Interchanging Idioms

22 October, Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 7.30pm 23 October, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, 7.30pm 26 October, Cadogan Hall, London, 7.30pm Sarah Chang performs Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto with the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Michael Sanderling, in Edinburgh, Manchester and London in October. The programmes in Manchester and London are completed by Brahms’ Variations on a Theme of Haydn and Dvořák’s Symphony No 9 (From the New World). In Edinburgh Beethoven’s Egmont Overture opens the programme. Sarah Chang is recognised as one of the world’s great violinists. Since her debut with the New York Philharmonic at the age of eight she has performed with the greatest orchestras, conductors and accompanists internationally in a career spanning more than two decades. Michael Sanderling became Principal Conductor of the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra at the beginning of the 2011/12 season. The Orchestra is one of the oldest and most respected symphony orchestras in Germany...

“One of today’s pre-eminent violinists.” – New York Times From new commissions and neglected rarities to repertory staples, Avery Fisher Prize-winner Gil Shaham demonstrates his singular versatility over the coming months. Late April sees the master violinist – Musical America ’s Instrumentalist of the Year – undertake the world premiere of Kaddish (2011), a new violin concerto by Richard Danielpour, for three dates with the New Jersey Symphony. With his enviable flair for multi-tasking, Shaham couples the new commission with Berg’s Violin Concerto (1935), one of the many “Violin Concertos of the 1930s” foregrounded by his celebrated programming project of that name. Others include Stravinsky’s (1931), which he performs with Zurich’s Tonhalle-Orchester in May, and Hartmann’s less familiar Concerto funèbre (1939), for which the violinist joins the Bavarian State Orchestra and Kent Nagano in June. A second world premiere, of Julian Milone’s In the country of lost things …, forms the c...

Violin Fantasy written using the wonderful themes from Massenet's Manon is available upon request The music is available by sending a request to composer Chip Michael . Using many of the themes which makes Massenet's opera one of his most popular, Chip Michael has written a challenging violin fantasy for the advanced violinist. Don't miss your chance to get a free copy while the offer lasts.

In April, four-time Grammy nominee violinist Philippe Quint celebrates two milestones – the release of his recording of concertos by Mendelssohn and Bruch, and Beethoven’s Romances Nos. 1 and 2, with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería led by Carlos Miguel Prieto (US release date: April 24) on the Avanticlassic label, as well as the theatrical opening by International Film Circuit of Downtown Express, a new film Quint stars in from multiple Peabody and Emmy Award-winning director David Grubin, produced by Michael Hausman (Brokeback Mountain, Gangs of New York, Amadeus), and co-starring singer-songwriter Nellie McKay (Quad Cinema in NYC, opening April 20). In addition, Quint will give a concert in New York at Joe’s Pub on Monday, April 23 at 7:30pm featuring musical selections from both the album and the film. Quint’s role in Downtown Express marks the first time that a classical musician has been featured as the lead in an American film. To prepare for the role and further his understa...

Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 and Double Concerto featuring Meyers on both parts Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers’ newest eOne recording, Air – The Bach Album, debuted this week at #1 on the Billboard Classical Charts. Released on Valentine’s Day, AIR has already proven a popular new release with critics and radio stations across the country. It has been prominently featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, an hour long SiriusXM Satellite Radio Symphony Hall show called “Be My Bach, Valentine”, in BBC Music Magazine, and has been chosen as a featured new release for WFMT Chicago and American Public Media among other outlets. AIR features the English Chamber Orchestra with Steven Mercurio conducting. The album includes Bach’s Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, the Double Concerto for Two Violins, and arrangements of Bach’s “Air”, “Largo” from the Harpsichord Concerto in f minor, and the Bach/Gounod “Ave Maria.” With this recording, Meyers became the first violinist to record both solo pa...

