The Season's PianoForte Series Launches with Rafal Blechacz and Marc-André Hamelin, Itzhak Perlman and the Perlman Music Program Continue Into a Second Concert Season,
Menahem Pressler and Richard Stoltzman Perform Together,
Lesley Gore Makes Her Metropolitan Museum Debut,
Music from Mali, Spain, and Turkey Takes the Stage, and
James Conlon Talks About the Life of a Conductor
For tickets, call the Concerts & Lectures Department at 212-570-3949, or visit www.metmuseum.org/tickets, where updated schedules and programs are also available.
Tickets are also available at the Great Hall Box Office, which is open
Tuesday-Saturday 10-5:00, and Sunday noon-5:00.
Student discount tickets are available for some events; call 212-570-3949.
Thursday, October 2, 2008, at 8:00 p.m. -Pacifica Quartet – Beethoven String Quartets
The Pacifica Quartet – Simin Ganatra and Sibbi Bernhardsson, violin; Masumi Per Rostad, viola; and Brandon Vamos, cello – launches the season's traversal of the complete string quartets of Beethoven by an international grouping of six ensembles. This American quartet performs the string quartets in B flat Major, Op. 18, No. 6; F Minor, Op. 95, "Serioso"; and A Minor, Op. 132, No. 15.
The next concert in the series features the Stradivari Quartett of Switzerland on January 22, 2009, with the ensuing concerts featuring the Talich Quartet, Leipzig String Quartet, Borealis String Quartet, and Artis Quartet.
Recognized for its virtuosity, exuberant performance style, and often daring repertory choices, the Pacifica Quartet has carved out a compelling musical path. Since the group first came together in 1994, the ensemble has swept top prizes in several leading international competitions from the Cleveland Quartet Award to the Naumburg. In 2006, the Pacifica was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant – only the second chamber music ensemble ever to be selected. The Pacifica Quartet tours extensively throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The Pacifica Quartet most recent CD, Elliott Carter: String Quartets Nos. 1 and 5, is the first installment of the complete string quartets of Elliott Carter released on the Naxos label in celebration of the composer's 100th birthday. The Pacifica's previous release, Declarations: Music Between the Wars, showcases music composed during the turbulent decades between World Wars I and II. The Pacifica was appointed a member of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's CMS Two program for gifted young musicians in 2002. As resident string quartet for Contempo, one of the country's leading contemporary music organizations, the Quartet presents a series of concerts each year devoted exclusively to new music.
The members of the Pacifica Quartet live in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, where they were appointed to the faculty of the University of Illinois in 2004 and serve as Faculty Quartet in Residence. They are also resident performing artists at the University of Chicago and the Longy School in Boston. Reflecting its dedication to musicians and music lovers of the next generation, the Pacifica Quartet was instrumental in creating the Music Integration Project, an innovative program that provides musical performances and teacher training to inner-city elementary schools. Originating on the West Coast, where it played its earliest concerts together, the Quartet takes its name from the awe-inspiring Pacific Ocean. Throughout their journey as a string quartet, its members continually strive to be Distinct as the billows/yet one as the sea. (James Montgomery)
Tickets: $45
Saturday, October 4, 2008, at 8:00 p.m. - Rafal Blechacz, Piano – New York Recital Debut
To launch the 2008-2009 PianoForte recital series, Rafal Blechacz, the 2005 winner of the Chopin International Piano Competition, makes his New York recital debut with his only New York recital of the season, a program of Mozart's Sonata in D Major, K. 311; Debussy's Estampes; Szymanowski's Variations in B flat Minor, Op. 3; and Chopin's Mazurkas in G Major, A flat Major, and C sharp Minor, Op. 50, and Sonata in B Minor, Op. 58, No. 3.
Rafal Blechacz was born on June 30, 1985, in Naklo nad Notecia, Poland. At the age of 23, Blechacz has already been cited by critics as a talent that only comes along every few decades – his playing is characterized by its elegance and delicacy and a poetic solemnity that has invited comparison to the legendary pianists of the early 20th century. He began his competition career by winning second prize at the Arthur Rubinstein Young Pianist Competition in Bydgoszcz in 2002 and at the Fifth International Young Pianist Competition in Hamamatsu, Japan, in 2003. In 2004 he garnered first prize at the Fourth International Piano Competition in Morocco.
