CHANNEL CLASSICS CCS SA 30511 Dejan Lazic Australian Chamber Orchestra Richard Tognetti, leader Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, op. 58 Piano Sonatas No.14 (‘Moonlight’) & No. 31 (op.110) Photo: Susie Knoll, Munich 2 Dejan Lazic´ Munich Prinzregententheater, Menuhin Pianist and composer Dejan Lazic´ was born Festival Gstaad, Washington Kennedy into a musical family in Zagreb, Croatia, and Center, as well as in Tokyo, Beijing and grew up in Salzburg, Austria, where he Istanbul. In Summer 2008 he performed studied at the Mozarteum. He is quickly Beethoven’s 3rd Piano Concerto at the establishing a reputation worldwide as ‘a Great Hall of People in Beijing in a tele- brilliant pianist and a gifted musician full of vised pre-olympic gala concert for an ideas and able to project them persuasively’ audience of 7,000. (Gramophone). The New York Times Recently, he also performed very hailed his performance as ‘... full of poetic, successfully with the Philharmonia shapely phrasing and vivid dynamic effects Orchestra under Vladimir Ashkenazy, City that made this music sound fresh, sponta- of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under neous and impassioned’. After a highly Giovanni Antonini, Atlanta and Seattle successful Edinburgh Festival recital, The Symphonies under Robert Spano, Swedish Scotsman recently wrote: ‘Dejan Lazic´ Radio and Danish National Symphonies, and shines like a new star!’ Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. In early As recitalist and soloist with orchestra 2010 he toured Spain with Bamberger Dejan Lazic´ has appeared at major venues Symphoniker under Jonathan Nott and in in Europe, North and South America, Asia, Autumn 2010 he toured Asia with Buda- and Australia, and has been invited to pest Festival Orchestra under Iván Fischer. numerous international festivals. Other orchestral engagements lead him Immediately after his orchestral debuts to the BBC Symphony in London, SWR at New York Lincoln Center with the Buda- Symphony in Stuttgart, MDR Symphony in pest Festival Orchestra under Iván Fischer Leipzig, Residentie Orkest in The Hague, and at London Royal Festival Hall with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Orquesta London Philharmonic Orchestra under Kirill Ciudad de Barcelona, and Orquestra Petrenko, he gave a highly successful Sinfonica do Estado de Sao Paulo. With series of recitals at London Queen Eliza- Basel Chamber Orchestra and Giovanni beth Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Antonini he performs on tour, among others 3 at Vienna Konzerthaus, Munich Herkules- also a passionate chamber musician. He saal, Cologne Philharmonie, and Brussels records exclusively for Channel Classics Palais des Beaux Arts, and currently he is and has released a dozen of recordings so ‘Artist in Residence’ with the Netherlands far. The 1st volume of his new ‘Liaisons’ Chamber Orchestra in Amsterdam. series with works by Scarlatti and Bartók Dejan Lazic´ also enjoys a growing was released in 2007 to great critical following in the Far East to where he acclaim; the 2nd volume with a Schumann/ returned last season for a tour with the Brahms program was released in 2009, the NHK Symphony Orchestra. Other Asian 3rd volume with a C.P.E. Bach/Britten engagements include those with the program will be released in September Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra 2011. In the Fall of 2008 he released a CD (including concerts in the Suntory Hall and with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Metropolitan Art Space in Tokyo), under Kirill Petrenko playing Rachmaninov’s Sapporo Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic, famous 2nd Piano Concerto – a live re- Hong Kong Philharmonic, National Sym- cording that has earned rave reviews from phony Orchestra of Taiwan, as well as a critics and audiences worldwide and in series of recitals throughout Japan, in Hong addition, it won the prestigious German Kong, and in the Forbidden City Concert Echo Klassik Award 2009. Hall in Beijing, China. Dejan Lazic´ is also active as a composer. In November 2009 he toured Australia His works include various piano compo- with the Australian Chamber Orchestra led sitions, chamber music (including String by Richard Tognetti, including concerts at Quartet op. 9, written for Mstislav Rostro- the world famous Sydney Opera House. In povich’s 70th birthday gala), and orchestral 2011 he will be touring Europe and South works, as well as Cadenzas for Mozart, America with the Budapest Festival Or- Haydn, and Beethoven Piano Concertos. chestra and Iván Fischer, including concerts In 2007/08 season he premiered his piano at the world-famous BBC Proms in London cycle ‘Kinderszenen – Hommage à Schu- and in Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires. mann’ op. 15 at Amsterdam Concert- Alongside his solo career Dejan Lazic´ is gebouw. 