Yan Pascal Tortelier leads Baltimore Symphony in Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5

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Celebrated Russian violinist Vadim Repin to perform Brahms’ Violin Concerto

Baltimore, Md. (March 6, 2009)—Yan Pascal Tortelier will conduct the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in Brahms’ Violin Concerto, featuring violinist Vadim Repin (pictured), and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 on Thursday, March 26 at 8:00 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore and Friday and Saturday, March 27 and 28 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 29 at 3:00 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Please see below for complete concert details.

Among the most important works in the violin repertoire, Brahms’ Violin Concerto is also one of the most difficult, with formidable technical demands, such as thrilling rapid scale passages and brilliant double stops. Internationally acclaimed Russian violinist Vadim Repin is up to the challenge, asserts The New York Times, describing his playing as “awesomely controlled,” and stating, “…he invested the music with calm nobility and burnished tone. …His tone is plush and full-bodied.”

Prokofiev’s thrilling Symphony No. 5 premiered at a pivotal moment in the history of this Russian composer’s people: As the dark opening chords of Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 rumbled inside the concert hall, so, too, cannons of the Soviet Army thundered in the distance at the retreating Nazi army. For with this work, Prokofiev had summed up the mood of the Russian people at this momentous time in their history with music that both recognized their terrible suffering and celebrated the victory that would soon be theirs.

Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor
Born into an intensely musical family, son of the late Paul Tortelier, he studied piano and violin from the age of 4 and at 14 won first prize for violin at the Paris Conservatoire. Following general musical studies with Nadia Boulanger, Tortelier studied conducting with Franco Ferrara in Siena. Since then Yan Pascal Tortelier's career has included engagements with leading orchestras throughout Europe, North America, Japan and Australia. In recognition of his outstanding work as chief conductor of the BBC Philharmonic between 1992 and 2003, Yan Pascal Tortelier has been given the title of the conductor laureate and continues working with the Orchestra regularly. Yan Pascal Tortelier’s orchestration of Ravel's Piano Trio was premiered in 1992 and the following year received great critical acclaim at a highly successful London Proms performance with the BBC Philharmonic.

Vadim Repin, violin
Russian violinist Vadim Repin is a virtuoso of many voices, and his astonishing ability to draw a rich palette of sound from his instrument, together with his dazzling technique, has enthralled audiences around the globe. Born in Siberia in 1971, he started to play violin at the age of 5 and six months later had his first stage performance. In 1987 he was the youngest ever winner of the most prestigious and demanding violin competition in the world, the Reine Elisabeth Concours. Since then he has performed with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, the Philharmonia, Royal Concertgebouw, San Francisco Symphony, St. Petersburg Philharmonic and La Scala. He is also a frequent guest at festivals such as Tanglewood, Ravinia, Rheingau, Gstaad, Verbier and the BBC Proms. Mr. Repin’s many CDs include prize-winning recordings of the great Russian violin concerti by Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky on Warner Classics. Now a Deutsche Grammophon Artist, his first DG release (2007) was the Beethoven Violin Concerto with Riccardo Muti and the Vienna Philharmonic and Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” Sonata with Martha Argerich.

COMPLETE PROGRAM INFORMATION

Classical Concert Series: Yan Pascal Tortelier and Vadim Repin

Thursday, March 26 at 8:00 p.m. – The Music Center at Strathmore*
Friday, March 27 at 8:00 p.m. – The Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Saturday, March 28 at 8:00 p.m. – The Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Sunday, March 29 at 3:00 p.m. - The Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor
Vadim Repin, violin

Brahms: Violin Concerto
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5

* FREE Pre-Concert Lecture: Music Notes LIVE! at 7:00 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore’s Education Room with WETA 90.9 FM’s David Ginder.

**FREE Pre-Concert Lecture: Classic Conversations at 7:00 p.m. in the concert hall, hosted by the Baltimore Symphony Associates.

Tickets for these performances range from $20 to $85. Tickets are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 877.BSO.1444, 410.783.8000 or BSOmusic.org.

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