In 2005, the young artist unanimously won first prize for best mazurka, polonaise, and concerto performances at the 15th International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. He also won four of the competition's special prizes. In recognition of his exceptional talent for closely approaching the Chominesque ideal, the jury decided, for the first time in the competition's history, not to award a second prize. Winning the Gold Medal at the Chopin Competition opened doors into the most prestigious concert halls around the world. In 2006, Rafal received invitations to perform at the Warsaw Philharmony Hall, the Tchaikovsky Hall of the Moscow Conservatory with the Mariinsky Orchestra under Valery Gergiev, Tonhalle in Zurich, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. In 2006 he also presented a series of 12 recitals in major concert halls in Japan including Suntory Hall in Tokyo, and he gave critically acclaimed performances at the Ruhr, Verbier, and La Roque d'Antheron summer music festivals. The year 2007 took him to Herkules Saal in Munich, Wigmore Hall in London, Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, re-invitation performances in Japan and at the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels.
In May 2006 the artist signed an exclusive five year contract with Deutsche Grammophon for three recordings. The first recording was of the complete Chopin Preludes and Two Nocturnes op. 62. Only one day after its release in September 2007, the debut recording achieved gold status in Poland, and after the second week of sales in the Polish market it went platinum.
Tickets: $45
Tuesday, October 7, 2008, at 8:00 p.m. - Djoliba Ensemble of Mali
The Djoliba Ensemble of Mali, a 20-member ensemble, uses traditional instruments, song, and dance to portray the daily life of its African country. Featured performers are Oumou Sangaré and Toumani Diabate, recognized performers in the Mandingo tradition.
It is said that in one way or another, everyone in Mali drinks from the sources of the Djoliba, the original name of the Niger river, a name of many symbols, the mirror of a strong civilization with a rich, varied culture. And the Djoliba has inspired many creative artists. The Djoliba Ensemble of Mali was formed in 1970 in under the support of the Mali government's programs to revive folkloric music forms by fostering the arts and culture of the indigenous people. The group proved strong as it carried on these traditions, surviving defections, the rivalries of other musical ensembles by rival factions in the region, and even the unfortunate deaths of some founding members. What has allowed the group to carry on so successfully into the present is its unique blending of traditional West African melodies and musical styles with the musical stylizations of the west.
The Djoliba Ensemble of Mali has become known at home and around the world for its unique fusion and of traditional folklore, song, and dance and contemporary themes, which continue to shape and mold these cultures. "Now it's the young who have come with new inspiration for the music," says one member of the ensemble, "we used to always play praise songs and ballads. Now we leave out the praise songs and add music that makes people move, that's how we conquered Europe and the U.S."
Their music now combines various African music styles, including Congolese soukous and West African Manding, as well as reggae and Latin.
Tickets: $50
Friday, October 10, 2008, at 8:00 p.m. - Menahem Pressler, Piano
Richard Stoltzman, Clarinet
with Heidi Grant Murphy, Soprano
Menahem Pressler, fresh from the farewell concerts of the Beaux Arts Trio, returns to the Museum with longtime friend and collaborator Richard Stoltzman for an evening of solo and chamber music: Schubert's Sonatina in D Major; Berg's Four Pieces for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 5; Brahms's Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in F Minor, Op. 120, No. 1; Kurtág's Hommage à Schumann; and Schubert's The Shepherd on the Rock, with special guest artist Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano.
Menahem Pressler, founding member and pianist of the Beaux Arts Trio, which had its final performances earlier this year, has established himself among the world's most distinguished and honored musicians, with a career that spans over five decades. Professor Pressler's world-renowned career was launched after he was awarded first prize at the Debussy International Piano Competition in San Francisco in 1946. This was followed by his successful American debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Eugene Ormandy. Since then, Pressler's extensive tours of North America and Europe have included performances with the orchestras of New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Dallas, San Francisco, London, Paris, Brussels, Oslo, Helsinki and many others. In addition to over 50 recordings with the Beaux Arts Trio, Menahem Pressler has compiled over 30 solo recordings of music ranging from Bach to Ben Haim. In 2007 Menahem Pressler was appointed an Honorary Fellow of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance in recognition of a lifetime of performance and leadership in music. In 2005 Pressler received two additional awards of international merit: the German President's Deutsche Bundesverdienstkreuz (Cross of Merit) First Class, Germany's highest honor, and France's highest cultural honor, the Commandeur in the Order of Arts and Letters award. The 83-year old pianist fled the Nazis from his hometown of Magdeburg, Germany, in 1938, emigrating to Israel. His life has always been completely devoted to his music. When not giving solo performances, or teaching master classes, Pressler can be found teaching at Indiana University, where he holds the rank of Distinguished Professor.
