Mozart and Mahler Program Notes
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23 Season 2017-2018 Thursday, February 8, The Philadelphia Orchestra at 7:30 Friday, February 9, at 2:00 Saturday, February 10, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla Conductor at 8:00 Menahem Pressler Piano Janai Brugger Soprano Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488 I. Allegro II. Adagio III. Allegro assai Intermission Mahler Symphony No. 4 in G major I. Bedächtig. Nicht eilen II. In gemächlicher Bewegung III. Ruhevoll. Poco adagio IV. Sehr behaglich This program runs approximately 1 hour, 50 minutes. The February 8 concert is sponsored by Leslie A. Miller and Richard B. Worley. The February 10 concert is sponsored by Allan Schimmel in memory of Reid B. Reames. Philadelphia Orchestra concerts are broadcast on WRTI 90.1 FM on Sunday afternoons at 1 PM, and are repeated on Monday evenings at 7 PM on WRTI HD 2. Visit www.wrti.org to listen live or for more details. 24 Please join us following the February 9 concert for a free Chamber Postlude featuring members of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Reicha Two Andantes and Adagio, for English horn, flute, clarinet, bassoon, and French horn I. Andante arioso II. Andante III. Adagio Elizabeth Starr Masoudnia English Horn David Cramer Flute Samuel Caviezel Clarinet Angela Anderson Smith Bassoon Shelley Showers Horn 25 The Philadelphia Orchestra Jessica Griffin The Philadelphia Orchestra Philadelphia is home and impact through Research. is one of the preeminent the Orchestra continues The Orchestra’s award- orchestras in the world, to discover new and winning Collaborative renowned for its distinctive inventive ways to nurture Learning programs engage sound, desired for its its relationship with its over 50,000 students, keen ability to capture the loyal patrons at its home families, and community hearts and imaginations of in the Kimmel Center, members through programs audiences, and admired for and also with those who such as PlayINs, side-by- a legacy of imagination and enjoy the Orchestra’s area sides, PopUP concerts, innovation on and off the performances at the Mann free Neighborhood concert stage. The Orchestra Center, Penn’s Landing, Concerts, School Concerts, is inspiring the future and and other cultural, civic, and residency work in transforming its rich tradition and learning venues. The Philadelphia and abroad. of achievement, sustaining Orchestra maintains a strong Through concerts, tours, the highest level of artistic commitment to collaborations residencies, presentations, quality, but also challenging— with cultural and community and recordings, The and exceeding—that level, organizations on a regional Philadelphia Orchestra is and national level, all of which by creating powerful musical a global ambassador for create greater access and experiences for audiences at Philadelphia and for the engagement with classical home and around the world. US. Having been the first music as an art form. American orchestra to Music Director Yannick The Philadelphia Orchestra perform in China, in 1973 Nézet-Séguin’s connection serves as a catalyst for at the request of President to the Orchestra’s musicians cultural activity across Nixon, the ensemble today has been praised by Philadelphia’s many boasts a new partnership with both concertgoers and communities, building an Beijing’s National Centre for critics since his inaugural offstage presence as strong the Performing Arts and the season in 2012. Under his as its onstage one. With Shanghai Oriental Art Centre, leadership the Orchestra Nézet-Séguin, a dedicated and in 2017 will be the first- returned to recording, with body of musicians, and one ever Western orchestra to two celebrated CDs on of the nation’s richest arts appear in Mongolia. The the prestigious Deutsche ecosystems, the Orchestra Orchestra annually performs Grammophon label, has launched its HEAR at Carnegie Hall while also continuing its history of initiative, a portfolio of enjoying summer residencies recording success. The integrated initiatives that in Saratoga Springs, NY, and Orchestra also reaches promotes Health, champions Vail, CO. For more information thousands of listeners on the music Education, eliminates on The Philadelphia radio with weekly broadcasts barriers to Accessing the Orchestra, please visit on WRTI-FM and SiriusXM. orchestra, and maximizes www.philorch.org. 26 Conductor Fran Jansen Fran Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, who is making her Philadelphia Orchestra debut, was named music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony (CBSO) in February 2016, following in the footsteps of Simon Rattle, Sakari Oramo, and Andris Nelsons. As a guest conductor she has electrified audiences all over the world. In Europe she has collaborated with the Lithuanian National, Danish National, and Vienna Radio symphonies; the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn; the