CHANNEL CLASSICS CCS 40719 NING FENG VIOLIN PAGANINI&VIEUXTEMPS VIRTUOSISMO ORQUESTA SINFÓNICA DEL PRINCIPADO DE ASTURIAS ROSSEN MILANOV CONDUCTOR Ning Feng (photo: Lawrence Tsang) 2 NING FENG returns to the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Yu Long. “Ning Feng’s total mastery could be seen in the In recital and chamber music Ning Feng precision and sweep of his bow, and heard in the regularly performs with Igor Levit and Daniel effortless tonal range, from sweet to sumptuous.” Müller-Schott, amongst others, and in 2012 New Zealand Herald - founded the Dragon Quartet. He appears at major venues and festivals such as the Wigmore Hall in Ning Feng is recognised internationally as an artist London, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, National of great lyricism, innate musicality and stunning Centre for Performing Arts (Beijing) as well as the virtuosity. Blessed with an impeccable technique Schubertiade, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Hong and a silken tone, his palette of colours ranges from Kong International Chamber Music Festivals. intimate delicacy to a ferocious intensity. The Berlin Born in Chengdu, China, Ning Feng studied at based Chinese violinist performs across the globe the Sichuan Conservatory of Music, the Hanns Eisler with major orchestras and conductors, in recital School of Music (Berlin) with Antje Weithaas and and chamber concerts. the Royal Academy of Music (London) with Hu Kun Recent successes have included a return to where he was the first student ever to be awarded the Budapest Festival Orchestra with Iván Fischer 100% for his final recital. The recipient of prizes at in Budapest and on tour to China performing the Hanover International, Queen Elisabeth and Dutilleux L’arbre des songes, tours with the Hong Yehudi Menuhin International violin competitions, Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and Jaap van Zweden Ning Feng was First Prize winner of the 2005 to Europe, Asia and Australia, concerts with the Michael Hill International Violin Competition Konzerthausorchester Berlin and Lawrence Foster (New Zealand), and in 2006 won first prize in the in Berlin and China as well as concerts in Brazil International Paganini Competition. He teaches at and on tour to the Far East with the São Paulo the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin, the Royal Symphony Orchestra and Marin Alsop. Further Northern College of Music in Manchester and the recent highlights include successful debuts with the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Los Angeles Philharmonic and Xian Zhang, National Ning Feng plays a 1721 Stradivari violin, known Symphony Orchestra and Gianandrea Noseda, as the ‘MacMillan’, on private loan, kindly arranged by Frankfurt Radio Symphony and City of Birmingham Premiere Performances of Hong Kong, and plays on Symphony Orchestra with Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla and strings by Thomastik-Infeld, Vienna. 3 ROSSEN MILANOV Director of the nationally recognized training orchestra Symphony in C in New Jersey, and in Respected and admired by audiences and musicians 2013 a 17-year tenure with the New Symphony alike, Rossen Milanov is currently Music Director of Orchestra in his native city of Sofia, Bulgaria. His the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Chautauqua passion for new music has resulted in numerous Symphony Orchestra, Princeton Symphony Orches- world premieres of works by composers such tra and the Spanish ensemble Orquesta Sinfónica as Derek Bermel, Mason Bates, Caroline Shaw, del Principado de Asturias. Phillip Glass, Richard Danielpour, Nicolas Maw, and Rossen Milanov has gained a considerable Gabriel Prokofiev. national and international reputation, appearing Noted for his versatility, Milanov is also a with the symphony orchestras of Colorado, Detroit, welcomed presence in the world of opera and Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Baltimore andSeattle, with ballet. He has collaborated with Komische Oper the Fort Worth Symphonies and the National Berlin in Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtzensk, Symphony Orchestra (at the Kennedy Center); Opera Oviedo with the Spanish premiere of during Link Up educational projects he conducted Tchaikovsky’s Mazeppa and Bartók’s Bluebeard’s the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Carnegie Hall and Castle (which gained an award as the best Spanish the Civic Orchestra in Chicago. production in 2015), and with Opera Columbus Milanov has worked internationally with the (Verdi’s La Traviata). BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra de la Suisse An experienced ballet conductor, Milanov Romande, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Aalborg, Latvian has been seen at New York City Ballet and has and Hungarian national symphony orchestras, Slove- collaborated with some of the best known nian Radio