing with many of the world’s greatest orchestras and captivating audiences worldwide. Mr. Trpčeski is praised not only for his impeccable technique and delicate expression, but also for his warm personality and commitment to strengthening Macedonia’s cultural image.

Mr. Trpčeski has appeared with many of the world’s finest orchestras. He is a frequent soloist with the London Symphony and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestras, the Philharmonia and Halle Orchestras and the London Philharmonic. Other engagements with major European ensembles include the Royal Concertgebouw, Russian National and Bolshoi Theatre Orchestras, NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and the Rotterdam, Strasbourg, Royal Stockholm, Royal Flanders and St. Petersburg Philharmonics. In North America, he has performed with the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestras, The
Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras and the Symphony Orchestras of Boston, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Toronto and Baltimore, among others. Elsewhere he has performed with the New Japan, Seoul and Hong Kong Philharmonic, Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, and has toured with the New Zealand Symphony. Mr. Trpčeski has worked with a prominent list of conductors, including Marin Alsop, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Lionel Bringuier, Andrew Davis, Gustavo Dudamel, Charles Dutoit, Vladimir Jurowski, Lorin Maazel, Antonio Pappano, Vasily Petrenko, Robin Ticciati, Yan Pascal Tortelier, David Zinman and Gianandrea Noseda.

In 2012-2013 season Mr. Trpceski continues to perform with some of the most prestigious orchestras around the world. He will play Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto with Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra, Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto under Robin Ticciati with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as with the Minnesota Orchestra under Andrew Litton and Danish National Symphony Orchestra under Gianandrea Noseda. Mr. Trpceski will also perform with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony, Hallé Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Monte Carlo Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony and Royal Stockholm Philharmonic. Additionally at the beginning of 2013 Mr. Trpceski will perform Chopin’s E Minor concerto with Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra as well as the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and Orchestra Sinfónica do Porto. Mr. Trpceski will appear in recital at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, as well as in Berkeley, Vancouver and the UK.

March 2010 saw Mr. Trpčeski’s concerto recording debut on the Avie label, showcasing Rachmaninov’s notoriously challenging Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3 with Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. The album was awarded the Diapason d’Or de l’année and Classic FM’s “Editor’s Choice”. In June 2011, the Avie label released the second concerto album from Trpčeski, Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; the completion of Rachmaninov piano concerti, Nos. 1 and 4 alongside Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. The second disc has been recognized with Classic FM, Gramophone “Editor’s Choice” and Diapason d’Or distinctions.

A superb recitalist, Simon Trpčeski has given solo performances in such cultural capitals as New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Milan, Munich, Prague, Hamburg, Bilbao, Dublin and Tokyo. Simon has received widespread acclaim for his recital recordings on the EMI label. His first recording, released in 2002, featured works by Tchaikovsky, Scriabin, Stravinsky and Prokofiev, and received both the “Editor’s Choice” and “Debut Album” awards at the Gramophone Awards. His 2005 Rachmaninoff and 2007 Chopin discs both received extensive praise from critics. In 2008, he released an all-Debussy disc entitled Debussy: Images, which was equally applauded.

Simon also performs chamber music as often as he can, having performed at such festivals as Aspen, Verbier and Risor, and in Summer 2011, Simon Trpčeski and cellist Nina Kotova preformed works by Chopin for a theatrical event based on the life of Frédéric Chopin featuring renowned actors Jeremy Irons and Sinead Cusack at the Tuscan Sun Festival in Cortona, Italy. With the special support of KulturOp—Macedonia’s leading cultural and arts organization—and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Trpčeski works regularly with young musicians in Macedonia in order to cultivate the talent of the country’s next generation of artists.

Born in the Republic of Macedonia in 1979, Simon Trpčeski has won prizes in international piano competitions in the United Kingdom, Italy and the Czech Republic. From 2001 to 2003, he was a member of the BBC New Generation Scheme, and in May 2003, he was honored with the Young Artist Award by the Royal Philharmonic Society. In December 2009, the President of Macedonia H.E. Gjorge Ivanov honored him with the Presidential Order of Merit for Macedonia, a decoration given to foreign and domestic dignitaries responsible for the affirmation of Macedonia abroad and most recently in September 2011 Mr. Trpčeski was awarded the first-ever title “National Artist of the Republic of
Macedonia”.

Mr. Trpčeski is a graduate of the School of Music at the University of St. Cyril and St. Methodius in Skopje, where he studied with Professor Boris Romanov. In addition to his international engagements, he currently teaches as a faculty member at his alma mater. Simon Trpčeski makes his home in Skopje with his family.

 

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Behzod Abduraimov

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BEHZOD’S BACK!  After a stunning debut performance for the VRS with one of the most wildly enthusiastic responses ever from our audience, we re-engaged the young Uzbek pianist right away. Abduraimov is on the precipice of what is sure to be a long career of great music-making and achievement.

 “What drove the Southbank audience wild was his winning amalgam of fire and poetry.” – The Independent, London

Program

Beethoven
Sonata for Piano no. 12 in A flat major, Op. 26

Chopin
Fantaisie in F minor, Op. 49

Saint-Saens 
Danse Macabre Op. 40 (arr Liszt/Horowitz) 

Schubert  

Impromptu op. 90 No. 3, in G flat major

Schubert  
Impromptu op. 90 No. 2, in E flat major D899

Ravel  
Gaspard de la Nuit

Links

Learn more about Behzod Abduraimov.

