PREVIEW NOTES

Emanuel Ax, piano Wednesday, May 7 – 8:00 PM Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center

Program Sonata in F‐sharp Minor, Op. 2 Symphony with the participation of collaborators Anne‐ Johannes Brahms Sophie von Otter and Yo‐Yo Ma. Born: May 7, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany Died: April 3, 1897 in Vienna, Austria Bolts of Loving Thunder Composed: 1852 Missy Mazzoli Last PCMS performance: Ignat Solzhenitsyn, 2004 Born: 1980 Duration: 27 minutes Composed: 2013‐14 Philadelphia Premiere Dedicated to Clara Schumann, this sonata is a study in Duration: 10 minutes contrasts between passages of youthful passion and moments imbued with the delicacy of folk song. The Throughout his 2013‐14 concert dates Emanuel Ax has first movement heavily develops the opening theme, so been featuring various works by Brahms juxtaposed much so that it makes the entrance of the recapitulation with two commissions by acclaimed contemporary difficult to identify. The second movement consists of composers Missy Mazzoli and Brett Dean. With a three variations on the German tune Mir ist leide and is working title of Bolts of Loving Thunder, Ms. Mazzoli’s followed by a Scherzo that further develops this theme. work is co‐commissioned by Carnegie Hall.

Klavierstücke, Op. 119 Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24 Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms Composed: 1892 Composed: 1861 Last PCMS performance: Marcantonio Barone, 2013 First PCMS Performance Duration: 22 minutes Duration: 26 minutes

Brahms was uncomfortable with descriptive titles for his Much like Bach in the Goldberg Variations and pieces and often resorted to the noncommittal Beethoven in the Diabelli Variations, Brahms here "Klavierstücke." While these pieces don’t require the constructed a sprawling masterwork based on a very technical facility necessary to play many of his earlier simple idea. The melody is the Air from the third works, an incisive musicality is paramount for any movement of the first suite in B‐flat Major of Handel's performance of these miniatures. On this evening’s Suites de pièces de clavecin of 1733. At several points, performance Mr. Ax will intersperse new miniatures by Brahms pairs the variations such that the second contemporary Australian composer Brett Dean within "varies" the material of the first. We hear a Hungarian Brahms’ four Klavierstücke. rhapsody in No. 13 and a fast Siciliana in 12/8 in No. 19. Such character is also found in the "music box" variation Sonata (No. 22) and the chromatic fantasia atmosphere of No. Brett Dean 20. The closing fugue, with a subject derived from the Born: October 23, 1961 in Brisbane, Australia original Air, makes free use of Baroque counterpoint. Composed: 2013‐14 Philadelphia Premiere Duration: 10 minutes

Along with Carnegie Hall, the two premieres this evening are part of a set of four works that were commissioned jointly between the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cal Performances Berkeley, and Chicago