Richard Stoltzman's virtuosity, musicianship and sheer personal magnetism have made this two-time Grammy Award-winner one of today's most sought-after concert artists. As soloist with more than a hundred orchestras, as a captivating recitalist and chamber music performer, and as an innovative jazz artist, Stoltzman has defied categorization, dazzling critics and audiences alike throughout many musical genres. A prolific recording artist, Stoltzman's acclaimed recordings can be heard on BMG/RCA, Sony Classical, MMC, Naxos and other labels, and include the Grammy-winning recordings of Brahms Sonatas with Richard Goode and Trios of Beethoven, Brahms, and Mozart with Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma, as well as Hartke's Landscapes with Blues, a New York Times "Best of 2003," and Rautavaara's Clarinet Concerto on Ondine.
Tickets: $50
Saturday, October 18, 2008, at 8:00 p.m. - Itzhak Perlman Plays Chamber Music
with Members of The Perlman Music Program
Returning after its critically acclaimed, sold-out inaugural season, Itzhak Perlman Plays Chamber Music with Members of the Perlman Music Program will continue to showcase the exceptionally gifted young musicians of the program founded and guided by Toby Perlman. This first of three programs includes Dvořák's Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81; with guest artist Yoonjee Kim, piano; and Mendelssohn's String Quintet No. 2 in B flat Major, Op. 87.
This series is generously supported by Mrs. Florence Irving and Mrs. Vivian Milstein.
The Perlman Music Program encompasses both chamber music workshops and an intensive six-week summer residency program serving approximately 38 exceptionally gifted students, ages 12 to 18, drawn from all over the world. Under the dedicated guidance of Toby and Itzhak Perlman and an outstanding faculty of teachers of violin, viola, cello, bass, piano, and chorus, the program offers the finest instruction, coaching, and mentoring that can be found anywhere, with a faculty-student ratio of nearly one to three. At the summer program on Shelter Island, students practice their instruments four hours a day, take private lessons and group classes, play in chamber groups and orchestra and sing in chorus. They discuss performance skills, examine performance anxiety, and perform throughout the summer. In addition, students develop social skills and learn to share the spotlight with others in this non-competitive environment.
Undeniably the reigning virtuoso of the violin, Itzhak Perlman enjoys a superstar status rarely afforded a classical musician. He marks an important milestone during the 2008-2009 season: he celebrates the 50th anniversary of his American debut. In addition to this series of the Perlman Music Program, highlights of Mr. Perlman's 2008-2009 season include performances with Pinchas Zukerman at Washington's National Symphony and Ottawa's National Arts Centre, and a gala event at Carnegie Hall with Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax. In March 2009, the Festival of the Arts BOCA will devote its festival to a celebration of his anniversary with concerto, chamber music, and klezmer performances, as well as a closing concert with Mr. Perlman as conductor of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.
Beloved for his charm and humanity as well as his talent, he is treasured by audiences throughout the world who respond not only to his remarkable artistry, but also to the irrepressible joy of making music. In December 2003 the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts granted Mr. Perlman a Kennedy Center Honor celebrating his distinguished achievements and contributions to the cultural and educational life of our nation. In addition to performing as a soloist each season, Mr. Perlman is a frequent presence on the conductor's podium, and he has performed as conductor with most of the major U.S. orchestras as well as at the Ravinia and OK Mozart festivals. He was Music Advisor to the Saint Louis Symphony from 2002 to 2004, where he made regular conducting appearances, and he was Principal Guest Conductor of the Detroit Symphony from 2001 to 2005. Over the past decade Mr. Perlman has become more actively involved in educational activities. He has taught full time at the Perlman Music Program each summer since it was founded, and currently holds the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation Chair at the Juilliard School.