Biography

An exclusive Decca artist, Behzod Abduraimov is an artist establishing an impressive reputation for electrifying audiences with his captivating performances. Engagements this season include recitals at London’s International Piano Series, Milan’s La Societa dei Concerti, his Austrian debut at the Klangraum, Waidhofen and he will appear in Hamburg, Berlin and Dusseldorf. In North America he will perform as part of the Vancouver Recital Series, Ravinia Festival, Le Poisson Rouge in New York and makes his debut with the Indianapolis Symphony (under Krzysztof Urbański) and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (Vasily Petrenko). Other debuts include Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Münchner Symphoniker, Tivoli Concert Orchestra and a return to the English Chamber Orchestra.

During the 2011/12 season Behzod Abduraimov made debuts with Atlanta, Tokyo and Kansas City symphony orchestras, NAC Orchestra Ottawa (as part of their Russian Festival), Lausanne Chamber Orchestra (under the auspices of the Orpheum Foundation) and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, as well as embarking on a highly successful tour of Australia which included the Sydney Symphony, the Adelaide and West Australian Symphony orchestras, in addition to recitals in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Further plans include performances with the Netherlands Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic and NHK Symphony orchestras. He has the major support of Vladimir Ashkenazy and other collaborations include Charles Dutoit, Pinchas Zukerman, Vasily Petrenko, Michael Christie, Krzysztof Urbański, Michael Stern and Alexander Lazarev.

At the age of 18, Behzod achieved a sensational victory in the 2009 London International Piano Competition, winning first prize with his thrilling performance of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3. This resulted in invitations to work with the Royal Philharmonic and London Philharmonic orchestras, where he gave a breathtaking performance of Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2. He also toured China and Kuala Lumpur with the Sydney Symphony under Vladimir Ashkenazy to great critical acclaim. Following their successful collaboration, they appeared again as part of the 2010 Musikfest Bremen. Behzod has also appeared at the Piano Olympics in Bad Kissingen (where he won first prize), the BOZAR in Brussels and made a triumphant Wigmore Hall debut in May 2010.

Behzod Abduraimov was born in Tashkent in 1990 and began to play the piano at the age of five. He was a pupil of Tamara Popovich at the Uspensky State Central Lyceum in Tashkent, and is currently at the International Center for Music at Park University, Kansas City studying with Stanislav Ioudenitch.

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Sitkovetsky Trio

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Alexander Sitkovetsky, violin

Wu Qian, piano
Leonard Eischenbroich, cello

The three young players of the Sitkovetsky Trio met and worked together at the Yehudi Menuhin School. Since founding the trio in 2007 they have received many awards, and high praise the world over.
 

“They are three young musicians who clearly have a natural empathy and passion for the music they play… the work was lifted off the page and into the room producing an utterly captivating performance.” – Leicester Mercury

Program

Brahms     
Piano Trio no. 3

Mendelssohn      
Piano Trio no. 2 in C minor

Schubert    
Piano Trio in E flat

Links

Learn more about the Sitkovetsky Trio.

Biography

First prizewinners of the International Commerzbank Chamber Music Award 2008 and recipients of the NORDMETALL Chamber Music Award at the Mecklenburg Vorpommern Festival 2009, the Sitkovetsky Trio is a collaboration between three young musicians who share a passion for Chamber Music. Having met and worked together at the Yehudi Menuhin School, they founded the ensemble in 2007 and have since emerged as one of the outstanding Trios of today, receiving numerous awards and critical acclaim.

As a Trio they have won the Philharmonia-Martin Chamber Music Award, the Kirckman Society Award, the Tillett Trust Award and are supported by the Hattori Foundation, the Fidelio Trust, the Musicians Benevolent Fund and the Swiss Global Artistic Foundation.  They held a Junior Fellowship at the Royal Academy of Music in 2007-2008 and 2008-2010, and were recipients of the Golubovich Fellowship and the Richard Cairnes Junior Fellowship for Chamber Music at Trinity Laban College of Music, resulting in many performances and educational worships at the College and across London.  The Trio has most recently been awarded a Fellowship at the Royal Northern College of Music for the 2012-13 season.

The Sitkovetsky Trio made its debut appearance at the Wigmore Hall in November 2008, resulting in re-invitations in May 2009 and May 2012.  The Trio made its highly successful Southbank debut playing a recital in the Purcell Room and was subsequently invited to play in front of Her Majesty the Queen in London.  The Trio has already been invited to give recitals at various festivals throughout the UK and abroad, in venues such as Kettle’s Yard, St. George’s Bristol, Wigmore Hall, Frankfurt Alte Oper, the Chamber hall of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels.  The Trio has on ongoing relationship with the the Mecklenburg Vorpommern Festival and was resident at the Festival’s 2012 Chamber Music week, where they performed the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchester under Gabriel Feltz.  In 2009 and 2010 the Trio also performed the Beethoven Triple Concerto on tour with the Orchestra of the Swan and the Münchner Symphoniker.

Highlights of the 2012/13 season included a debut tour of China, featuring concerts in Beijing, Shanghai Tianjin and Guangzhou.  The Trio also returns to the Bath Mozartfest, as well as giving a three concert series at St George’s Bristol and various recitals across the UK and abroad.  Other future highlights include return visits to the Wigmore Hall and Amsterdam Concertgebouw as well as a debut performance at the Vancouver Recital Society.

The Trio has made several broadcast appearances for BBC Radio 3; including performances as part of the Lunchtime Concerts series and appearances on In Tune.

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