23 Season 2014-2015 Thursday, February 5, at 8:00 Friday, February 6, at 2:00 The Philadelphia Orchestra Saturday, February 7, at 8:00 David Kim Leader Imogen Cooper Piano and Leader Grieg From Holberg’s Time, Suite in the Old Style for Strings, Op. 40 I. Prelude (Allegro vivace) II. Sarabande (Andante) III. Gavotte (Allegretto)—Musette (Poco più mosso)—Gavotte da capo IV. Air (Andante religioso) V. Rigaudon (Allegro con brio) Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19 I. Allegro con brio II. Adagio III. Rondo: Molto allegro Intermission Mozart Symphony No. 38 in D major, K. 504 (“Prague”) I. Adagio—Allegro II. Andante III. Presto This program runs approximately 1 hour, 50 minutes. Philadelphia Orchestra concerts are broadcast on WRTI 90.1 FM on Sunday afternoons at 1 PM. Visit www.wrti.org to listen live or for more details. 224 Story Title The Philadelphia Orchestra Jessica Griffin The Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the preeminent orchestras in the world, renowned for its distinctive sound, desired for its keen ability to capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences, and admired for a legacy of imagination and innovation on and off the concert stage. The Orchestra is transforming its rich tradition of achievement, sustaining the highest level of artistic quality, but also challenging—and exceeding—that level by creating powerful musical experiences for audiences at home and around the world. Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s highly collaborative style, deeply-rooted musical curiosity, and boundless enthusiasm, paired with a fresh approach to orchestral programming, have been heralded by critics and audiences alike since his inaugural season in 2012. Under his leadership the Orchestra returned to recording with a celebrated CD of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Leopold Stokowski transcriptions on the Deutsche Grammophon label, continuing its history of recording success. The Orchestra also reaches thousands of listeners on the radio with weekly Sunday afternoon broadcasts on WRTI-FM. Philadelphia is home, and the Orchestra nurtures an important relationship with patrons who support the main season at the Kimmel Center, and also with those who enjoy the Orchestra’s other area performances at the Mann Center, Penn’s Landing, and other cultural, civic, and learning venues. The Orchestra maintains a strong commitment to collaborations with cultural and community organizations on a regional and national level. Through concerts, tours, residencies, presentations, and recordings, the Orchestra is a global ambassador for Philadelphia and for the United States. Having been the first American orchestra to perform in China, in 1973 at the request of President Nixon, today The Philadelphia Orchestra boasts a new partnership with the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. The ensemble annually performs at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center while also enjoying summer residencies in Saratoga Springs, New York, and Vail, Colorado. The Philadelphia Orchestra has a decades-long tradition of presenting learning and community engagement opportunities for listeners of all ages. The Orchestra’s recent initiative, the Fabulous Philadelphians Offstage, Philly Style!, has taken musicians off the traditional concert stage and into the community, including highly-successful Pop- Up concerts, PlayINs, SingINs, and ConductINs. The Orchestra’s musicians, in their own dedicated roles as teachers, coaches, and mentors, serve a key role in growing young musician talent and a love of classical music, nurturing and celebrating the wealth of musicianship in the Philadelphia region. For more information on The Philadelphia Orchestra, please visit www.philorch.org. 6 Music Director Chris Lee Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin continues his inspired leadership of The Philadelphia Orchestra, which began in the fall of 2012. His highly collaborative style, deeply rooted musical curiosity, and boundless enthusiasm, paired with a fresh approach to orchestral programming, have been heralded by critics and audiences alike. The New York Times has called Nézet-Séguin “phenomenal,” adding that under his baton, “the ensemble, famous for its glowing strings and homogenous richness, has never sounded better.” He has taken the Orchestra to new musical heights. Highlights of his third season as music director include an Art of the Pipe Organ festival; the 40/40 Project, in which 40 great compositions that haven’t been heard on subscription concerts in at least 40 years will be performed; and Bernstein’s MASS, the pinnacle of the Orchestra’s five- season requiem cycle. Yannick has established himself as a musical leader of the highest caliber and one of the most exciting talents of his generation. He has been music director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic since 2008 and artistic director and principal conductor of Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain since 2000. He also continues to enjoy a close relationship with the London Philharmonic, of which he was principal guest conductor. He has made wildly successful appearances with the world’s most revered ensembles, and he has conducted critically acclaimed performances at many of the leading opera houses. Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Deutsche Grammophon (DG) enjoy a long-term collaboration. Under his leadership The Philadelphia Orchestra returned to recording with a CD on that label of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Leopold Stokowski transcriptions. He continues a fruitful recording relationship with the Rotterdam Philharmonic on DG, EMI Classics, and BIS Records; the London Philharmonic and Choir for the LPO label; and the Orchestre Métropolitain for ATMA Classique. A native of Montreal, Yannick Nézet-Séguin studied at that city’s Conservatory of Music and continued lessons with renowned conductor Carlo Maria Giulini and with Joseph Flummerfelt at Westminster Choir College. Among Yannick’s honors are an appointment as Companion of the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honors; a Royal Philharmonic Society Award; Canada’s National Arts Centre Award; the Prix Denise-Pelletier, the highest distinction for the arts in Quebec; and honorary doctorates from the University of Quebec in Montreal and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. To read Yannick’s full bio, please visit www.philorch.org/conductor. 26 Leader Jessica Griffin Violinist David Kim was named concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1999. Born in Carbondale, Illinois, in 1963, he started playing the violin at age three, began studies with the famed pedagogue Dorothy DeLay at age eight, and later received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Juilliard School. In 1986 he was the only American violinist to win a prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, and in 1990 he was a prizewinner at the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. Mr. Kim appears as soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra each season as well as with numerous orchestras around the world. Highlights of his 2014-15 season include a return as concertmaster of the All-Star Orchestra in New York City and on PBS stations across the United States; a residency at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music; a return to L’Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne in France for a continuation of his Eight Seasons of Vivaldi and Piazzolla project, as well as a tour of Korea with that ensemble; multiple appearances with the Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra in Japan; and recitals and solo appearances with orchestras across the U.S. As a highly sought-after pedagogue, Mr. Kim presents master classes at schools and institutions such as Juilliard, the New World Symphony in Miami, Princeton, Yale, the Korean National University of Arts, and universities and colleges across the U.S. He serves as artist in residence at the Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra in Japan, performing and holding master classes several times each season. He is also artist in residence at Eastern University in suburban Philadelphia. The latest additions to Mr. Kim’s discography are The Lord Is My Shepherd, a collection of sacred works for violin and piano with pianist and composer Paul S. Jones, and Encore, a collection of recital favorites with pianist Gail Niwa. He has received honorary doctorates from Eastern University, the University of Rhode Island, and Dickinson College. Mr. Kim’s instrument is a J.B. Guadagnini from Milan, Italy, ca. 1757 on loan from The Philadelphia Orchestra. He resides in a Philadelphia suburb with his wife, Jane, and daughters, Natalie and Maggie. For more information please follow him on Twitter at @Dkviolin. 27 Soloist and Leader Sussie Ahlburg Pianist and leader Imogen Cooper made her Philadelphia Orchestra debut in 2009 and last performed with the ensemble in the 2012-13 season. She has appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the New York and Vienna philharmonics; the Royal Concertgebouw, Leipzig Gewandhaus, and Budapest Festival orchestras; and the NHK Symphony. She has performed with all the major British orchestras and has especially close relationships with the Royal Northern Sinfonia and the Britten Sinfonia, with which she plays and directs. She has also toured with the Camerata Salzburg, and the Australian and Orpheus chamber orchestras. Her recital appearances have included concerts in New York, Tokyo, Paris, Vienna, Prague, London, and at the Schubertiade festival in Schwarzenberg, Austria. In addition to these concerts, highlights of Ms. Cooper’s 2014-15 season include Ravel’s G-major Concerto with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam; performances with Music of the Baroque in Chicago; playing and directing Mozart with the Seattle Symphony; and solo recitals in Hong Kong, Seoul, and Singapore. Last season she performed with the London Symphony; made her Cleveland Orchestra debut; played solo recitals in the U.S., U.K., and the Netherlands; toured Australia; and performed twice at the BBC Proms. As a supporter of new music, Ms. Cooper has premiered two works at the Cheltenham International Festival: Traced Overhead by Thomas Adès in 1996 and Decorated Skin by Deirdre Gribbin in 2003.