MEDIA RELEASE MEDIA CALL: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, March 14, 2014 10:00 am - 10:30 am Augustin Hadelich joins the WSO to perform classic work by Mendelssohn MEDIA: For more information or to schedule an interview, please Winnipeg, MB - March contact: Sarah Panas, 12, 2014 - Resoundingly Marketing & Communications hailed violinist Augustin Co-ordinator, Winnipeg Hadelich returns to Symphony Orchestra, at perform in Mendelssohn 204.949.3970 or [email protected]. & Mahler with the

Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) this Download the 2014/2015 weekend at the season guide here. Centennial Concert Hall in Winnipeg and the The WSO is integral to Western Manitoba Winnipeg's rich cultural life, Centennial Auditorium in delighting more than 100,000 Brandon. Augustin will audience members each year perform Mendelssohn's beloved with innovative programming with the WSO performing Mahler's Fourth and musical excellence. The Symphony in the second half of the concert. WSO presents educational programs for more than 25,000 students annually and tours When Augustin last joined the WSO in 2012 to outside the city reaching out to perform Barber's Violin Concerto WSO audiences communities across Manitoba. and musicians were astounded, asking to have him back as soon as possible. He has performed with symphony orchestras across the world and numerous chamber orchestras throughout Europe. He is also an enthusiastic recitalist having performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Kioi Hall (Tokyo), and the Lourve just to name a few. In June 2013, he recorded his first major orchestral CD of and Thomas Adès's violin concertos, which is set to release this spring. Augustin will be joined by soprano Monica Huisman, who replaces Valdine Anderson, for the Winnipeg concerts, with the reputation of her "silken" voice "consistently crafting each note into a work of art" (Winnipeg Free Press).

Watch: Augustin Hadelich performs Barber's Violin Concerto

In 1838, inspiration struck Mendelssohn in the form of a violin concerto. "One in E minor keeps running through my head, and the opening gives me no peace," Mendelssohn wrote to his friend violinist Ferdinand David. Mendelssohn and David had been friends since their mid-teens, and David's elegant and technically brilliant playing mesmerized him. He dedicated his new Violin Concerto to his gifted friend and the two of them worked very closely on the piece together. They wanted the concerto to be a serious musical essay that could be a companion to Beethoven's Violin Concerto. Full of rich melody, the work is as challenging for the orchestra as it is for soloist, described as a musical high-wire act.

Listen to: Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor

Mahler expressed that he wanted his symphonies to be "worlds" that could be seen as one similarly cosmic place. These connections are the strongest in his first four of nine symphonies with marches flanking expressions of love, drinking songs next to spiritual quests, and peasant dances alongside complex musical structures. The fourth however, can be set apart from the others with the longing for simplicity engrained into the design and its modesty in length. At the time Mahler was going through personal turmoil in his career, which made him want to de-clutter this work. He even removed the trombones and tuba. The first three movements could be defined as a heavenly life on Earth, and the last its ultimate fulfillment.

Listen to: Mahler: Symphony No. 4

For artist biographies click here to download Overture Issue 5.

Masterworks B Mendelssohn & Mahler Friday, March 14 * 8 pm Saturday, March 15 * 8 pm Centennial Concert Hall Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor Augustin Hadelich, violin Monica Huisman, soprano

Pre-concert chat on the Piano Nobile begins 45 minutes prior to the concert.

WSO in Brandon Mendelssohn & Mahler Sunday, March 16 * 3 pm Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor Augustin Hadelich, violin Monica Huisman, soprano

Pre-concert chat in the lobby begins at 2:15 pm.

Musicians In The Making. Pre-concert performance begins at 2:35 pm in the lobby. - Sunday, March 16 - Brandon University Conservatory Chorale

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Individual Concert Tickets start at $27.00 and are available through Ticketmaster: 1.855.985.ARTS or Ticketmaster.ca; or at the WSO Box Office: 204.949.3999 or wso.ca.

Brandon Individual Concert Tickets are $47.00 available through the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium Box Office: 204-728-9510 or www.wmca.ca

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