Deutsche Radiophilharmonie; the Choir of the Bavarian Radio; the MDR Symphony Leipzig; the Vienna Chamber Orchestra; the Mozarteum Orchestra; the Camerata Salzburg; and the Orchestra of the Komische Oper in Berlin. At the Kremerata Baltica she has enjoyed a dynamic collaboration with artistic director Gidon Kremer on numerous European tours. She has led operas in Heidelberg, Salzburg, at the Komische Oper Berlin, and in Bern, where she served as Kapellmeister. In North America she has worked with the Seattle and San Diego symphonies and made her New York conducting debut with the Juilliard Orchestra. With the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Ms. Gražinytė-Tyla was a Dudamel Fellow in the 2012-13 season, assistant conductor for two seasons (2014-16), and associate conductor for the 2016-17 season. She was the music director of the Salzburg State Theatre from 2015 to 2017. Winner of the prestigious Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Award in 2012, she subsequently made her debut with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra in a symphonic concert at the Festival. In addition to these current performances, highlights of her 2017-18 season include an extensive tour of Europe with the CBSO; return visits to the Lithuanian National Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic; and debuts with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, the RAI National Symphony, and the Met Opera Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. A native of Vilnius, Lithuania, Ms. Gražinytė-Tyla was born into a musical family. Before pursuing her studies at the Music Conservatory in Zurich, she studied at the Music Conservatory Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy in Leipzig and at the Music Conservatory in Bologna, Italy. 27 Soloist Marco Borggreve Menahem Pressler, founding member and pianist of the Beaux Arts Trio, has established himself among the world’s most distinguished and honored musicians, with a career that spans seven decades. Now, at 94 years old, he continues to captivate audiences throughout the world as performer and pedagogue, playing solo and chamber music recitals to great critical acclaim while maintaining a dedicated and robust teaching career. Born in Magdeburg, Germany, in 1923, Mr. Pressler fled Nazi Germany in 1939 and immigrated to Israel. His world-renowned career was launched after he was awarded first prize at the Debussy International Piano Competition in San Francisco in 1946. This was followed by his successful American debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Eugene Ormandy in 1947. Mr. Pressler last appeared with the Orchestra in summer 1996, performing with the Beaux Arts Trio at the Mann and at Saratoga; this is his first solo appearance with the ensemble since 1951. Mr. Pressler’s extensive tours of North America, Europe, and the Far East have included performances with the orchestras of New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Dallas, San Francisco, London, Paris, Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden, Amsterdam, Brussels, Oslo, Helsinki, and many others. The 1955 Berkshire Music Festival marked his debut as a chamber musician, where he appeared as pianist with the Beaux Arts Trio—the ensemble’s only pianist for nearly 55 years. After the Trio took its final bows in 2008, Mr. Pressler continued to dazzle audiences throughout the world, both as piano soloist and collaborating chamber musician. Recent solo engagements include six performances with the Berlin Philharmonic, the last three with Simon Rattle for the 2014 New Year’s Eve concerts televised worldwide, as well as performances with the Orchestre de Paris and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Nearing 90 he collaborated with tenor Christoph Pregardien, playing Schubert’s Winterreise for the first time. Mr. Pressler underwent lifesaving surgery and recuperation in 2015. This season he tours Asia, Europe, the U.S., and Israel, giving recitals, playing chamber music, and performing as soloist with orchestras. He also continues to give master classes. 28 Soloist Dario Acosta Janai Brugger made her Philadelphia Orchestra debut in 2013 at Longwood Gardens and makes her subscription debut with these performances. A 2012 winner of both Operalia and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, she began the 2017-18 season returning to the Royal Opera House as Pamina in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. In addition to these current concerts, she also performs Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In her hometown she sings the role of Liù in Puccini’s Turandot at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and performs in Laura Karpman’s Ask Your Mama with the Chicago Sinfonietta. She also gives a recital and appears as Clara in a concert performance of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess at the University of Michigan;