Symphony Orchestra, as well as with choreographers of our time, including Mats Ek orchestras in Canada, South Africa, Mexico, Colom- and Benjamin Millepied and most recently Alexei bia, Brazil and New Zealand. In the Far East he has Ratmansky (in the critically acclaimed revival of Swan appeared with NHK, Sapporo, Tokyo, Singa pore Lake in Zurich with Zurich Ballet), and with La Scala Symphonies, Malaysian and Hong Kong Philharmo- Ballet in Paris. nics, and at the Hyogo Performing Arts Center. In 2017, Rossen Milanov was recipient of an Arts The many pre-eminent international artists with Prize from the Columbus Foundation. Under his whom Rossen Milanov has collaborated include leadership the Symphony has expanded its reach by Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Midori Goto, connecting original programming with community- Christian Tetzlaff, and André Watts. During his wide initiatives focusing on themes ranging from eleven-year tenure with The Philadelphia Orchestra, women composers to nature conservancy. Outof- Milanov conducted more than 200 performances. In the-box festival programmes and the commissioning 2015, he completed a 15-year tenure as Music of new music are among his trademarks. 4 Rossen Milanov 5 In Princeton Milanov celebrates his tenth and Latin America. Its primary activity revolves anniversary as Music Director by collaborating around the concert seasons it offers each year with creative artists such as Daniel Rowland, Inon in the cities of Oviedo, Gijón and Avilés – seasons Barnatan, Rachel Barton Pine and Derek Bermel. that have featured some of the most important Rossen Milanov studied conducting at the Curtis soloists and conductors on the international scene, Institute of Music and the Juilliard School, where he alongside its own succession of musical directors: received the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship. Jesse Levine, Maximiano Valdés and, most recently, A passionate chef, he often dedicates his culi- Rossen Milanov, who assumed the directorship nary talents to various charities. in 2012. The OSPA’s appearances outside the regular season include performances that have become ORQUESTA SINFÓNICA eagerly anticipated fixtures on programmes such DEL PRINCIPADO as the opening gala of the Princess of Asturias DE ASTURAS Awards and the traditional annual Christmas Concert – the latter in close collaboration with the The Symphony Orchestra of the Principality of Princess of Asturias Foundation Choir in recent Asturias (OSPA) was founded in 1991 under the years – not to mention the Orchestra’s essential auspices of the Government of the Principality role in the opera season of the Asturian Friends of of Asturias. Its main objective is the cultural and the Opera Association. musical enrichment of the region, and King Felipe In Asturias the Orchestra’s intensive social and VI of Spain serves as the group’s honorary educational outreach work is expanding year on president. The OSPA operates as an independent year and warmly received in every locale they visit. branch of the Ministry of Education and Culture Amongst the OSPA’s most lauded activities is its and is a member of the Spanish Association of noteworthy collaboration as a partner orchestra in Symphony Orchestras (AEOS). Carnegie Hall’s Link Up programme, making it the Having inherited the legacy of the former first European and first Spanish-language institution Pro­­vin cial Symphonic Orchestra, with origins to participate, reaching schoolchildren across dating back to 1939, as well as that of the later Asturias. Symphony Orchestra of Asturias, the OSPA today Outside the Principality, the Orchestra has is re nown ed both within Asturias and around the performed at the most important venues and world for its versatility, interpretive powers and concert halls on the Spanish musical landscape. It undisputed musical quality. has collaborated with the Bilbao Friends of the The OSPA is made up of 69 professional Opera Association and has appeared at major musicians from the EU, Russia, the United States summer events including the Santander, Granada 6 Recording session (photo: Channel Classics) 7 Recording session (photo: Channel Classics) 8 Music & Dance and Alicante Contemporary the 2012-13 season they recorded Stravinsky’s Music Festivals. The OSPA is also a regular guest Petrushka and Falla’s Three-Cornered Hat for Classic at the Cuenca Sacred Music Week and Bilbao’s Concert Records (the first CD in their Diaghilev & Musika-Música Festival. the Ballets Russes series). In both 2015 and 2017, Highlights on the Orchestra’s international Channel Classics Records recorded the Orchestra touring calendar have included their 1996 with violinist Ning Feng in Asturias. The first CD per formances in Mexico and Chile, where they entitled «Apasionado» (2016) with works by would return just two years later. Also in 1998, the Sarasate, Lalo, Ravel and Bizet received excellent