Llyr Williams
New residency in Glasgow: Beethoven Project Details of Llyr Williams’ residency at Glasgow Royal Concert Halls have just been announced. Along with the Elias Quartet, Williams will be immersing himself in Beethoven over the next three seasons, with the first installment taking place in September 2013. He and the Elias Quartet will explore the sonatas and string quartets, in an imaginative series of talks and concerts, exploring Beethoven’s early works right through to the late ones. This September’s installment focuses on the 1800s, when Beethoven was in his 30s. Further details can be found here.
Standing ovation for Rachmaninov 3: on 12 April, Llyr Williams received a standing ovation for his performance of Rachmaninov’s 3rd Piano Concerto, with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and conductor Thomas Søndergård, (their first time working together). He received a 5 star review in the Western Mail, the journalist describing his playing as ‘astonishing’ and ‘breathtaking’!
Snape Proms: This summer’s Snape Proms programme at Aldeburgh has just been announced: featuring a solo recital by Llyr Williams, of Beethoven and Liszt transcriptions. Tickets go on sale from 21 May onwards.
Antonello Manacorda
Successes in Finland and Germany: This spring, Manacorda has made his debut with Tapiola Sinfonietta, which went very well. He has also returned to Frankfurt Radio Symphony with two very successful concerts. Manacorda has now begun rehearsals at La Fenice, for a new Mozart/Da Ponte cycle, with director Damiano Michieletto.
New website launched! www.antonello-manacorda.com/
Manacorda to remain at Potsdam and latest CD release: It has just been announced that Antonello Manacorda has extended his contract with the Kammerorchester Potsdam until 2015. This month also marks the release of his latest recording with the Orchestra for Sony – Schubert Symphonies Nos 5 and 6, which is the second CD in their Schubert cycle. The disc has already been well-received: CD of the week on RBB Kulturradio, and good reviews on other German radio stations (click here for the NDR review and here for the WDR review, both in German).
Mitsuko Uchida
Mitsuko Uchida’s interview with Jessica Duchen in the Independent today, about the Borletti-Buitoni Trust, expounds some strong and perhaps controversial views about the development of young artists’ careers… Full article at http://ind.pn/12OlWwe
Philippe Bach
Success with the RSNO: 1 hour Ring Cycle! Last week, Philippe Bach conducted the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in a special and unusual project. They performed Wagner, arr.de Vlieger: The Ring, An Orchestral Adventure, with presenter Paul Rissmann. Basically, The Ring Cycle, in 1 hour, as a symphony! Michael Tumelty gave them a glowing review in the Scottish Herald, particularly praising Philippe Bach’s conducting: you can read it here.
Tristan in Meiningen Philippe Bach is currently conducting a new production of Tristan and Isolde in Meiningen. The première was 1st March, and since then, the performances have received a fantastic reception in the German press. Unanimous praise from the critics, who have commented on Philippe Bach’s masterful handling and understanding of the music; his subtle, sensitive and passionate interpretation; and the orchestra’s brilliant playing. To find out more about the production and further performance dates, click here.
Roman Rabinovich
Rave review following recital in Florida The American music journalist, Donald Waxman, recently described Rabinovich as, “an artist of the highest caliber; a pianist with complete technical command, a prodigious memory and a highly individual personality at the piano” The review was published in the Palm Beach Arts Paper on 6 May 2013 – read more here
New CD release – taster! Before Roman Rabinovich’s first solo CD comes out this March, on the Orchid Classics label, there is a preview on You Tube, featuring some of the music from the disc, along with original artwork by Rabinovich himself. Orchid Classic’s facebook page also has lots of interesting pre-release coverage of the CD, including some of Rabinovich’s iPad art and an interview with him. There is lots happening there – please take a look!
Christian Baldini
Stravinsky and The Rite Read Christian Baldini’s views on The Rite, and on Stravinsky as a master of reinvention, on Carolina Performing Arts’ blog ‘The Rite of Spring at 100′
New Video Baldini conducts Ligeti’s Mysteries of the Macabre, with soprano Nikki Einfeld, and the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra. This was Baldini’s ‘acting-whilst-conducting’ debut!
You can also see Baldini conducting the world première of Kurt Rohde’s Double Viola Concerto here. Rohde has won many prestigious composition prizes in the USA, including the Rome Prize and Berlin Prize. Baldini, a committed advocate of new music and also a composer himself, has conducted over 60 world premières.
Joseph Swensen
Hear Joseph Swensen play the Brahms Violin Concerto Joseph Swensen’s return to the violin, as a soloist, was marked by two performances of Brahms’ Violin Concerto with the London Mozart Players in February this year. Audio footage of one of the concerts, at St John Smith’s Square, is now available. Please go to our video page to listen. Swensen also performed Ernst’s fiendishly difficult Last Rose of Summer as his encore: jaw-droppingly virtuosic! This footage is 100% live and unedited. Video versions will be available soon.
Astonishing Bruckner! At the end of last year, Joseph Swensen conducted the Orchestre National du Capitole Toulouse in 2 remarkable performances of Bruckner’s 4th Symphony (1874 version). The concerts was a great success, with standing ovations at the end of each. The reviews in the local press were astonishingly good. Please take a look at utmisol.fr, classiquenews.com, classiquetoulouse.com and culture31.com to read what was said. Having only begun conducting Bruckner a few seasons ago, Swensen has rapidly become a committed and excellent interpreter of this music.
MConstantContact All Star Award Winner 2012
An award for the office! We are proud to announce that we have won an award for our digital marketing efforts, from email service provider, Constant Contact. (And a big thank you to everyone who reads and engages with our communications).