Sir Antonio Pappano conducts the London Symphony Orchestra on 15 February in Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra. Composed in 1943, the work consists of five movements, with the fourth movement Intermezzo parodying the march theme from Shostakovich’s Seventh (‘Leningrad’) Symphony. The concert opens with Rachmaninov’s symphonic poem Isle of the Dead, inspired by a painting of a coffin crossing dark waters by Swiss artist Arnold Böcklin. Violinist Leonidas Kavakos joins the orchestra to perform Korngold’s Violin Concerto, composed using themes from Korngold’s Hollywood film scores. There will be a free pre-concert performance of Rachmaninov’s Preludes Op 23 by Guildhall School pianist Ashley Fripp. Wednesday 15 February 7.30pm, Barbican Hall RACHMANINOV Isle of the Dead KORNGOLD Violin Concerto BARTÓK Concerto for Orchestra Sir Antonio Pappano conductor Leonidas Kavakos violin London Symphony Orchestra Tickets: £10-£35

Classical Action: Performing Arts Against AIDS opens its 2012 Michael Palm Series of intimate house concerts on Friday, February 10, presenting violinist and MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Leila Josefowicz in recital with pianist John Novacek. Held in the Tribeca loft apartment of supporters Simon Yates and Kevin Roon, who have generously hosted the Michael Palm Series since 2010, the concert marks the duo’s fourth collaboration for Classical Action as well as its debut as part of the New York City-based salon series named after the charity’s late benefactor. Music making begins at 7:30pm, with wine and hors d’oeuvres served starting at 6:30pm. Tickets for all concerts in the Michael Palm Series can be purchased online at www.classicalaction.org or by calling Classical Action at (212) 997-7717. Josefowicz comes to the Michael Palm series hot off a string of stellar performances of violin concertos by living composers: Steven Mackey’s Beautiful Passing – written for Josefowicz i...

THE MENDELSSOHN AND TCHAIKOVSKY VIOLIN CONCERTOS Sony Classical is pleased to announce the release of Ray Chen’s first concerto recording on the label with the two Romantic masterpieces that have played a significant role in the young artist’s career to date. His interpretation of the Mendelssohn E minor Violin Concerto led to his triumph at the 2008 Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists. The following year the violinist’s insightful performance of the Tchaikovsky Concerto secured him first prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. For his second Sony release available on February 7, Ray Chen is joined by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of its musical director Daniel Harding. Ray Chen brings a fresh interpretation to these cornerstones of the violin repertoire and he finds kindred spirits in Daniel Harding and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. “Music is teamwork,” says Ray Chen, and he explains his choice of these works f...

Nicola's passionate performance of Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 was dramatic and powerful Too often we associate "Oscar" performances outside the film industry as overwrought, melodramatic or just plain cheesy. There was none of that with Nicola Benedetti's performance of Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Pacific Symphony last night. From the opening low G spoken with an intense focus, it was obvious Nicola has something to say, and does so eloquently with the violin. During the first big orchestral interlude, Nicola immersed herself in the music. She physically responded to the jibes and exclamations of the orchestra. This was not a performance about turning on the talent when it's her time to play; this was all about expressing herself through the music. When she takes up the violin, it is with complete commitment, playing her part as an extension of the orchestral cast. Every part of her is involved in the performance. As the phrases rise, ...

Last night I was afforded opportunity to watch a rehearsal of Nicola Benedetti and Christoph Koenig with the Pacific Symphony I've see the Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 performed lived a half dozen times. Nicola has performed it at least ten times that amount, recorded in and put in countless hours prior to that learning the piece. What all that time and effort has done is to internalize the music, to the point there is very little thought as to what's the next note. Watching Nicola go through the various passages, starting and stopping, repeating sections and moving on drove home how very familiar she is with the music. Nicola had a music stand with the music, but this was only as a reference point so when Maestro Koenig asked for the orchestra to start 8 bars before rehearsal letter "A" she could find that point in the music. After a quick glance to determine what phrase she would start with, the rest of that portion of the rehearsal as introspective, Nicola co...

BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts 1, 8, 15 & 22 March All to be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 International violinist Nicola Benedetti curates a series of four concerts in which she features as both soloist and chamber musician, performing alongside some of her closest musical colleagues. Nicola Benedetti is joined by Alexei Grynyuk (piano), Leonard Elschenbroich (cello), Alexander Sitkovetsky (violin) and Maxim Rysanov (viola) across four concerts featuring music by Bach, Ravel, Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Shostakovich and Ysaÿe. Each concert will be recorded for later broadcast on BBC Radio 3. 2011/12 is the most ambitious BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert season at LSO St Luke’s to date. During September, October and November, over 12 recitals six world-ranking pianists performed a complete cycle of Beethoven’s 32 Piano Sonatas, which was received to outstanding acclaim. In February 2012, Britain’s leading chamber ensemble, the Nash Ensemble, is in residence for a series focusin...

Bach Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 plus Bach Concerto for Two Violins featuring Meyers on both parts Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers’ newest recording for eOne entitled Air – The Bach Album will be released on Valentine’s Day, 2012. This is Anne Akiko Meyers’s first orchestral album for eOne and features the English Chamber Orchestra with Steven Mercurio conducting. The album includes Bach’s Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, the Double Concerto for Two Violins, and arrangements of Bach’s “Air”, “Largo” from the Harpsichord Concerto in f minor, and the Bach/Gounod “Ave Maria.” After her recent acquisition of the “ex-Napoleon/Molitor” Stradivarius violin from 1697, Meyers decided to become the first violinist to record both solo parts of the Double Concerto on two different violins. Meyers joked that this was the first time she agreed with all of her “partner’s” musical ideas. Meyers believes the golden purity of the tone of the ‘ex-Molitor/Napoleon’ Strad, contrasts beautifully with...

Recorded in Edinburgh, Italia celebrates Benedetti’s Scottish-Italian heritage as she plays virtuoso Italian masterpieces, accompanied by the leading chamber orchestra of her native Scotland, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Italia will be released on January 24, 2012, followed by a concert at New York’s (le) poisson rouge on January 30th where she will be joined by New York-based baroque ensemble, REBEL. "...a journey into the very heart and soul of the Italian Baroque." - Interchanging Idioms Benedetti’s all-encompassing musical curiosity has led her to become one of the most versatile performers today. Not only does she regularly perform with orchestras and give solo and chamber recitals, but she frequently travels specifically for the purpose of music education, especially for El Sistema Scotland’s Big Noise project, which is partnered with Venezuela’s famous program. In addition, Benedetti recently joined Andrea Bocelli for his concert with the New York Philharmonic ...

To be released January 24th, pre-orders are available now. Nicola Benedetti is only 24 years old, yet she has made her mark in the classical world with six amazing CD's, her latest, Italia , goes to new depths of richness featuring the Italian Baroque works of Tartini, Veracini, and Vivaldi. With the help of her Stradivarius violin Nicola reaches deep to capture the energy, pathos, and emotional depth of the music. From start to finish Italia is delightful, emotionally filled with an both intensity and intimacy. The opening two pieces by Tartini, Sonata in G minor & Violin Concerto in A minor allow Nicola to show off the rich sound of her $2million violin. Her performance is worth every penny. These two minor mode piece ache with a sense of longing, the recording captures this agony perfectly. It's as if we are able to listen to the thoughts of the composer as he sits on the hillsides outside Piran contemplating the Devil's offer. Vivaldi's Concerto in A, all...

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), noted for discovering and showcasing stellar young artists early their careers, presents the dynamic and uniquely talented 21-year-old violinist Nigel Armstrong in a Mozart (Mostly) program led by LACO Principal Cello Andrew Shulman, in his LA conducting debut, on Saturday, January 21, 8 pm, at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, and Sunday, January 22, 7 pm, at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Armstrong, a finalist in the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition, held every four years and considered “classical music's equivalent of the Olympics” (Los Angeles Times), has been hailed as “gifted” and “blazing” (Chicago Tribune). The California native and recent graduate of The Colburn School Conservatory of Music performs Mozart’s stunning Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K. 216. This is the fist time Armstrong has performed publicly in California since being named a finalist in the prestigious competition and marks his LACO debut. In addition, Shulman condu...