Tickets: $65
Thursday, October 23, 2008, at 8:00 p.m. -Compania Flamenco de Madrid
The Compania Flamenco de Madrid, featuring dancer Antonio Molina and accompanying singers, dancers, and instrumentalists, is one of Spain's premier flamenco ensembles. The company brings this tradition to life vibrantly and colorfully, and has delighted audiences around the world for many years.
The origins of flamenco are still uncertain; it is highly probable that flamenco singing and dancing originated in Andalucia around the 15th century, during the Gypsies' encounter with the inhabitants of southern Spain, bearing with them a culture that was a mixture of Arabic-Egyptian, Jewish, and Indian influences. The oldest form of flamenco is cante jondo, an intimate and deep-felt song that recounts the sorrows and hopes of the Gypsies as a people. Originating as a rhythmic form of accentuation for singing, flamenco dancing was enriched over time by constantly increasing expressive possibilities, along with indispensable accompaniment by guitars. As a theatrical presentation, flamenco only developed in the past century, through stylistic experimentation, refinement of expression, and technical codification that gave this form of dancing an artistic identity of its own, although always bound to the Gypsy spirit.
Tickets: $50
Saturday, October 25, 2008, at 6:00 p.m. - The Whirling Dervishes of Turkey
This ensemble of 16 Sufi musicians – playing the classical Turkish instruments nay (flute), kudum (drums), kemenche (fiddle), and oud (lute) – and whirling dervishes will sing and dance the traditional Islamic Sema ritual. Before the performance, Nuri Simsekler, Assistant Professor of Literature and President, Rumi Center, Selçuk University, Konya, will read in Farsi, and Peter Rogen will read in English, from the works of Islam's great 13th-century mystical poet Jelaluddin Rumi. Hemdem Celebi Efendi, the world head of the Melvlevi Sufis, will deliver the opening remarks.
The 800-year-old Sema, or whirling, ceremony represents a mystical journey of man's spiritual ascent through to truth and love. It is recognized by UNESCO as "one of the world's great cultural and spiritual heritages."
Tickets: $50
Thursday, October 30, 2008, at 8:00 p.m. - Marc-André Hamelin, Piano
Marc-André Hamelin performs his only New York recital of the season, a program of Berg's Sonata, Op. 1; Chopin's Sonata No. 2 in B flat Minor, Op. 35; and Alkan's Concerto for Solo Piano, Op. 39, Nos. 8-10, as part of the season's PianoForte series.
Marc-André Hamelin's startlingly original blend of musicianship and virtuosity has earned him legendary status as a true avatar of the piano. Long known for his matchless exploration of unfamiliar pianistic terrain, Mr. Hamelin is now recognized worldwide for the originality and technical brilliance of his performances of the classic repertoire. Mr. Hamelin's summer included appearances in Norway at the Risør Chamber Music Festival, where he performed a duo recital with pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, Schubert lieder with bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff, and music of Antheil with violinist Christian Tetzlaff, in addition to solo performances.
Mr. Hamelin's 2008-2009 season includes a return recital at London's Wigmore Hall and recitals in Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Turkey. Orchestral engagements include appearances with the Montreal, Saint Louis, Seattle, New Jersey, and North Carolina symphony orchestras. In Europe he returns to Finland to the Helsinki Philharmonic and the Lahti Symphony, and debuts with the La Scala Philharmonic, led by Valery Gergiev. Mr. Hamelin also embarks on a tour of Asia and Australia for concerts with the Singapore Symphony and Gunther Herbig, the Malaysian Philharmonic with Osmo Vanska, and the Melbourne Symphony led by Oleg Caetani. He finishes with a pair of recitals in Hong Kong. Mr. Hamelin also tours with the Takács String Quartet, performing the Schumann Piano Quintet at venues in the U.S., Canada, Spain, and England. In March 2009 the Pro Musica Society of Montreal marks its 60th anniversary season celebrating the art of Marc-André Hamelin. In a week of concerts Mr. Hamelin collaborates with violinist Lara St. John, the Leipzig String Quartet, soprano Karina Gauvin, and Les Violins du Roy with Bernard Labadie, and finishes with a solo recital.