4 His recent arrangement of Brahms’ Richard Tognetti Violin Concerto for piano and orchestra saw Artistic Director and Leader its World Premiere on October 1, 2009 in Australian Chamber Orchestra Atlanta, USA, with the Atlanta Symphony Award-winning violinist and conductor Orchestra under their music director Robert Richard Tognetti has established an Spano. This concert was also recorded live international reputation for his compelling by Channel Classics and the CD was performances and artistic individualism. released in early 2010 to great critical One of Australia’s most eminent musicians, acclaim. The European Premiere of this he performs on period, modern and electric arrangement will take place in the Fall of instruments. His compositions and trans- 2011 at Amsterdam Concertgebouw with criptions have been performed throughout the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra led by the world. Highlights of his career as Gordan Nikolic´. director, soloist or chamber music partner include the Sydney Festival (conducting Mozart’s Mitridate); and appearances with the Handel & Haydn Society (Boston), the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Irish Chamber Orchestra and the major Aus- tralian symphony orchestras. Richard Tognetti was made an Australian National Living Treasure in 1999. He performs on a 1743 Guarneri del Gesù, made available exclusively to him by an ano- nymous Australian benefactor. Internationally renowned for inspired programming and the rapturous response of audiences and critics, the Australian Chamber Orchestra moves hearts and stimulates minds with repertoire spanning 5 six centuries and a vitality and virtuosity unmatched by other ensembles. Richard Tognetti was appointed Artistic Director and Lead Violin in 1989. Under his inspiring leadership, the ACO has perform- ed as a flexible and versatile ‘ensemble of soloists’, on modern and period instruments, as a small chamber group, a small sympho- ny orchestra, and as an electro-acoustic collective. The ACO’s unique artistic style encompasses not only the masterworks of the classical repertoire, but innovative cross-artform projects and a vigorous commissioning program. Australian Chamber Orchestra More than 40 international tours to Europe, the USA and Asia have included regular appearances at the world’s prestigious concert halls, including Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, London’s Wigmore Hall, New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, Vienna’s Musikverein and Washing- ton’s Kennedy Center. Festival appearances include the BBC Proms, Tanglewood, Ravinia, Interlochen and New York’s Mostly Mozart. Regular collaborators include Emmanuel Pahud, Steven Isserlis, Dawn Upshaw and Pieter Wispelwey. 6 Several of the ACO’s principal musicians past traditions, only the cellists are seated – perform with spectacularly fine instruments. the resulting sense of energy and indivi- Tognetti plays a 1743 Guarneri del Gesù duality is one of the most commented-upon (ex Carrodus) violin and Principal Cello elements of an ACO concert. Timo-Vekko Valve plays a 1729 Giuseppe The ACO has an extensive, award- Guarneri Filius Andreae cello, both on loan winning discography on labels including from anonymous benefactors. Assistant BIS, Sony, EMI, Hyperion, Chandos and Leader Satu Vänskä plays a 1759 J.B. ABC Classics and appears in the television Guadagnini violin on loan from the series Classical Destinations II and film Commonwealth Bank Group. In a nod to Musica Surfica. aco.com.au 7 Violin 1 Double Bass Richard Tognetti (Artistic Director Maxime Bibeau (Principal) and Lead Violin) Axel Ruge Satu Vänskä (Assistant Leader) Madeleine Boud Flute Ilya Isakovich Alison Mitchell Mark Ingwersen Zoë Black Oboe Shefali Pryor Violin 2 Ngaire de Korte Helena Rathbone (Principal) Aiko Goto Clarinet Alice Evans Cathy McCorkill Myee Clohessy Matthew Larsen Veronique Serret Christina Bassoon Katsimbardis Brock Imison Anthony Grimm Viola Christopher Moore (Principal) Horn Stephen King Robert Johnson Nicole Divall Frankie Lo Surdo Caroline Henbest Trumpet Cello Leanne Sullivan Timo-Veikko Valve (Principal) Alexandra Bieri Melissa Barnard Julian Thompson Timpani Eve Silver Brian Nixon 8 ‘He to whom my music makes itself recording, its rediscovery nearly 190 years understood, must become free of all the later was not only highly informative and misery that others lug with them’ most inspiring, but also of great influence Ludwig van Beethoven on the integral shaping of the orchestral version of this work. The first performance of the 4th Piano This is not only a matter of the per- Concerto, with Beethoven at the piano, ception and comparison of the most diverse took place in March 1807 at two concerts details, which can be directly filtered from in the Viennese palace of the Bohemian the score and from the solo part, intensified Prince Lobkowitz, together with