“…a lively celebration of Benedetti’s Italian roots, shot through with some laser-sharp pyrotechnics…” – BBC Music Magazine For her Decca Classics debut album, violinist Nicola Benedetti makes her first recording of baroque violin repertoire. Recorded in Edinburgh, Italia celebrates Benedetti’s Scottish-Italian heritage as she plays virtuoso Italian masterpieces, accompanied by the leading chamber orchestra of her native Scotland, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Italia will be released on January 24, 2012. The album includes both popular highlights of the baroque repertoire as well as some overlooked gems. Benedetti includes one concerto from Vivaldi’s enduring masterpiece, The Four Seasons, as well as Tartini’s Devil’s Trill . In addition the generous selection ranges from the sparkling virtuosity of the opening Vivaldi Concerto Grosso Mogul, to the poignant lament of the Veracini Largo and the lyrical beauty of the two arrangements of Vivaldi vocal works, including the haunt...

On JOSHUA BELL’s new album, FRENCH IMPRESSIONS, Grammy-award-winning violinist Bell and his longtime friend and recital partner, pianist Jeremy Denk offer a passionately nuanced interpretation of works by Saint-Saëns, Ravel and Franck. French Impressions boasts a number of milestones: it’s Bell’s first CD of sonatas since joining Sony Classical in 1996; it is Bell and Denk’s first recital album together, and it’s the first commercial recording made at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix. Produced by multiple Grammy-award-winner Steven Epstein, French Impressions will be released January 10 on Sony Classical and features Camille Saint- Saëns Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano in D Minor Op 75 (1885); César Franck Violin Sonata in A Major (1886), and Maurice Ravel Sonata for Violin and Piano in G Major (1927). César Franck’s Violin Sonata is Bell’s homage to his mentor, Josef Gingold, with whom he studied at Indiana University in Bloomington. The sonata honors Bell’s lineage a...

At age 31--32 on November 27--Hahn has already made a lasting impact on the violin repertoire, premiering a concerto by Jennifer Higdon in addition to another by Edgar Meyer and championing both well- and lesser- known works in performance and recording. This season, Hahn delves deeper into the world of contemporary classical music, commissioning over two dozen composers to write short-form pieces for acoustic violin and piano. She will tour these new works over the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons and then record them. The project is called In 27 Pieces: The Hilary Hahn Encores. The 26 commissioned composers represent a large range of contemporary music being written today. Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, Lera Auerbach, Richard Barrett, Mason Bates, Tina Davidson, David Del Tredici, Avner Dorman, Søren Nils Eichberg, Christos Hatzis, Jennifer Higdon, James Newton Howard, Bun-Ching Lam, David Lang, Edgar Meyer, Paul Moravec, Nico Muhly, Michiru Oshima, Krzysztof Penderecki, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Max...

The young violinist celebrates the release of his Deutsche Grammophon debut recording, Two Souls, with Järvi and the London Symphony Orchestra Following recital and concerts around the world, violinist Mikhail Simonyan will release his Deutsche Grammophon debut recording, Two Souls , on November 1 in the United States. To mark the occasion Simonyan will present a 7:30pm concert at New York’s renowned (le) Poisson Rouge featuring an eclectic program of works by Ysaÿe, Tchaikovsky, and Milstein. For an evening of energetic and undoubtedly exciting music making, Simonyan will be joined by his good friend maestro Kristjan Järvi (who leads the London Symphony Orchestra on Simonyan’s new album) and Järvi’s Absolute Ensemble in re-imagined settings of music inspired by folk influences, Vivaldi, Mendelssohn, and more, written by ensemble member Gene Pritsker. Still in his twenties, Mikhail Simonyan is already recognized as one of the most celebrated talents of his generation. The New Yor...

The phenomenal Gypsy fiddler Roby Lakatos is a rare musician who defies description. A scorching virtuoso equally comfortable performing classical, jazz and his own Hungarian folk idiom, Lakatos and his ensemble join the Colorado Symphony for an explosive mix of authentic Gypsy music with great themes from all around the world. With superb panache, Roby, his ensemble and the Symphony offer an electrifying program. INSIDE THE SCORE The Devil's Fiddler 10/28 - 7:30 p.m. Boettcher Concert Hall