Under exclusive contract with Hyperion Records, his recent disc Marc-André Hamelin in a state of jazz was released in May 2008 to outstanding acclaim; the recording features works by Alexis Weissenberg, Nikolai Kapustin, George Antheil, and Friedrich Gulda - all through-composed works in the jazz idiom. In addition, Hamelin has recorded over 35 CDs for Hyperion, including concertos by Alkan, Bernstein, Bolcom, Busoni, Korngold, Joseph Marx, Rubinstein, Scharwenka, and Shostakovich, and works for solo piano by Alkan, Catoire, Grainger, Medtner, Reger, Roslavets, and Rzewski, as well as brilliantly received performances of Haydn, Schumann, Brahms, Liszt and Albeniz.
Hamelin was recently presented with a rarely bestowed lifetime achievement prize, the German Record Critics' Award (Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik). Marc-André Hamelin was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2003 and a Chevalier de l'Ordre du Québec in 2004; he is also a member of the Royal Society of Canada.
Tickets: $45
Friday, October 31, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. - Lesley Gore
Lesley Gore, whose pop instincts and independent spirit made her a star in the 1960s, makes her Metropolitan Museum debut.
The most commercially successful solo artist of the "Girl Group" era of the '60s, Gore quickly set herself apart. With a string of Quincy Jones-produced, chart-topping hits, including "It's My Party," "Judy's Turn To Cry," and "You Don't Own Me," she introduced the world to a brilliant artist with pop instincts and an independent spirit that stood out against the formulaic offerings on the radio. Gore was a full-fledged star by age 16, and her smash hits rang like anthems for young American women, pointing the way for future generations of rabble-rousing pop singers from Debbie Harry to Pat Benatar, Madonna, and Gwen Stefani.
Having maintained a constant touring schedule in major venues across the country, Lesley Gore is no less committed today. Ever Since, her 2005 recording, is a timeless collection of classic songs. Included are re-imagined versions of two Lesley Gore standards, "You Don't Own Me" and the Academy Award–nominated "Out Here On My Own" (from Fame), interwoven with new songs written by national recording artists Mike Errico, Blake Morgan, and Gore herself. On "Not The First," (written by Gore), she warns a friend about the perils of blind love, but could just as easily be warning Avril Lavigne about the perils of the music business. When she sings, "All the parties I've been to/ you were missed" ("Ever Since"), she draws listeners back to her number one hit, "It's My Party."
Tickets: $50
Also in October 2008 – The following music lectures:
Wednesday, October 22, 2008, at 8:00 p.m.- James Conlon: "An Inside View of the
Life of a Conductor"
Maestro James Conlon explores contrasting aspects of the conductor's role: interpretation, artistic vision, inspirational force, technique, and the art of communication with musicians and audiences.
One of today's preeminent conductors, James Conlon has cultivated a vast symphonic, operatic and choral repertoire, and developed enduring relationships with the world's most prestigious symphony orchestras and opera houses through more than 30 years of conducting. Mr. Conlon embarked on his inaugural season as Music Director of Los Angeles Opera in September 2006. He is also currently Music Director of the Ravinia Festival, the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and continues to serve as Music Director of the Cincinnati May Festival, America's oldest choral festival, since 1979. Mr. Conlon has served as Principal Conductor of the Paris National Opera (1995-2004); General Music Director of the City of Cologne, Germany (1989-2002), where he was simultaneously Music Director of the Gürzenich Orchestra and the Cologne Opera; and Music Director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic (1983-1991). He is continually engaged to guest-conduct the major orchestras and opera houses throughout North America and Europe.
Tickets: $23
Wednesdays, October 29 and November 5, 2008, at 2:30 p.m. - Nimet Habachy:
"Music of the Renaissance"
The Renaissance not only fostered humanistic ideals but also boasted a cavalcade of stars that included the Medicis, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo. Lecturer and writer Nimet Habachy explores the roles of musical stars Heinrich Isaac, John Dowland, and Claudio Monteverdi in the political and cultural life of the period with two lectures, "The Renaissance in Italy: Cosimo de Medici, Leonardo da Vinci, Machiavelli, and Heinrich Isaac," and "The Influence of the Renaissance from the Muscovite Kingdom of Ivan III to the Tudor Court of Henry VIII of England." This series is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Art and Love in Renaissance Italy. The exhibition is made possible by the Gail and Parker Gilbert Fund and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. Additional support is provided by The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation. The exhibition was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth.
Series: $40; Single tickets: $23
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September 8, 2008
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